WASHINGTON, DC – November 14, 2022 – Today, North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) issued the following statement from President Sean McGarvey in recognition of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW). NAW has been observed nationwide since 2015 to honor the U.S. Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship system, which was established by the “Fitzgerald Act” passed in 1937:

“Today, as NABTU joins the rest of the nation to kick off the celebration of National Apprenticeship Week, we salute this gold standard training method, as well as the students and instructors that make this system the best in the world. Registered Apprenticeships are essential to growing a more stable and robust middle class in communities across America.

“As proven time and time again, the Registered Apprenticeship system is set up to meet the critical workforce needs of our nation. This includes the latest federal investments in infrastructure and semiconductor technology that will provide millions of new jobs and unprecedented demand for apprenticeships. The unionized construction training infrastructure is ready to take on this workload.

“Every year, tens of thousands of the most highly-skilled construction workers complete our world-class Registered Apprenticeship programs as they learn the skills needed for a fulfilling, family-sustaining, and inclusive career. As our system expands to meet the demands for new workers in these critical infrastructure jobs, we are committed to recruiting more women, communities of color, indigenous people, veterans and the justice involved for these new opportunities in the unionized construction industry. That is why we are pleased to be part of DOL’s efforts like National Apprenticeship Week and look forward to helping continue to elevate and showcase this proven model to other industries and the American public.”

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