CNBNews

The narrative that you must go to a traditional 4-year college to make it in America just isn’t true. Whether you go to college, complete a job training program, or serve our great country in the military, your job is meaningful and important. As I’ve said before, we need people who “go to college, build the college, and protect the college.”  

I’m proud to be one of the many Americans to have gone to the “other 4-year school:” a registered apprenticeship. The opportunity to earn-while-you-learn as a union electrical apprentice allowed me to have a successful career and take care of my family. Now, as the only union electrician in Congress, I’m fighting to prioritize job training and registered apprenticeship opportunities for all Americans. During National Apprenticeship Week, I want to take a moment to share some of my work:  

• Co-founded the Bipartisan Building Trades Caucus to expand job training opportunities and support workers in the building trades 
• Co-founded the Labor Caucus to give workers a voice in Congress 
• Enacted the BRAVE Act to connect veterans with Registered Apprenticeships 
• Passed the National Apprenticeship Act in the House which would create nearly 1 million new apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship opportunities 
• Announced MACH 2 hydrogen hub that will create thousands of good-paying union jobs and careers throughout our region 
• Announced Precision Medicine Tech Hub which will create good-paying jobs in our region’s health care and technology industries 
• Introduced the Apprenticeship Hubs Across America Act which would increase registered apprenticeship opportunities and support job training programs across the country 
• Introduced the 21st Century SKILLS Act which would expand federal grants to help workers access skills-based training in high-demand sectors 
• Introduced the Apprentice-Related Child Care Act to provide child care stipends for union apprenticeship programs 

Read more about my work to break down barriers to apprenticeship opportunities and the importance of investing in America’s workforce here. 

Sincerely,



Donald Norcross
Member of Congress