- Rep. Burgess Owens chairs Congressional hearing to examine emerging apprenticeship educational opportunities.
- Utah lawmaker asserts nation’s evolving economy is too dynamic to be served by “one-size-fits-all” education paths.
- Democrats call the often divisive labor movement a “key driver” in registered apprenticeships.
Graduate high school. Enroll in college. Claim a four-year university degree. Enter the workforce.
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That’s the traditional, go-to path to long-term career success.
But Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, is certain that’s not the only dependable route to rewarding careers
“For too long, the conversation around career success has focused on a single pathway to work through a traditional four-year college education,” said Owens during Wednesday’s House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.
“What was not factored is that our country’s workforce is far too varied, and our economy far too dynamic, for one-size-fits-all.
“Apprenticeships and workforce work-based learning offer a different model — one that allows individuals to earn while they learn, gain hands-on experience and build skills that employers actually need.”
Owens, who chairs the congressional subcommittee, directed Wednesday’s examination of how expanded apprenticeship and worked-based learning opportunities are helping meet today’s rapidly evolving workforce challenges.
Lawmakers and industry leaders also discussed barriers to optimizing apprenticeships.
A well-designed apprenticeship, argued Owens, can help businesses build talent — even while boosting local economies and creating career opportunities.
And while apprenticeships have long been associated with skilled trades, today’s work-based learning models are expanding into healthcare, education, IT, cybersecurity and other emerging institutions.
“As industries evolve and technology reshapes the workplace, the need for rapid, continuous skill and development will only grow,” said Owens during Wednesday’s hearing.
“Apprenticeships provide a proven way to help workers acquire new skills, help employers build talent pipelines, and ensure our workforce can adapt to the demands of the changing economy.”
Emerging need for ‘earn-and-learn’ education models
In his opening statement Wednesday, Owens said the Trump administration believes in “earn-and-learn” models — adding that the Department of Labor has prioritized expanding apprenticeship opportunities.
“The department has taken steps to streamline program administration, increase transparency, and reduce barriers to employer participation,” he said.
Plus, he added, the Trump administration is promoting innovative apprenticeship models in areas such as artificial intelligence and advanced technology and has emphasized result-driven workforce investments that focus on outcomes for workers and employers alike.”
The subcommittee’s ranking member, Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C., agreed that registered apprenticeships are a proven model to ensure workers can enjoy economic security.
“Registered apprenticeships are so successful that nine out of 10 apprentices continue to be employed upon completing their program and earn an average starting wage of approximately $80,000 a year,” she said. “Registered apprenticeships are the gold standard of workforce training because of their high-quality program standards.”
But while the number of apprentices has doubled since 2014, there’s still work needed to continue growth — even while expanding opportunities for women and underrepresented populations, said Adams.
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order calling for a million new active apprentices. And Democrats welcome bipartisan support for registered apprenticeships.
But rhetoric, said Adams, should match reality. “And with this administration and congressional Republicans, what they say and what they do are hardly ever the same.”
Adams blamed the Elon Musk-led DOGE for making “a huge mess” that spurred an exodus of Labor Department staff — “including some of the same folks who would have worked on the president’s apprenticeship executive order.”
Meanwhile, some Republicans who claim support for registered apprenticeships “are the same folks who never miss a chance to attack the labor movement — which is a key driver and funder of registered apprenticeships.
“That does not make much sense.”
Advocating for apprenticeships
Witnesses at Wednesday’s subcommittee hearing included several apprentice and work-based learning experts — including Jamie Angell, the senior director of apprenticeships and traditional programs at Caliber Collision, a national collision repair company.
Angell grew up in a household where collision repair “was part of everyday life.” Her parents owned a body repair shop.
“This upbringing,” she said, “showed me how beneficial careers in skilled trades could be.”
Opportunities are created when people are given a chance to learn, work hard and grow, added Angell — and apprenticeships foster those opportunities.
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“And that’s why the technician shortage we face today is so important to me personally,” she said.
“Our industry needs skilled professionals at a pace our traditional pipelines are just not meeting. I cannot speak to the broader economic impact of apprenticeship programs, but I can speak to the remarkable impact of Caliber’s technician apprentice program.”
Joe Ross is the president of Reach University, which specializes in apprentice-based degrees.
Higher education can and should reinvent itself by embracing the workplace as a learning place, argued Ross.
Every year, millions of Americans turn down the promise of a degree because they need to work. “But what if nobody had to choose between a job and a degree?” asked Ross. “What if instead you could turn your job into a degree? That is what the apprenticeship degree does.”
A Labor Department veteran who has served across four administrations — Republican and Democrat — John Ladd said he’s witnessed the power of apprenticeships.
“But to move apprenticeship forward, we must develop a consensus-based strategy and framework for a modern apprenticeship system,” he said.
“Registered apprenticeship has benefited from strong bipartisan support — and the United States has made real progress with the system having doubled since 2014, which coincides with the advent of federal funding.”
Ladd added that Congress should reauthorize the National Apprenticeship Act.
“In this 250th anniversary year, Congress has a chance to do something both important and fitting,” he said. “Apprenticeship helped shape early American opportunity, and it can help shape our future as well. Congress can strengthen apprenticeships for the next generation by building a more connected, innovative, and scalable apprenticeship system.”
Witness Natasha Sherwood is the workforce development director for Independent Electrical Contractors, a national association representing 22,000 apprentices.
“If we’re going to rewire the workforce, we first need enough people to wire America,” she said. “We need 80,000 new electricians every year to build and power the data centers, manufacturing plants, schools and infrastructure that keeps us competitive.”
Apprenticeships, added Sherwood, are pathways to education, opportunities and improved lives.
“And when government, education, and industry work together, those opportunities multiply.”
‘Don’t choose college or a trade because of prestige’
Owens asked Angell how she would advise an 18-year-old deciding between enrolling in a traditional college and then taking on tens of thousands of dollars in tuition debt — or entering an apprenticeship program.
Angell’s response: How does that young adult learn best — hands-on, real-world instruction or in the classroom — and what are the growth opportunities for their desired career?
“Don’t choose college or a trade because of prestige or what you think you know,” she added. “Choose the best path that aligns with your interests, your strengths, your financial goals, your desired lifestyle.
“A skilled trades apprenticeship can lead to a very highly successful career. College can also be an excellent investment. The mistake is when you choose a plan without knowing what you want.”
Sherwood challenged fallacies that apprenticeships are only for those who can’t get into college. “It’s also a misconception that apprenticeship is a quick fix. It’s hard work. It takes involvement, it takes investment, and it’s not a shortcut,” she said.
Owens: ‘We need to have our kids ready’
Near the end of Wednesday’s hearing, Adams noted workforce training is necessary — but it’s not enough to solve “root problems” facing American workers.
“If we want to boost our economy and truly support workers, then we must take care of the workers already in those roles by raising the minimum wage and empowering workers to collectively bargain for higher pay, safer workplaces, and better benefits,” she said.
Owens concluded that the Trump administration has prioritized innovation between states, industry and educational institutions.
“We’re going to be building a remarkable economy over the next couple of coming years,” he said. “We need to have our kids ready for it. I’m excited about that process.
“Apprenticeships are being portable, being verifiable and being trusted innovation.”
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