(The Center Square) — Virginia Rep. Bob Good introduced legislation Thursday that seeks to make industry-led apprenticeship programs more common and accessible to Americans who don’t have or don’t want to obtain a college degree.
“Colleges and universities are failing our students, saddling them with thousands of dollars in student loan debt and sending them into the workforce unprepared,” Good said. “My legislation seeks to provide another way—one that avoids an average of $28,000 in college debt, provides a much-needed boost for American employers in desperate need of skilled worker, and strengthens the economy.”
The bill calls on the Department of Labor to approve third-party organizations as “standards recognition entities” to review and approve private sector apprenticeship programs. Every industry-recognized apprenticeship program must include, at minimum, paid work, on-the-job learning, a mentorship component, education and classroom instruction, a written development plan and apprenticeship agreement and safety and supervision components, according to the bill.