ABC attends White House presentation of apprenticeship report

Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC’s) Greg Sizemore, vice president of Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) and workforce development, joined the secretaries of labor, education, commerce and stakeholders from industry, education and government at the White House on May 10 to present the final report from the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion to President Trump. The report outlines how industry-recognized apprenticeship programs and other innovations can help meet the need for highly skilled workers in all industry sectors.

“The construction industry will certainly benefit from recommendations in this report, including promoting apprenticeship as a positive earn-and-learn career path, improving the affordability of technical education, focusing on mastery and competency—not just training hours—and expanding diversity,” ABC President and CEO Michael Bellaman, who is also a task force member, says. “It was an honor to work with leaders from diverse industries and backgrounds to find ways to expand career opportunities and help every American realize his or her fullest potential, regardless of their access to higher education. 

Chaired by Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, the task force was created by presidential executive order to identify strategies and proposals to promote:

• Federal initiatives to promote apprenticeships;
• Administrative and legislative reforms that would facilitate the formation and success of apprenticeship programs;
• The most effective strategies for creating industry-recognized apprenticeships; and 
• The most effective strategies for amplifying and encouraging private sector initiatives to promote apprenticeships. 

More than two dozen recommendations were detailed in the report, including:

• Expansion of work-and-learn models
• National recognition and portability of credentials
• Strategies for affordability
• Greater industry and employer involvement
• Streamlined program funding
• Focus on areas of most acute skills shortage
• Raise apprenticeship awareness 
• Eliminate operational inefficiencies
• Implement industry-recognized apprenticeship programs

“In construction alone, we need 500,000 workers to fill a backlog of existing jobs,” Sizemore said after meeting with the president. “All Americans should be able to access the training they need to acquire skills that lead to high-paying and fulfilling careers.”