CFC Members Address Tech Job Openings For Young Americans

H.R. 447, The National Apprenticeship Act of 2021, recently passed the House of Representatives on February 5th, 2021,  by a vote of 247-173. H.R. 447 is authored by Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03) and co-sponsored by Congressional Future Caucus (CFC) members Reps. Adam Kinzinger (IL-16), Andre Carson (IN-07), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Mondaire Jones (NY-17), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Grace Meng (NY-06), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Darren Soto (FL-09), Haley Stevens (MI-11), and Rodney Davis (IL-13). 

The House considered and adopted multiple amendments to H.R. 447, including one amendment offered by Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15) to ensure that grants are awarded to encourage employer participation in apprenticeship programs that target individuals with English language barriers. Additionally, large provisions of HR 720, the Championing Apprenticeships for New Careers and Employees in Technology Act,, authored by CFC member Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06) and sponsored by fellow CFC members Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03), and Derek Kilmer (WA-06), were included in the final House passed version of H.R. 447. Specifically, H.R. 447 includes provisions from H.R. 720 that use industry intermediaries for the tech sector to expand apprenticeships nationwide. 

H.R. 447 aims to help fill the nearly 4 million job openings in the technology industry, including 400,000 jobs in emerging technology areas. The legislation seeks to fill these job openings and narrow the skills gap by providing statutory authority for the registered apprenticeship program within the Department of Labor. 

The bill would expand apprenticeships for the tech sector using industry intermediaries, require state apprenticeship agencies and offices to provide technical assistance to stakeholders, and would strengthen alignment between the apprenticeship system and education providers. 

Why this matters to young Americans and young legislators 

The skills gap disproportionately affects younger Americans and, if unaddressed, the failure to provide pathways to these high-paying, long-lasting and available jobs will have long-term consequences for American businesses and workers. Whatsmore, by failing to prepare our nation for our increasingly technologically dependent future we will cede global leadership to peers and challengers alike. 

Young Americans are facing unique challenges brought upon by the rising cost of college education, disruption in the labor market, and the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Younger generations are increasingly turning to jobs in the technology sector due to higher median salaries and the ability to fill these jobs without paying for an expensive four-year college degree.  For traditional and non-traditional students alike, identifying pathways into these careers can be a challenge and American competitiveness lags when opportunities go unfilled. The latest large-scale cyberattack to break into the headlines, SolarWinds, underscores the desperate need for a robust technology workforce.

The legislation heads to the United States Senate for consideration. 

To learn more about the specifics of this legislative effort, or to hear about MAP’s active legislation on Future of Work, please reach out to [email protected]