Bonamici Bill to Support Registered Apprenticeships Advances to House Floor

WASHINGTON, DC [09/24/20] – Today the House Education and Labor Committee approved the National Apprenticeship Act, co-led by Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) to support Registered Apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, and youth apprenticeships.

Bonamici's bipartisan Promoting Apprenticeships through Regional Training Networks for Employers' Required Skills (PARTNERS) Act was included in the package. The PARTNERS Act would help small and medium sized businesses establish Registered Apprenticeships and provide workers with the support services they need to succeed.

Video of Bonamici speaking in support of the legislation can be found here.

"Registered Apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, and youth apprenticeships help workers access meaningful employment," said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. "This is particularly important for those with barriers to employment, and even more so at a time when hundreds of thousands of people are out of a job. I co-led the National Apprenticeship Act to invest more than $3.5 billion to create and support nearly one million new Registered Apprenticeships over the next five years. This package includes my bipartisan PARTNERS Act to help small and medium sized businesses establish Registered Apprenticeships and provide workers with access to tools, work attire, transportation, child care services, and mentorship support to help them succeed."

"Today's advancement of the National Apprenticeship Act is critical to ensuring small and midsized companies have capacity to expand apprenticeship for workers who most need access to skills and good jobs," said Katie Spiker, Senior Federal Policy Analyst at the National Skills Coalition. "The inclusion of Congresswoman Bonamici's PARTNERS Act means there will be critical support for local workforce efforts that prioritize workers needs and business demand."

The PARTNERS Act provides funding to industry partnerships that bring together employers, education, training, labor, and community-based organizations to create paid, on-the-job training programs that meet the needs of employers and provide workers with important support services and training. Bonamici crafted the legislation with input from the National Skills Coalition, Oregon Employment Department, Worksystems, Inc., and Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Business Leaders United for Workforce Partnerships, and Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP) have endorsed the bill.

Bonamici and Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-GA) first introduced the PARTNERS Act in 2017. Bonamici has been a longtime champion in Congress for Registered Apprenticeships and work-based learning programs. The Congresswoman supported the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) when it passed Congress in 2014, and has led efforts to increase funding for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grants.

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