House Passes Bonamici Bill to Support Paid Job Training Opportunities, Rebuild Economy

WASHINGTON, DC [11/20/20] –Today the House passed the National Apprenticeship Act, legislation co-led by Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) that will create nearly one million apprenticeships over the next five years. The legislation supports workers who have historically faced barriers to employment with paid job training opportunities and will help rebuild the economy.

"Registered Apprenticeships are critical at a time when hundreds of thousands of people are out of a job because of the coronavirus pandemic," said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. "Apprenticeships provide meaningful upskilling and reskilling opportunities and supportive services for displaced and dislocated workers. I am pleased to be co-leading this important bill with Congresswoman Susan Davis to create nearly one million new Registered Apprenticeship, youth apprenticeship, and pre-apprenticeship positions."

"Recently I convened a virtual roundtable discussion with apprentices, pre-apprentices, and union leaders from across Northwest Oregon. I heard from apprentices like Lacy who said, ‘I don't know where I would be or what I would be doing' without her apprenticeship with Laborers Local 737, because it ‘made it possible to pay my bills and feed my kid.' With the National Apprenticeship Act, we are helping workers like Lacy gain the skills and support services to provide for themselves and their families."

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

As a senior member of the Education and Labor Committee, 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.