JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Biden administration has opted to withdraw its planned revision of workplace apprenticeship programs following significant resistance from business organizations concerned about financial implications and Republican state attorneys general who opposed the imposition of new diversity mandates.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that it would not proceed with the suggested changes to the National Apprenticeship System. A representative from the department refrained from providing specific reasons for the decision to abandon the proposal.
The proposed revisions were initially justified by the need to update a training framework that had not undergone significant changes since 2008. The federally or state-approved registered apprenticeship programs have historically offered crucial training and educational opportunities to large numbers of workers in various sectors, including construction, manufacturing, and public administration.
The intended rule changes would have mandated that sponsors of apprenticeship programs must actively recruit individuals from designated “underserved communities,” which would encompass women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, among others. Additionally, state apprenticeship agencies would have been tasked with creating strategies to enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility within these programs.
Concerns were raised by a coalition of two dozen Republican state attorneys general who argued that the proposed changes could conflict with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibits the consideration of race as a key factor in college admissions, thereby invalidating affirmative action initiatives.
Some business representatives cautioned that the introduction of more stringent oversight and reporting could lead to inflated costs associated with apprenticeship programs, while other suggested adjustments might reduce the adaptability and participation rates in these initiatives. The new rules would have enforced a requirement of at least 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training, which would eliminate any provision for workers demonstrating competency to complete their training sooner.
The announcement to withdraw the proposed changes has been met with approval by organizations such as Associated Builders and Contractors, which operates around 450 registered apprenticeship programs across 20 different occupations.
According to Ben Brubeck, the group’s vice president for regulatory, labor, and state affairs, the original proposal represented an “expansive increase in regulatory requirements” that would complicate the apprenticeship system further, making it less appealing overall.
