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Washington –
Continuing
their
work
to
tackle
the
skills
gap
and
youth
unemployment,
U.S.
Senators
Tim
Scott
(R-SC)
and
Cory
Booker
(D-NJ)
today
announced
the
reintroduction
of
their
Leveraging
and
Energizing
America’s
Apprenticeship
Programs
(LEAP)
Act. Sen.
Scott discussed
the
bill,
which
provides
a
tax
credit
to
employers
to
help
increase
the
number
of
registered
apprenticeships
nationwide,
at
today’s
Opportunity
Nation
Summit
(link
to
video)
on
Capitol
Hill.
Many
employers
explain
the
reason
for
their
unfilled
jobs
as
a
lack
of
available
trained
workers.
Apprenticeships
are
a
proven
way
to
help
people
develop
in-demand
skills
and
to
meet
the
needs
of
employers,
yet
they
compose
just
0.2
percent
of
the
nation’s
workforce.
By
2020,
the
United
States
is
expected
to
experience
a
shortage
of
3
million
workers
with
associate
degrees
or
higher
and
5
million
workers
with
technical
certificates
and
credentials.
“Apprenticeships
allow
folks
to
earn
while
they
learn,
providing
a
level
of
job
certainty
for
the
present
and
opening
new
doors
in
the
future,”
Senator
Scott
said.
“We
can
also
better
sync
the
needs
of
employers
with
the
skills
of
our
workforce
–
a
concept
that
has
seen
amazing
results
in
South
Carolina.
In
fact,
that’s
why
the
LEAP
Act
builds
on
the
apprenticeship
model
we
use
in
South
Carolina,
and
seeks
to
bring
that
success
to
the
entire
nation.
I
want
to
thank
Senator
Booker
for
again
joining
forces
on
this
important
bill.”
“Apprenticeships
are
a
proven,
cost-effective
way
to
equip
workers
--
especially
younger
workers
--
with
on-the-job
skills
they
need
to
find
a
good-paying
job
in
today's
knowledge-based
economy,"
Sen.
Booker
said.
“I'm
proud
to
again
join
with
Senator
Scott
to
reintroduce
our
bill
to
incentivize
employers
to
make
key
investments
in
workforce
development
while
tackling
our
unacceptably
high
youth
unemployment
rate.”
Key
pieces
of
the
LEAP
Act
include:
- Offering
a
federal
tax
credit
for
hiring
new
apprentices
that
are
registered
with
the
U.S.
Department
of
Labor
or
a
state
apprenticeship
agency.
- Addressing
the
fact
that
the
average
age
of
apprentices
is
currently
as
high
as
29
by
offering
a
reduced
tax
credit
of
$1,500
for
apprentices
over
25.
The
tax
credit
for
apprentices
under
25
is
$1,500.
- Being
fully
paid
for
through
an
offset:
cutting
printing
waste
by
barring
the
federal
government
from
producing
publications
that
are
available
online
with
an
exception
for
seniors,
Medicare
recipients
and
in
communities
with
limited
internet
access.
In 2016
in
the
U.S. there
were
approximately
505,000
active
apprentices
in
registered
apprenticeship
programs.
By
contrast,
in
Germany
nearly
50
percent
of
all
young
people
go
through
apprenticeship
programs.
Studies
show
that
apprenticeships
are
a
wise
investment
for
both
participants
and
the
U.S.
government:
individuals
who
complete
registered
apprenticeship
programs
earn
over
$240,000
more
over
their
careers
than
people
who
did
not
participate
in
such
programs,
and
the
tax
return
on
every
Federal
Government
dollar
invested
in
registered
apprenticeship
programs
is
$27.
A
fact
sheet
is
available
here.
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