CAMDEN COUNTY, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) -- The United States needs more skilled tradespeople, and two members of Congress from the Philadelphia region are working together on a bipartisan bill to get more people into apprenticeship programs.
New Jersey U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross and Delaware Sen. Chris Coons are Democratic supporters of the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020. Some Republicans from the House and Senate are also on board.
Norcross says an apprenticeship in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 351 in South Jersey helped him get his career started and paved the way for him to transition from the construction site to Congress.
The bill has already passed in the House. The vote was mostly along party lines, as 20 Republicans were among the 246 who voted in favor. The bill must pass the Senate next, but right now it's unclear when or if that could happen.
Coons says it's more important than ever for the federal government to invest in high-quality job training programs to create opportunities for displaced workers and young people. He says he is urging the Senate to act immediately.