George H.W. Bush: “Apprenticeship May 13, 1992 To the Congress of the United States: I am pleased to transmit herewith for your immediate…”

“Apprenticeship May 13, 1992 To the Congress of the United States: I am pleased to transmit herewith for your immediate consideration the ``National Youth Apprenticeship Act of 1992.'' Also transmitted is a section-by-section analysis. This legislation would establish a national framework for implementing comprehensive youth apprenticeship programs. These programs would be a high-quality learning alternative for preparing young people to be valuable and productive members of the 21st century work force. Although this framework has been designed to be comprehensive and national in scope, it is also flexible enough to allow States to customize the model to economic, demographic, and other local conditions. I am proposing this legislation in order to promote a comprehensive approach for helping our youth make the transition from school to the workplace and strive to reach high levels of academic achievement. The lack of such an approach is one very important reason that a significant proportion of American youth do not possess the necessary skills to meet employer requirements for entry level positions. There is widespread agreement that the time has come to strengthen the connection between the academic subjects taught in our schools and the demands of the modern, high-technology workplace. Work-based learning models have proven to be effective approaches for preparing youth at the secondary school level.…”