On Friday, the United States Department of Labor issued a final rule rescinding Industry-Recognized Apprenticeships (IRAPs) while refocusing on the existing registered apprenticeship system. IRAPs, a Trump Administration initiative that never got off the ground, were determined by the department to be a “duplicative, lower quality system that was not in the best interest of workers and industries.”
From the perspective of an organization that works closely with registered apprenticeships in manufacturing and aerospace, IRAPs were difficult to explain to employers and offered no clear benefit. The Center of Excellence welcomes U.S. DOL’s decision. Read the final rule here.