ABC Releases Statement Regarding Executive Order on Apprenticeships

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) recently issued a statement in response to President Biden’s executive order, Scaling and Expanding the Use of Registered Apprenticeships in Industries and the Federal Government and Promoting Labor-Management Forums, anticipating that the order will create disruption within the construction industry.

“While ABC supports efforts to expand government-registered apprenticeship programs—or GRAPs—as part of an all-of-the above approach to upskilling the construction industry, this latest executive overreach by the Biden administration is likely to be very disruptive and will undermine taxpayer investments in the construction of infrastructure, clean energy, and domestic manufacturing projects,” said ABC vice president of regulatory, labor, and state affairs Ben Brubeck. “The executive order creates an artificial demand for contractors and apprentices participating in GRAPs by directing federal agencies to require or incentivize GRAP participation on federal and federally assisted projects.

“This will reduce competition from qualified contractors that lack access to GRAPs or simply choose not to participate in the GRAP system because they use alternative workforce development programs,” said Brubeck.

“This new executive order further complicates the proposed rule, given that contractors will now face new requirements and strong government policy incentives to participate in GRAPs,” said Brubeck.

To learn more about GRAP programs run by ABC’s 68 chapters across the United States, visit abc.org/grapmap.