ANAHEIM, CA – January 29, 2021 – The Association of Woodworking and Furnishings Suppliers® (AWFS®), a national trade association for the wood industry and owner/operator of the AWFS®Fair trade show, is in support of the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021. AWFS® has officially signed on as a supporter of the Act.
“Our industry, comprised primarily of small businesses, is experiencing a skills gap,” says AWFS® Executive Vice President Angelo Gangone. “We need to utilize all tools and resources available to us to attract and train new talent, including apprenticeships.”
The expanded opportunities to Registered Apprenticeships, youth apprenticeships, and pre-apprenticeships made available through the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021 will help small wood manufacturers who lack the capacity to create an apprenticeship on their own. Congressman Robert Scott (D-VA-3), Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor has introduced the bill (H.R. 447), an amendment of the National Apprenticeship Act of 1937. According to Rep. Scott, the Act “will begin to bring America’s investments in apprenticeship more in line with countries around the world” as “our peer industrialized nations spend roughly six times as much as a share of GDP on apprenticeships as the U.S.”
“There are multiple successful U.S. apprenticeship models comprised of companies collaborating together and with local school and community partners.” says Gangone. “This is a critical element that will help us solve the workforce gap and strengthen our industry into the future.” The Act’s encouragement for employers, industry associations, labor and joint labor-management organizations, education and training providers, credential providers, and apprentices to work together to establish and expand apprenticeships will have a meaningful impact on the skilled workforce and the future of industry careers.
For a fact sheet on the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021, click here.
For a section-by-section of the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021, click here.
For the bill text of the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021, click here.
ABOUT AWFS®
The Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers® (AWFS®), founded in 1911, is a non-profit organization that wholly owns and produces the biennial AWFS®Fair. The largest trade association serving the entire home and commercial furnishings industry, AWFS® has more than 400 members, including manufacturers and distributors of machinery, hardware, software, tooling, lumber, components, plastics, wood products and supplies for the woodworking industry including cabinet, furniture, millwork and custom woodworking products. To learn more, visit http://www.awfs.org/.