ILMA Compoundings September 2017 - 39

WASHINGTON LANDSCAPE

Congress, Trump Boost Technical
Training and Education
By Daniel Bryant

any manufacturers, including ILMA members, have
expressed frustration with
the lack of a "talent pool" to fill key
positions in their businesses. In order
to address this ongoing concern and
fill the skills gap, the House of Representatives has advanced legislation to
appropriate federal funds for critical
education and training, while President Donald Trump has launched an
apprenticeship initiative. (see Trump
Determined to Expand Apprenticeships
in the U.S., August issue, pg. 24)
There is widespread agreement
across the political spectrum that improving career and technical education
is one key to improving workers' economic well-being and social mobility.
However, in today's highly charged
political climate, even sound policies
and programs are not a sure thing.
NEW LEGISLATION
The House recently passed the Strengthening Career and Technical Education
for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 2353).
H.R. 2353 reauthorizes the Carl D.
Perkins Career and Technical Education
Act of 2006 and provides funding for
technical programs that train individuals
with the skills necessary for the current
job market. ILMA members advocated
for H.R. 2353's passage during the
National Association of Manufacturers'
(NAM) Manufacturing Summit in June.
H.R. 2353, if enacted, would streamline and simplify the process for states
to apply for federal funds for career and
technical education (CTE). Previously,
states had to give the federal government detailed plans that outlined their
programs. Under the legislation, states
can fill in a more simplified application form. The bill would also return
authority to the states to craft individ-

ualized programs that meet local needs
and would remove the requirement
that states negotiate CTE performance
levels with the secretary of education.
Overall, the revisions will allow states to
more easily tailor their career training
programs to specifically address the
needs of the local economy.
Work on H.R. 2353 has shifted to the
Senate, where the measure has bogged
down in the past over issues of the secretary of education's authority. Industry
groups are hopeful that the Senate can
reach agreement on a bipartisan bill.
EXECUTIVE ORDER ON
APPRENTICESHIPS
Trump recently signed an executive
order aimed at expanding apprenticeship
programs in the United States and instructing the Labor Department to propose regulations that allow development
of apprenticeship programs by third
parties, such as trade associations, unions
or businesses, that would be approved
and certified by the government.
Under existing apprenticeship rules,
the department directs how programs
are administered, the length of hands-on
training and the minimum number of
required hours of classroom instruction.
Apprenticeships are at the center of the
Trump administration's workforcetraining efforts. The president believes
that hands-on learning best prepares
Americans for in-demand jobs. Labor
Secretary Alexander Acosta promoted the
program during the NAM Summit.
The order notes that too many individuals are pursuing undergraduate
degrees at considerable expense and
time but are not adequately trained
and equipped with the skills necessary for today's jobs. As an example,
there are currently 350,000 unfilled
manufacturing jobs, highlighting the

disconnect between current training
and employers' needs.
Some observers believe a reason for
the "supply and demand" imbalance,
particularly in the manufacturing
sector, is that too many job seekers,
including college graduates, are leaving
school without marketable skills or
practical experience.
As part of the order, the Department of Labor is directed to assemble
a task force comprised of representatives from the Education, Commerce and Labor departments, trade
associations, unions and educational
institutions. The task force is charged
with developing policies and strategies
to promote apprenticeships.
The order also seeks to align federal
funds with accredited apprenticeship
programs and mandates that the secretary of labor establish an "Excellence
in Apprenticeships" program within
two years that recognizes trade associations or businesses for their efforts in
implementing quality programs.
As this issue of Compoundings goes to
print, the Senate has not taken up H.R.
2353 and the Labor Department has
not proposed regulations to implement
the president's executive order. However,
both developments from the legislative
and executive branches are welcome
news for manufacturers, including
ILMA members, that are seeking to
find and employ quality talent in key
positions and also to job seekers who are
eager for good-paying careers without
the accompanying student loan debt.
Bryant serves as regulatory
counsel to ILMA through
Bassman, Mitchell, Alfano &
Leiter Chtd. He may be
reached at 202-386-7670 or dbryant@bmalaw.net.

ILMA Compoundings September 2017

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