On the recordNovember 12, 2019
As some of our other Members have, I rise to commemorate the observance of National Apprenticeship Week. Whether you are talking to people who are manufacturers, whether you are talking to people in the medical community, you know that one of the biggest problems we have in America today is we don't have enough people to fill the vital jobs that are necessary for our economy and necessary for the health of our citizens. To a certain extent, this is because the educational system has let people down, allowing them to spend tens of thousands of dollars and go tens of thousands of dollars in debt without getting the skills needed in these two vital areas. For too long, we have just focused on a vague 4-year degree path, but we are right now in a position in which we are ruining people's lives or putting them in a very difficult position as they become 30 years old, 35 years old, and still don't have a job commensurate with repaying these loans. Apprenticeships are good for employers, good for workers, and good for our country. As Members of Congress, people on the Education Committee and others must do more to expand and promote the apprenticeship program. ____________________
