Last week, Congress focused primarily on passing a spending package of $460 billion dollars to fund part of the government through the rest of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. President Biden also delivered the 2024 State of the Union this week. In the coming weeks, Congress is hoping to pass the remaining six appropriations bills, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill in order to meet the March 22 deadline under the current continuing resolution. See below for more details and other news:
- Biden Delivers State of the Union: President Biden delivered his State of the Union Address on Thursday, acknowledging pressing issues facing the country. Most relevant, he discussed access to high-quality jobs for everyone, regardless of whether they possess a degree. A current apprentice and a former technical college student invited by Dr. Jill Biden attended the event, highlighting the importance of skilled apprentices and technical education students.
- Congress Passes Spending Package to Partially Fund Government Through FY 2024: Just in time for the March 8 deadline, the House and Senate passed the first six FY 2024 appropriations bills
- U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Appoints 30 Leaders to Serve on Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship: The DOL announced the appointments of 30 members to serve on the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship to advise the Secretary of Labor on issues related to the national apprenticeship system.
- Bipartisan Legislation to Bolster Skills Training for American Workers: Reps. Kilmer, Thompson, Schneider and Fitzpatrick introduced the Skills Investment Act. The bipartisan legislation would help American Workers to pay for skills training, apprenticeships and professional development. A companion bill was also introduced in the Senate by Senators Klobuchar and Braun. ACTE endorsed the bill.
- Bipartisan Push for Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act (BWPA): Reps. Virginia Foxx and Bobby Scott, chair and ranking member of the House Education and Workforce committee, attended the Business Roundtable’s CEO Workforce Forum to discuss the BWPA.
- Executive Order on Scaling and Expanding the Use of Registered Apprenticeships in Industries and the Federal Government: President Biden issued an executive order launching an initiative to strengthen the federal workforce using Registered Apprenticeships. For example, the DOL has launched a pilot Federal Youth Apprentice Pathway, which will provide three-year apprenticeship programs leading to permanent federal positions. The Executive Order also seeks to encourage the use of Registered Apprenticeships in federal grants and contracts.
- DOL Releases Updated Guidance on Pre-Apprenticeship Programs: The DOL released a Training and Employment Notice explaining several pre-apprenticeship programs, how they are helpful toward people entering the workforce and best practices to follow for said programs.
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