The construction industry's Registered Apprenticeship system has been considered the gold standard for skilled trades training for some time. The Trump administration signed an executive order in 2017 to create Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs) and expand apprenticeship training to other industries. It's widely believed the Registered Apprenticeship system's tremendous success in the construction industry inspired the executive order.
The Department of Labor (DOL) stated in its July 2018 guidance that the construction industry would be excluded from IRAPs. This past June, DOL released the proposed IRAP rule, which provides a temporary exemption for the construction industry, but it could be reversed when the rule is finalized. Self-serving interest groups have been lobbying the government to get the construction exemption from IRAPs removed.
IRAPs will fail to meet the construction industry's workforce needs. They will give any private entity free rein to create substandard apprenticeship programs based on arbitrary standards without government oversight. IRAPs would lower the bar significantly for safety in a hazardous industry. Compromising standards of safety could lead to injuries, fatalities, costly project delays and increased chances of rework.
IRAPs will legitimize substandard training, creating a race to the bottom. Employers who don't want to invest in proper training would have an unfair advantage. IRAPs could lead to bogus credentials and falsification of apprentice and journeyman ratios. We must not bet public safety on an untested training program without proper safety standards and oversight. We can't have an unqualified and unsafe workforce build our infrastructure.
The Registered Apprenticeship system, on the other hand, is among the largest post-secondary education systems in the nation. It meets government standards for safety and training. Construction industry employers have relied on the system for decades to provide their tradespeople comprehensive training with in-depth safety instructions to meet specialized needs without having to maintain expensive training facilities or take time away from their businesses. The building trades operate over 1,600 apprenticeship programs and invest over $1 billion annually with their employers in training programs.
The construction industry already has a robust, privately funded apprenticeship program. It's unwise for the government to subsidize a competing, mediocre program that would undermine private-sector innovations.
Employers in the construction industry run risk-filled businesses. A skilled and safe workforce is crucial for their survival. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 4,674 workers died on jobsites in 2017, nearly 21 percent of them in construction. Construction workers perform physically demanding tasks at dangerous heights, in harsh weather conditions, and with heavy machinery and toxic substances. They must receive the highest-quality training to deliver projects without injuries or fatalities.
A fourth-generation ironworker from Chicago, I spent four years in a Registered Apprenticeship system, getting on-the-job training with classroom instruction. It was a comprehensive learning system with a standardized curriculum, in-depth safety training, industry-expert instructors and journeymen mentors. Formal training in the program awarded me many opportunities in my career. I have had the pleasure of passing my knowledge and skills down to a new generation of ironworkers as an instructor. I've spent years assessing apprenticeship training centers to ensure they uphold the high standards of the Registered Apprenticeship system, and as the general president of the Iron Workers, I now serve as the chairman of our apprenticeship committee.
Over the years, I've met people who didn't have the privilege of going through formal training in the Registered Apprenticeship system. They were thrown into jobs they weren't trained to do. They learned through trial and error, at the expense of their health and safety. That's why we cannot afford to allow deficient training programs in the construction industry, and that's why IRAPs have no place in this industry.
For more information, visit www.ironworkers.org or call (202) 383-4800.
