Washington, D.C. – On November 15, 2021, the Biden Administration and the U.S. Department of Labor issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on a proposal to eliminate the Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program (IRAPs) created under the previous administration.

The Construction Employers of America (CEA) applauds the Biden Administration, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, and the U.S. Department of Labor for moving to end IRAPs. While the IRAP rule exempted the construction industry, the existence of the IRAP Rule left the possibility of this exemption being withdrawn and IRAPs entering construction in the future. The creation of parallel apprenticeship systems could have potentially undermined existing privately funded Registered Apprenticeship Programs and the “gold standard” joint labor-management Registered Apprenticeship model that has increased safety, skills, and productivity in the construction industry for more than 80 years.

Rescinding the IRAP rule will help ensure the proven joint labor-management registered apprenticeship programs will be positioned to meet the workforce and career development goals of the Administration‘s Infrastructure and Build Back Better initiatives.

CEA looks forward to the final rule being published and will continue to ensure that all Registered Apprenticeship Programs are promoted and utilized.