To no one’s surprise, and to plaudits from organized labor, the Biden Administration is acting quickly to undo the Trump Administration’s “Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program” that allows businesses, labor organizations, community colleges, and other entities to create standards for recognizing apprenticeship programs that operate outside of the long existing national “registered apprenticeship” system.
President Biden took initial steps to roll back the IRAP program by signing an Executive Order (E.O.) February 17 revoking a Trump-era E.O. and directing the Department of Labor (DOL) to consider rescinding the IRAP implementing regulations. Worth noting, President Biden signed the E.O. immediately after meeting with 10 national labor union leaders in the White House.
Meanwhile, in a related development, Congress is considering legislation that would make some changes to the union-supported “registered apprenticeship program” with passage by the House of Representatives on February 5 of H.R. 447, the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.