Assembly Democratic legislation (A-4655) creating a tuition fee waiver for apprenticeship programs and (A-4656) establishing a task force to develop a Statewide plan to diversify apprenticeships cleared its first legislative hurdle Thursday.
The first measure is sponsored by Assembly members John Armato (D-Atlantic), Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) and Wayne DeAngelo (D-Mercer, Middlesex); Armato, Herb Conaway (D-Burlington) and Lisa Swain (D-Bergen, Passaic) are sponsors of the second measure.
The sponsors issued the following joint statement regarding the Assembly Labor Committees approval of the two bills:
“The state should have its own action plan to increase diversity in its own apprenticeship programs. Apprenticeships are a valuable tool to introduce workers to a trade and get them started on a career path.
“Tuition waivers for those who are eligible will help to attract even more residents to these programs and get more people back to work. They also assist community colleges and high-quality workforce training providers—our educational partners—in facilitating apprenticeship programs in the state.”