Apprenticeship/Job Training | ABC Academy & GA Articles
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Apprenticeship/Job Training

OVERVIEW

The construction industry provides good, well-paying jobs to American workers every year. To qualify for many of these jobs, however, workers need high-quality, flexible skilled training. Such training can lead to a lifetime career opportunity in a lucrative field. ABC believes all American workers, regardless of labor affiliation, should enjoy equal access to critical job training.

ABC’s formal apprenticeship programs are registered with the appropriate federal and state government agencies and meet all federal and state requirements, including employer-sponsored classroom instruction and on-the-job training.

ABC works closely with NCCER, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) education foundation created in 1996 as The National Center for Construction Education and Research. Led by ABC National and ABC members, NCCER was developed by more than 125 construction CEOs and various association and academic leaders who united to revolutionize training for the construction industry. Sharing the common goal of developing a safe and productive workforce, these companies created a standardized training and credentialing program for the industry.  This on-going, multi-million dollar investment in training illustrates NCCER’s commitment to the future of the industry.  Since its inception, the program has evolved into curricula for more than 60 craft areas.  NCCER, headquartered in Alachua, Fla., is affiliated with the University of Florida's M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction.

Increased skilled training is vital to the future of the construction industry. ABC will continue to work to ensure construction companies’ training needs are addressed.

WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT 

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) system was created in 1998 to help unprecedented numbers of Americans find jobs and job training.  As the economy works toward recovery, hundreds of thousands of Americans are searching for jobs and careers that can help ensure security and safety for their families. However, the WIA system is sometimes hampered by duplicative and redundant bureaucracy that prevents it from being as effective as it could be for workers and their families.

ABC supports legislation that will strengthen our nation’s workforce development system by creating a more streamlined approach that focuses on businesses’ hiring and training needs, which will increase employment opportunities and improve WIA. 

Additionally, ABC supports legislation that ensures access to WIA funded programs by all employers and employees (regardless of union affiliation) and increases employer involvement in the process.  Only through employer involvement and equal access can job training programs meet the needs of their communities.

ABC SUPPORTS
  • Increased skilled training opportunities, without discrimination based on labor affiliation.
  • Continued modernization of the federal apprenticeship law known as the Fitzgerald Act of 1937, which was enacted at a time when labor unions dominated the construction market. As a result, federal and state laws and regulations tend to favor the union style of apprenticeship programs and do not accurately reflect merit shop apprenticeship programs.
  • School-to-career programs, which offer students a course of study that brings together academics, on-the-job learning and paid work experience—all before high school graduation.
  • The Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012 (H.R. 4297), introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.). H.R. 4297 will address the much needed reform to our country’s workforce training system by providing a framework that will consolidate programs and increase the role of business.
ABC OPPOSES
  • Inconsistent actions that conflict with the goal of expanding job training opportunities by denying workers the fundamental right to choose to train and work in the merit shop sector of the construction industry.



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