Senator Scott Marks Beginning of National Apprenticeship Week

Washington, DC– At the beginning of the first National Apprenticeship Week, which takes place November 1st- 7th, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) released the following statement:

“As we kick off the firstNational Apprenticeship Week, I am committed to finding ways to create and enhance apprenticeship programs across our nation. That’s why I joined Senator Cory Booker to introduce theLeveraging and Energizing America’s Apprenticeship Programs (LEAP) Act, modeled after South Carolina’s successful apprenticeship program, to help increase the number of registered apprenticeships in the United States.

I am proud that South Carolina is leading the way in building nationally recognized apprenticeship programs, as these programs allow students to not only gain new skills, but to earn while they learn.To ensure our global competitiveness and create more good paying jobs, America’s workforce must have access to new opportunitiesand theskills, training and education that allows them to compete. These hands on programs can be credited for helping grow our workforce in industries from advanced manufacturing to healthcare to tourism to energy-a solid foundation for a strong economic future.”

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, currently, there are more than 445,000apprenticesacross the country. In South Carolina, through Apprenticeship Carolina, a division of the SC Technical College System, 13,634 apprentices have been served through 761 programs.

For more information on the LEAP Act, click HERE.