National Apprenticeship Week, 2015

Proclamation 9363 of October 30, 2015

National Apprenticeship Week, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

At the heart of our Nation's promise lies a simple
truth: If you work hard you can get ahead, earn a
decent-paying job, and secure a brighter future for
yourself and your family. To make this promise real,
our economy has to work for everyone, and that begins
with providing all our people with the tools and
resources they need to utilize their unique talents to
contribute to our country's success. Apprenticeships
offer this opportunity, and over 430,000 Americans
participate in these programs today. During National
Apprenticeship Week, we recognize the ways
apprenticeships foster innovation and prosperity, and
we recommit to encouraging and supporting those who
offer and partake in them.

Without the skills to get new, higher-wage jobs, and
without the knowledge to adapt to new machinery,
systems, technology, and techniques, the American
worker could fall behind. Apprenticeships help people
upgrade their skills and keep pace with the demands of
the 21st century. Today, in part thanks to strong
cooperation between labor and management, 87 percent of
apprentices find employment after completing their
program, and their average starting wage is above
$50,000. And over the course of their lifetimes,
workers who complete an apprenticeship on the job may
earn hundreds of thousands of dollars more than their
peers who do not. According to multiple studies, the
payout is good for employers, too--they see significant
returns in the form of increased productivity, reduced
waste, and greater innovation.

Across America, employers, educators, labor leaders,
and elected officials are joining together to encourage
and support apprenticeships. Businesses are preparing
workers for jobs in advanced manufacturing, information
technology, health care, and other industries, while
unions are helping their members secure new and more
gainful employment. Hundreds of our Nation's colleges
are awarding credit toward a degree for completing an
apprenticeship program. And State and local governments
in every corner of our country have been working to
help America succeed by investing in programs to train
our workers for the jobs of tomorrow.

At the Federal level, my Administration is committed to
enabling hardworking people to earn and learn at the
same time by supporting job-driven training initiatives
like apprenticeships. Today, 55,000 more apprenticeship
positions are available than there were at the start of
2014. To build on this progress, we awarded $175
million in grants to 46 apprenticeship programs around
America. This investment will provide training
opportunities for 34,000 new apprentices over the next
5 years, ensure apprenticeships are available to
diverse and historically underrepresented populations,
and provide a framework for apprenticeship
opportunities to grow. Earlier this year, we hosted the
White House Summit on ApprenticeshipUSA, bringing
together over 140 employers, labor and education
organizations, community-based groups, and others to
recognize their commitment and to generate the best
ideas on how to expand these programs. Additionally, I
urged the Congress to create a $2 billion
Apprenticeship Training Fund to double the number of
apprentices in America, and I have called on businesses

to offer more educational benefits and paid
apprenticeships to their employees regardless of their
level of education.

Our country thrives when all our citizens play a role
in driving it forward. If we create good jobs and help
workers get the skills they need to succeed in those
jobs, we can restore the link between hard work and
growing opportunity for every American. During National
Apprenticeship Week, let us support and encourage
apprenticeship programs that will help rebuild our
middle class, and let us rededicate ourselves to
educating more of our people, retraining our workforce,
and renewing our Nation's promise to put the American
dream within the reach of the determined.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim November 1 through
November 7, 2015, as National Apprenticeship Week. I
urge the Congress, State and local governments,
educational institutions, industry and labor leaders,
and all Americans to support apprenticeship programs in
the United States and to raise awareness of their
contributions to our country.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and fortieth.