SALT LAKE CITY — The Department of Labor has released a final rule designed to expand apprenticeships and give workers another pathway to developing skills that lead to high paying jobs outside of the building trades.
The move comes at a time when government officials herald more than two years with unemployment below 4%, but also note many jobs that require highly skilled workers are not being filled. And while a college degree is widely touted as the best way to boost earning power, Americans are carrying close to $1.5 trillion in student debt to pay for that higher education.
New York-based Markle Foundation noted as much earlier, saying that “building a skills-based labor market that works for all Americans” in the 21st century will require rewarding skills, not just degrees, and offering “multiple viable pathways into a career. A four-year degree isn’t the only path to success.”
