ARTICLE
The U.S. Department of Labor issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to bolster the National Apprenticeship System for the first time since 2008. The rule is focused on enhancing worker protections, improving the quality of registered apprenticeships, revising State governance provisions, and establishing clearer apprenticeship pipelines. The proposed rule would better define roles for State Apprenticeship Agencies, promote apprenticeship pathways - including pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship readiness programs - and strengthen labor standards. There is a whole lot more to this NPRM, which you can check out here. Per the Association of Union Constructors (of which ECA is an affiliate), the National Apprenticeship Act is overdue for an update, as the work landscape has shifted drastically over the last decade and a half. As with all large-scale legislation (this clocks in at nearly 800 pages!) there is a lot of information to sift through. Based on initial readings, this appears to be a big step in the right direction for labor protection and could bolster the all too important apprenticeship pipeline. –TAUC