JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Following opposition from Republican state attorneys general to increased diversity criteria and business groups worried about the expenses, President Joe Biden’s administration withdrew a proposed overhaul of workplace apprenticeship programs.
The planned revision to the National Apprenticeship System regulations will not proceed, the U.S. Department of Labor stated Wednesday. A government representative refused to provide an explanation for the proposal’s withdrawal.
The agency had previously stated that an on-the-job training program that hasn’t changed much since 2008 needed to be updated. Hundreds of thousands of individuals in industries ranging from manufacturing to public administration to construction received training and education through registered apprenticeship programs that were authorized by the federal government or states.
Under the proposed rule change, sponsors of apprenticeship programs would have been obligated to hire members of underprivileged communities, which would have included, among other groups, women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, and transgender individuals. Additionally, it would have mandated that state apprenticeship agencies create plans to advance accessibility, equity, inclusion, and diversity.
Two dozen Republican state attorneys general protested, claiming the plan would have violated a U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed race as a determining factor in college admissions, thus shutting down affirmative action initiatives.
Some industry associations claimed that while some suggested improvements could have decreased flexibility and participation, more oversight and reporting requirements might have raised the cost of apprenticeship programs. The plan would have eliminated the possibility of early completion for employees who demonstrate their competency by requiring at least 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training.
Associated Builders and Contractors, which operates over 450 government-registered apprenticeship programs in 20 occupations, applauded the move to rescind the regulation change.
According to Ben Brubeck, the group’s vice president of regulatory, labor, and state affairs, the idea amounted to a significant rise in red tape that would have further complicated and detracted from the appeal of the apprenticeship system.
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