Rep. Bob Good Wants to Help Develop America’s Workforce
- BY FGA
Naples, FL – Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) recently introduced the Developing America’s Workforce Act to help American workers gain the experience necessary for succeeding in the modern workforce. Among its reforms, the Developing America’s Workforce Act codifies President Trump’s Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program, helps Americans obtain industry-specific skills through on-the-job learning and classroom instruction with industry-recognized credentials upon completion, and provides more flexibility for workers to develop skills through private-sector-created apprenticeships.
The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) applauds Rep. Good for his work to bring back these much-needed apprenticeship programs and policies, to reduce regulations, and to expand alternative career pathways for those seeking to avoid the rising cost of higher education (up 500 percent since 1985).
“At a time when job openings are plentiful and the cost of attending a four-year college or university has skyrocketed, more needs to be done to help young people learn important skills and pursue work in high-demand fields,” said Robin Walker, Senior Director of Federal Affairs at FGA. “There are many pathways to the American Dream, and apprenticeships play an important role in closing the skills gap and reducing the debt burden blocking too many Americans from that dream.”
Background:
In 2017, President Trump issued an executive order to expand and modernize workforce development programs. One such modernization was Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, or IRAPs, which allow the private sector to develop apprenticeship programs overseen by the Department of Labor. It’s a flexible public-private partnership that provides individuals an opportunity to learn on the job, helping young adults enter the workforce without saddling themselves in five or six figures of student loan debt. Upon entering office, President Biden ended this innovative program.
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The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is a non-profit, multi-state think tank that promotes public policy solutions to create opportunities for every American to experience the American Dream. To learn more, visit TheFGA.org.
