Apprentice mandate could boost trades workforce

BOSTON — Public construction projects costing over $1 million would be required to use apprentices, under a bill that union supporters say will guarantee the future of the state’s trade workforce.

“It’s about building a workforce that is local, highly trained and ready to meet growing demands of the construction industry. We have aging infrastructure, ambitious clean energy goals and a retiring generation of skilled workers. We need to be proactive about training new talent now,” Khary Brown, a registered electrical apprentice in IBEW 103, told the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development earlier in the week.


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By Sam Drysdale | State House News Service

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