Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, of Middletown, and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, of California, recently introduced a the bipartisan Student Apprenticeship Act.
The legislation would “close the gap between higher education and labor by modernizing workforce training and catalyzing the growth of registered apprenticeships nationwide,” according to Fitzpatrick and Khanna’s offices.
The bill is a companion to the U.S. Senate’s Student Apprenticeship Act, which was introduced by Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.
The act would was created to encourage collaboration between higher education institutions, employers, and labor by creating a grant program to create apprenticeship opportunities for students. It would also include developing curricula and standards for learning, mentoring, and supervising while also upgrading equipment. Funds could also support tutoring, transportation, child care, and housing subsidies.
“As a student and an apprentice, participants would work to earn college credit andan industry credential while their employers pay them. Meanwhile, employers would pay at least 25 percent of the student’s college tuition and fees, and student-apprentices would earn credits for their work that count towards their degree and their industry credential,” Fitzpatrick’s office said.
In addition, the bill would update the federal work-study program to allow apprenticeship programs to count as work-study programs.
Fitzpatrick has long advocated for work-training programs and expanding the skilled-labor market, which can provide family-sustaining jobs.
“By promoting the collaboration between higher education and apprentice programs, this bill will help to prepare the next generation for good-paying jobs, while addressing our nation’s current shortage of trained workers,” Fitzpatrick said, adding apprenticeship programs grow the economy.
“To prepare our workers for the 21st century economy, we must acknowledge that on-the-job training and higher education go hand in hand,” said Khanna, who grew up in Richboro and serves as national co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign. “Student apprenticeship programs are key to ensuring workers are trained for the high-paying, high-demand jobs that employers are having so much trouble filling. We must invest in our workforce if we want to maintain America’s global economic leadership.”
The bill has already gained support from the American Association of Community Colleges, Center for Law and Social Policy, National Association of Workforce Boards, Small Business Majority, and a number of other groups.
