The Department of Labor has issued a final rule regarding industry-recognized apprenticeships (IRAPs). These apprenticeships are different from registered apprenticeships, which have to go through the Department’s rigorous approval process and meet a number of stringent requirements. IRAPs remove much of the federal oversight and instead allow third parties like corporations, nonprofits, trade and industry groups, and others to play a more singular role in the development and administration of these types of apprenticeships.
The Department has stated that the overarching purpose of IRAPs is to quickly scale “the availability of apprenticeships in emerging, high-growth sectors.” Accordingly, because of the well-established and widespread success of registered apprenticeships in the construction field specifically, the rule prohibits construction-related IRAPs.
IRAPs have been a priority of the Trump Administration, congressional Republicans and some industry groups who see the registered apprenticeship process as being too burdensome and complex, particularly for nontraditional apprenticeship fields. IRAPs’ detractors worry that removing the Department of Labor’s oversight responsibilities could dramatically reduce the quality of apprenticeships, which would be both harmful to students and, more broadly, the overall favorable impression that the public has of apprenticeships.
The final rule comes after House Democrats released bill text for legislation that would reauthorize the National Apprenticeship Act. While originally it was thought the reauthorization could be bipartisan, discussions seem to have stalled over issues related to IRAPs. Last week the House held a hearing on the National Apprenticeship Act, which you can read more about here.
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