On June 28, the Swiss Embassy in the United States held a reception at the residence of Ambassador of Switzerland Jacques Pitteloud to highlight the Swiss, Austrian and German apprenticeship models, and discuss lessons that can be applied to the U.S. apprenticeship system.
Ambassador Pitteloud welcomed the attendees and introduced representatives of the three countries featuring their apprentices at the panel discussion. Additional welcome remarks were given by Ambassador of Austria Martin Weiss and Ambassador of Germany Emily Haber.
The companies included Buhler Aeroglide of Switzerland and North Carolina, Engel Machinery of Austria and Pennsylvania and Linde + Wiemann of Germany and Georgia. Each of the three companies’ attendees noted that they were drawn to their apprenticeship programs by a desire to obtain debt-free education and hands-on learning opportunities.
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo was in attendance and discussed her support for registered apprenticeships, highlighting the ongoing challenges for American global economic competitiveness and emphasizing the availability of jobs in high-demand fields.
The event concluded with remarks from Brent Parton, Acting Assistant Secretary at the Department of Labor, on the takeaways from the event.
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