In a statement, the Association for Print Technologies commended President Trump and Congress for “taking major steps this past week to advance workforce career and technical education.” The steps included an executive order establishing the National Council for the American Worker, the White House Pledge to America’s Workers initiative and reauthorization of the bipartisan Perkins CTE legislation, Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives by unanimous voice vote, according to APTech.
The reauthorized Perkins Act will align career and tech education with workforce needs, APTech said. It will also allow funds to be used to buy manufacturing equipment and credentialing exams to prepare the future pipeline of manufacturing talent, according to the organization. The newly minted Perkins Act reauthorization now awaits the president’s signature and will take effect July 1, 2019, according to APTech.
Reauthorization of the Perkins Act was a top priority advocated by industry executives who meet with legislators on Capitol Hill during the 2018 Print & Packaging Legislative Summit.
The presidential executive order establishing a National Council for the American Worker is designed to produce a strategy on workforce development and engage a campaign to implement the recommendations of the President’s Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion. The order also establishes an advisory board of public and private sector leaders to develop further recommendations. Additionally, the Department of Labor announced a new grant program to expand apprenticeships in key industry sectors. APTech is investigating how this program might be applied in the printing industry.
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