Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020. COVID-19 has exposed shortcomings in our workforce infrastructure, but those shortcomings are the result of a long history of making only marginal investments in our national apprenticeship model. It seems we are always reacting to crisis rather than planning in advance. In response to the Great Recession of 2008, Congress invested significant funding in our workforce systems. In this Congress, we made investments through the CARES Act, but only as this COVID crisis spiraled. {time} 1600 It should not take a recession or a pandemic to invest in workers in communities like mine. Lehigh, Northampton, and Monroe Counties are replete with potential, but it is critical that we invest in times of prosperity, too. For every dollar invested in our registered apprenticeship program, we see a return of $28 in benefits, but the U.S. invests just $195 in public money per apprentice while a system like Canada spends $1,300 per apprentice. This bill would reset our approach. It makes long-term investments regardless of our economic fortunes or misfortunes. It provides grants for employers to incentivize the hiring of apprentices. At the same time, it provides workers with the opportunity to earn while they learn and obtain portable credentials without incurring significant debt.…”