Today marks the beginning of National Apprenticeship Week! Occurring annually, National Apprenticeship Week recognizes the value of apprenticeships, and this year the theme is “Registered Apprenticeship: Superhighway to Good Jobs.”
In the lead up to this week, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at an apprenticeship event on Thursday in Boston in a moderated Q&A session with union members that have completed apprenticeship programs. As part of the conversation, she emphasized the importance of apprenticeship programs in supporting the economy and providing pathways to good jobs.
When asked about why she values apprenticeships, the Vice President discussed their ability to provide opportunities to many Americans and enable the United States to lead around the world. She also praised the community created within apprenticeship programs that provides a valuable support network for participants.
Vice President Harris also emphasized that the Administration is working to ensure “that apprenticeship programs will very much be the way to go to build up the workforce to then do the work we have funded.” She sighted funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act as creating demands for a larger skilled workforce that apprenticeship programs can help address.
Additionally, the Vice President discussed the importance of building pathways for minorities through apprenticeships and emphasized the need to bring more underrepresented groups into these programs.
She concluded her remarks by committing to continued support: “When we are thinking about what we are working for, we have you guys in mind.”
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