Today, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05), member of the Education and Labor Committee, marked up legislation to reauthorize the National Apprenticeship Act for the first time since its enactment in 1937. The National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 would invest more than $3.5 billion to create nearly one million apprenticeship opportunities over the next five years to help Americans get back to work. 

“With thousands of Connecticut residents forced onto unemployment due to COVID-19, it is essential we invest in getting people back to work.” said Congresswoman Hayes. “Registered Apprenticeships programs will provide paid, on-the-job training, and a nationally recognized credential as an alternative to a 4 year degree. Providing this proven pathway to success and opportunity is critical during a sustained economic downturn. I am proud to have voted to pass the National Apprenticeship Act out of Committee to provide these opportunities to workers and employers in Connecticut.”

The National Apprenticeship Act of 2020:

 

  • Authorizes $400 million for fiscal year (FY) 2021, increasing by $100 million annually to $800 million for FY 2025, to:
    • Support the creation or expansion of registered apprenticeships, youth apprenticeships and pre apprenticeship programs, including in non-traditional apprenticeship occupations and for nontraditional populations.
    • Encourage employer participation and recruitment for individuals with barriers to employment, including individuals impacted by the criminal justice system.
    • Support national industry and equity intermediaries, and intermediaries at the regional or local level.
    • Establish or expand educational alignment with programs under the national apprenticeship system.

 

  • Codifies and streamlines standards for registered apprenticeships, youth apprenticeship and pre apprenticeship programs, including requirements for apprenticeship agreements and program registration to ensure consistency in quality standards and worker protections.

 

  • Codifies existing regulations and practices to ensure that all individuals have an equal opportunity to participate in programs under the national apprenticeship system, and to increase diversity in the occupations offered and the individuals participating in programs, especially in high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand industry sectors and occupations.

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Rep. Jahana Hayes has been a public school teacher in Connecticut for more than 15 years 

and was recognized in 2016 as the National Teacher of the Year.

Currently serving her first term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Hayes sits on the Committees on Education & Labor and Agriculture and proudly represents Connecticut’s 5th District.