Obama Administration Launches Apprenticeship Expansion Initiative

ELTON HO
Copy Editor

In January, President Obama made headlines when he announced America’s College Promise, an initiative to expand the workforce by providing free community college. On Sept. 9, Obama added on to this proposal, pledging to expand vocational education. As the first step, his administration will allocate $175 million in grants for the development of workforce training programs.

Called the American Apprenticeship Initiative, this program is the largest U.S. investment to date for expanding apprenticeship opportunities, according to the U.S. Department of Labor news release. The initiative will provide about 34,000 students with apprenticeship positions at 49 U.S. companies, according to the Huffington Post. Rather than learning in traditional classrooms, these students will have the opportunity to work in various industries, such as healthcare and manufacturing. With this hands-on training, students are able to gain real-world experience and will be more likely to find secure jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

“[The intiative] seems like a good step to help students enter sustainable careers. I know I want to explore a technical field in the future, so I would be interested in an apprenticeship [because] it would allow me to gain experience,” senior Cynthia Au said.