ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓis conducting an important survey of contractor members and chapter staff to gauge opinions on the U.S Department of Labor’s controversial proposed rule, which significantly overhauls regulations for government-registered apprenticeship programs. Ensuring as many members and chapters as possible respond to this survey will be vital so ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓcan provide effective, informed comments thatÌýseek regulatory clarity and push back against concerning aspects of the DOL’s

The proposal would make significant changes to how employer and chapter GRAPs are approved and run, adding more recordkeeping and paperwork requirements while also eliminating flexible competency-based approaches to workforce development in certain circumstances. ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓis concerned that the rule would undermine ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓand the construction industry’s investments in GRAPs, which is a key component of ABC’s all-of-the above approach addressing the construction industry’s skilled labor shortage of 501,000 in 2024 alone. ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓis a major participant in the GRAP system, with over 450 government-registered apprenticeship programs operated by chapters across the country.

For more information on the proposed rule, Apprenticeship for America has provided an and a of changes from the existing rule. The proposed rule’s also provides links to specific aspects of the proposal. Additionally, on Jan. 30, ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓconducted a webinar to provide insight into the proposed rule’s impact on GRAPs. A recording of the webinar is now availableÌýon the ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓAcademy website.

ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓdistributed the survey on Feb. 7. Please email Michael Altman atÌý[email protected] to receive the survey link or if you have any questions. The survey will close at 11:59Ìýp.m. ET on Feb. 22.