KemLaw

As job opportunities continue to expand in manufacturing, many Connecticut employers are asking where they’ll find the skilled workers they’ll need going forward.

It’s an excellent question.

It’s also one the Trump Administration is trying to address by creating what the administration is calling “industry-recognized apprenticeships.”

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has just released the certification requirements for this signature apprenticeship initiative.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), “…under the new proposal, several entities could be certified to set standards for training, structure and curricula for apprenticeships in relevant industries. Those entities include trade, industry, and employer groups or associations; education institutions; state and local government agencies; nonprofit organizations; unions; or any consortium of these. (Those entities) could approve or reject employers seeking to host new apprenticeship programs.”

To be clear – this program is not the first apprenticeship program to be approved by the DOL.  However, previous efforts have been hampered by what business leaders claim are complicated, cumbersome and inflexible paperwork and reporting requirements.

In the proposed framework, the federal DOL will be charged only with certifying that the apprenticeship oversight entities meet all legal requirements and other criteria.

According to SHRM, to guard against conflicts of interest in this new program, DOL has recommended that employers not be certified on their own and that certified entities not recognize their own apprenticeship programs.

Will this new initiative do as advertised and result in more efficient and less burdensome apprenticeship programs in the manufacturing sector?

At least one major group, the Manufacturing Institute (the research arm of the National Association of Manufacturers), is welcoming the initiative enthusiastically.

To learn more about this program, please visit https://www.dol.gov/apprenticeship/

To learn more about Connecticut apprentice programs – including all legal requirements, visit http://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/progsupt/appren/appren.htm

If you’re an employer and have questions about labor and employment law, including apprenticeship programs, consider calling on the attorneys at Kainen, Escalera & McHale in Connecticut.  We do one thing and one thing only – we are an employer defense law firm – in fact, we are one of the largest employer defense law firms in the region.  What’s more, each of our attorneys has over 20 years of experience in employment law and labor law matters and can provide your business with comprehensive legal counsel ranging from assistance with necessary preventive measures to trial advocacy.  Please contact us if we can help you.

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