Equipment manufacturers propel mechanics apprenticeships

Sources: Associated Equipment Distributors, AEF Foundation, Schaumburg, Ill.; CP staff

The U.S. Department of Labor has approved the AED Foundation (AEDF) as a Standards Recognition Entity (SRE) for heavy equipment or truck mechanics and service technicians and diesel engine specialists. The designation allows it to guide Associated Equipment Distributors members as they launch Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs.

IRAP have emerged from President Donald Trump’s June 2017 Executive Order on Expanding Apprenticeships in America, which directed the Secretary of Labor to consider proposing regulations that promote the development of apprenticeship programs by third parties. The Task Force on Apprenticeship recommended the establishment of IRAP to address America’s skills gap and to rapidly increase the availability of programs in sectors where apprenticeship opportunities are not widespread, excepting construction trades. A final Labor Department rule implementing the Executive Order details SRE and IRAP guidelines.

“Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs provide an additional apprenticeship pathway that is industry-led and market-driven,” says Labor Department Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training John Pallasch. “Through these programs, individuals will be able to obtain valuable workplace-relevant training and learn progressively advancing skills, resulting in an industry-recognized credential, all while getting paid for their work.”

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