WASHINGTON— U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez called Monday for a doubling of apprenticeship programs in the United States, a step he said would reduce unemployment and help build a stronger middle class.
“We see that it is a remarkable middle-class profession,” Perez said during a meeting at the Urban Institute, a Washington-based think tank. “Today’s apprentice will earn $300,000 more in wages and benefits over their lifetime than their peers who aren’t apprentices.”
Apprenticeships provide a strong return on investment for everybody involved: labor, management and government, he added.
Apprenticeship programs are sponsored by businesses, large or small, that provide hands-on training and classroom instruction that ranges from one to six years.
Paired with a mentor, apprentices begin working immediately after they join the program and receive incremental wage increases as they advance their skills. Apprentices also receive a nationally-recognized credential from the program.
In 2011, over 55,000 Americans graduated from a Registered Apprenticeship program, according to the Department of Labor.
Industries that participate in registered apprenticeships include: construction, manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology, service and retail, health care, military, public utilities and the public sector.
Perez’s remarks come weeks after President Barack Obama announced two grant programs—totaling to $600 million—aimed at preparing more Americans for the workforce. Of the grant total, $100 million will be used to expand apprentice programs across the country.
Germany, Australia and Great Britainhave a large number of apprentices in theirworkforces, whereas Ireland and the United States have the lowest rates.
“When record numbers of young people in the U.S. and in the U.K. are unemployed or underemployed, including many of them college graduates, then we need to find new ways to boost skilled jobs and growth in our countries because this waste of talent and this waste of potential shames us all,” said John Healey, former U.K. skills and treasury minister.
Perez said parents’ misconceptions are one reason to blame for the lack of young people entering apprenticeship programs.
“This is not your father’s Chevrolet, Mom and Dad,” Perez said. “These are programs that allow you to get the skills of the 21st century, to punch your ticket to the middle class and to get on the higher end super highway.”