(DES MOINES) – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta appointed Governor Kim Reynolds Monday to serve on the President’s Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion. The creation of this task force is a key step in implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order, which was signed on June 15, 2017, with the intent to expand apprenticeships and vocational education, close the skills gap and reduce regulatory burdens on workforce development programs.
“Expanding apprenticeships will help Americans learn the skills they need to fill jobs that are open right now and in the future. I am pleased to see business leaders, unions, educational institutions and industry groups come together to help the American worker,” Sec. Acosta said.
“I am honored to be appointed by Secretary Acosta to serve on the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion,” Gov. Reynolds said. “Iowa has become a leader in promoting and expanding apprenticeships. As of today, we currently have 833 registered apprenticeship programs, including 125 new programs in 2017 alone, and 8,817 active registered apprentices. I look forward to working with this very accomplished group of individuals to continue to expand apprenticeship programs across Iowa and the rest of the country to make sure our future workforce is trained for the jobs of tomorrow.”
The mission of the task force is to identify strategies and proposals to promote apprenticeships, especially in sectors where apprenticeship programs are insufficient.
Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion members:
Chair – Secretary Alexander Acosta, U.S. Department of Labor
Vice-Chair – Secretary Betsy DeVos, U.S. Department of Education
Vice-Chair – Secretary Wilbur Ross, U.S. Department of Commerce
Michael Bellaman, President and CEO, Associated Builders and Contractors
Joshua Bolten, President and CEO, Business Roundtable
Walter Bumphus, President and CEO, American Association of Community Colleges
Wesley Bush, Chairman, CEO and President, Northrup Grumman
The Honorable Dennis Daugaard, Governor, South Dakota
Emily Stover DeRocco, Founder & CEO, E3 Engage Educate Employ
Cari Dominguez, Director, Manpower Inc.
Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Montez King, Executive Director, National Institute for Metalworking Skills
Andrew Liveris, Chairman and CEO, Dow Chemical Company
Katherine Lugar, President and CEO, American Hotel and Lodging Association
Douglas J. McCarron, General President, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
Sean McGarvey, President, North America’s Building Trades Unions
Marc H. Morial, CEO, National Urban League
John Ratzenberger, workforce training advocate
The Honorable Kim Reynolds, Governor, Iowa
Mark B. Rosenberg, Board of Directors, Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities
Joseph Sellers Jr., General President, International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers
Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO, National Restaurant Association
Jay Timmons, President and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers
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