made to the committee and I think that answers any comments that any member of the committee may have made. Thank you very much. Mr. GOLDBERG. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, very much. Mr. ROOSEVELT. I have a few documents and statements which I wish to place in the record at this point. The first is a letter, dated January 4, from Jerry R. Holleman, Assistant Secretary of Labor, enclosing a report which was compiled by a special task group. Next is a telegram addressed to me as chairman of the subcommittee, dated January 19, 1962, from Governor Brown of California. Next, a telegram dated January 18, 1962, from Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago, Ill. Next, a letter dated January 17, 1962, from the National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice, signed by John J. O'Connor, chairman. Next is a letter from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, dated January 22, 1962, signed by J. Francis Pohlhaus, counsel of the Washington bureau, enclosing a memorandum setting forth their views. Next, a statement by the American Veterans Committee, Inc., Washington, D.C. Next, a letter from Senator Hubert H. Humphrey. Next, a letter from Gov. Michael V. DiSalle, of Ohio. Next, a letter from Mayor Joseph M. Barr, of Pittsburgh. Next, a letter from the Kansas City Commission on Human Relations. Finally, a letter and statement from local 1707, Community & Social Agency Employees Union. Without objection, these documents will be placed in the record at this point. (The documents and statements referred to follow :) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, Hon. JAMES ROOSEVELT, DEAR JIMMY: The enclosed report was compiled by a special task group who were asked to make a study of apprenticeship and the adequacy of our apprenticeship programs and efforts. While their analysis of the situation seems to be fairly thorough, it seems to me that some of their suggestions for corrective legislation are of doubtful value. The Department of Labor is in the process of preparing proposed legislation on the subject of discrimination in apprenticeship and training that will go substantially beyond the suggestions of the task group report. We should have this ready for your consideration very shortly. I believe it will be much more satisfactory than the suggestions in this report; however, it does not encompass item 1 under "Need for New Legislation" and you may wish to give consideration to this. Please let me know if you need further elaboration. JERRY R. HOLLEMAN, Assistant Secretary of Labor. PROBLEMS IN DEVELOPING APPRENTICESHIP IN THE UNITED STATES This paper describes the national apprenticeship program promoted by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training. The extent to which the program is assisting young persons to prepare for careers in industry is discussed. Barriers to Negro participation and steps that might be taken to provide more apprenticeship opportunities for Negroes are then considered. I. LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY The National Apprenticeship Act authorizes and directs the Secretary of Labor to "formulate and promote the furtherance of labor standards necessary to safeguard the welfare of apprentices, to extend the application of such standards by encouraging the inclusion thereof in contracts of apprenticeship, to bring together employers and labor for the formulation of programs of apprenticeship, to cooperate with State agencies engaged in the formulation and promotion of standards of apprenticeship, and to cooperate ** with the Office of Education. * * * 1 The Bureau's activities also are authorized by the enabling act that established the Department of Labor, which authorizes the Secretary of Labor to promote the weirare of workers. II. THE ORGANIZATION OF APPRENTICESHIP IN THE UNITED STATES The Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training encourages an assists employers and labor organizations to plan programs of apprenticeship that will be in their own longrun interest. The apprenticeship method of training craftsmen provides a systematic approach to mastering all the skills and knowledge involved in a trade. It combines actual work practice and experience with technical instruction in subjects necessary to the craftsman in the performance of his job. Depending on the requirements of a craft, the related instruction may cover mathematics, drawing, blueprint reading, materials, and in some cases, such general subjects as English and report writing. Related instruction is given in a school, usually in a school operated by public educational authorities associated with the U.S. Office of Education, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The apprentice is an employed worker who learns the skills of his trade by performing work on the job under the guidance of a craftsman. Necessary theoretical instruction is provided. The apprentice's growth in skill and knowledge is reflected in his paycheck. Moreover, he knows that when his apprenticeship has been completed, he will be recognized by both management and labor as a journeyman. Participation in apprenticeship is voluntary. Effective training cannot take place without the wholehearted cooperation of the employer, the apprentice, and the craftsmen who supervise and train the apprentice. It is important that each of the parties involved in apprenticeship programs be convinced that he will benefit from the program. Otherwise he will be reluctant to carry out the program. In working with industry to establish apprenticeship programs, BAT places considerable emphasis on quality. In fact, the entire process of organizing an apprenticeship program could be looked upon as an effort to improve the quality of experience gained on the job. When the improvement in quality has satisfied the criteria included in the fundamentals of apprenticeship, the program may be registered. This emphasis on quality is of distinct advantage to the apprentice. He is given an opportunity to master every aspect of a trade and he can look forward to steady employment when he has completed his apprenticeship. At the same time, however, it should be recognized that there is a limit to the number of young people that can be inducted into an industry in such a favorable manner. An employer is usually reluctant to train an apprentice if he is not certain that there will be a position available in his organization when the apprenticeship has been completed. Furthermore, sharp fluctuations in manpower requirements in some industries make it difficult for an employer to keep an apprentice steadily employed. To help solve this problem the Bureau has encouraged groups of employers, in cooperation with labor organizations, to set up Joint Apprenticeship Committees composed of equal representation from labor and 1 The National Apprenticeship Act (50 Stat. 663; 29 U.S.C. 50) approved. Aug. 16, 1937. 2 Beginning apprentices usually receive about 50 percent of the wage paid to journeymen. Most programs provide for an increase every 6 months in the percentage of the journeyman wage received by apprentices. During the final 6 months of the program the apprentices usually are paid about 90 percent of the journeyman wage rate. 3 Registration is voluntary. In 30 of the States, registration is with the State Apprenticeship Agency. BAT acts as the registration agent in other States. management. Apprenticeship field representatives and vocational education officials usually participate in an advisory capacity. Apprentices are assigned to different contractors in accordance with the manpower requirements of the contractors and the need of the apprentice to obtain instruction and experience in every aspect of the trade. An increasing number of JAC's are employing coordinators to administer their programs. III. SELECTION OF APPRENTICES The selection of apprentices is the responsibility of the sponsor or sponsors of an apprenticeship program. Well-operated programs usually have far more applicants for apprenticeship than there are openings. The sponsors usually do not ask the public employment service or the schools to refer apprentice applicants and they do not advertise for apprentices. As a result, Negroes or other minority groups who have no connection with the trade usually do not apply for apprentice jobs. In selecting apprentices, some preference is usually given to persons who have already had some experience in the industry. Preference may also be given to those who have some knowledge of the trade or who have a close relative in the trade. This sometimes helps to assure that apprentices will know what is involved in the trade and not drop out after a few weeks. Although there is some justification for these practices, they tend to restrict apprenticeship opportunities. The Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training encourages program sponsors to use objective selection procedures. A chart presentation on selection techniques has been developed for use by BAT field representatives in discussing selection with employers and JAC's. Moreover, program sponsors are encouraged by the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training to make full use of the public employment service. Referral and counseling of applicants are activities assigned by law to the employment service and are not functions of the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training. Moreover, the Bureau does not have the resources to do this work. IV. THE VOLUME OF APPRENTICESHIP IN THE UNITED STATES The volume of apprenticeship in the United States is not adequate to meet the needs of the economy. Planned apprenticeship has not been established in many occupations. Even in the trades where apprenticeship has been developed, not enough apprentices are being trained to replace anticipated losses from death and retirement. Although immigration once provided a large number of craftsmen trained in Europe, this is no longer an important source of supply. Not all workers achieving journeymen status are trained through apprenticeship and it is not expected that all journeymen in the future will have the advantage of formalized apprenticeship. Craftsmen acquire their skills in a variety of ways, including the gradual building up of skills through on-the-job experience, training received in the military service, and training in trade schools. Although all craftsmen need not be developed through apprenticeship, it is desirable that a high proportion receive this type of training. Automation and other technological changes have increased the skill and knowledge required in many jobs. It is from the apprentice-trained craftsmen that employers usually obtain their foremen and superintendents. The opportunity to "learn while you earn" is also to the definite advantage of the worker. In considering the need to expand apprenticeship, this paper will first review the situation in the construction industry, where over 60 percent of the regis tered apprentices are currently employed. The need to develop more apprenticeship in other industries will then be discussed. Construction industry Although considerable progress has been made in establishing apprenticeship programs in the construction industry, additional programs are urgently needed. Labor and management groups at the national level have taken steps to promote apprenticeship, but many of the local affiliates of these groups are not conducting adequate apprenticeship programs. For example, a study of masonry construction conducted by BAT in 1960 found that JAC's were being sponsored by only 424 of the 831 local unions of the Bricklayers, Masons, and Plasterers International Union. Even in communities in which there is an active program, the number of apprentices employed is often less than the number needed. Furthermore, the national contractors' organizations and the building trades unions are not effectively organized in many small cities and towns. Very little planned apprenticeship has been developed in such communities. At the current rate of apprentice employment only about 10 percent of the total number of journeymen needed in the building trades throughout the country will be provided through apprenticeship. In carpentry, the largest of the building trades, it is estimated that apprenticeship will provide only 6 percent of the needed journeymen. The proportion of journeymen needed by 1970 that will be provided through a planned apprenticeship at the current rate in other selected trades is as follows: Trades and percent of needed journeymen to be provided through apprenticeship More detailed data are provided in table 1, which shows for selected occupations the estimated number of additional workers required by 1970 to replace losses resulting from deaths and retirements, and the number needed to meet increased demand. The table compares the number of additional journeymen needed in each trade with those who will be trained through apprenticeship, if training programs continue to operate at current levels. Although measures have already been taken by several trades to expand apprenticeship to some degree, a herculean effort will be required if a high proportion of the journeymen needed by 1970 are to be provided through apprenticeship. TABLE 1.—Estimated number of journeymen needed by 1970 compared with the number that will be provided through apprenticeship 1 Preliminary estimates based on a study being conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, except data shown for boilermaker, elevator constructor, and lather which are estimates made by the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training. For a detailed analysis of employment trends, see the forthcoming publication of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Manpower Needs and Resources in the United States, 1960-75." 2 Based on "Tables of Working Life for Men," developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and estimated age distributions. A rough estimate based on a study of the employment histories of former apprentices. 4 Assumes continuation of current level of registered apprenticeship and rate of completion. Also includes allowance for apprentices who fail to complete their apprenticeship training but eventually become journeymen in their trade. 5 Data not available. • Does not include oilers and helpers. 7 Less than 1 percent. In considering the above data it should be kept in mind that not all craftsmen are developed through planned apprenticeship. Even if only 50 percent of new craftsmen were provided through planned apprenticeship, management and labor officials in some trades might be reasonably well satisfied. However, the proportion of trade entrants now provided through apprenticeship in many crafts is so small that even minimum goals are not being attained. Other industries The volume of apprenticeship is even less adequate in other parts of the economy than in the construction industry. Available data would seem to indicate that only a small fraction of the needed apprentices are being trained. A study of "Manpower in Selected Metal Crafts in New York State," conducted by the New York State Department of Labor revealed that only 17 percent of the firms employing craftsmen were doing any training and that only about one-third of the trainees were registered apprentices. A study of 2,434 contract tool and die firms conducted by BAT in 1959 found that the industry was training only a fraction of the apprentices needed. To get a more complete picture of apprenticeship and training activities in various industries, BAT is conducting a nationwide study. A pilot study was conducted in New Jersey in 1959. It was found that only 16 percent of the establishments were sponsoring training of any type. The proportion sponsoring training in various industries is shown below: Industry group Total all industries__ Transportation, communication, and public utilities. Manufacturing Wholesale trade_ Retail trade_-_ Finance, insurance, and real estate__ Percent with training But even more significant, the study found that less than one-tenth of the trainees reported in New Jersey were apprentices. More trainees were in sales, safety, and other short-term training programs than were in apprenticeship. Approximately half of the workers apprenticed in the United States do not complete their training. Some of the dropouts eventually obtain jobs as journeymen, but they do not have as good an opportunity to master every aspect of the trade as would be the case if they had completed apprenticeship. The high dropout rate lessens the effectiveness of apprenticeship as a source of craftsmen. In the light of these data it is clear that a substantial improvement is needed in both the quantity and quality of apprenticeship in the United States even to provide a modest proportion of the additional craftsmen required. Apprenticeship and training become especially important as business activities expand. Training additional craftsmen helps to prevent skill bottlenecks and thus makes it possible for the economy to reach a high level of employment without serious inflation. V. PROMOTIONAL METHODS EMPLOYED BY BAT In promoting apprenticeship, BAT relies heavily on direct contacts by field representatives with employers and labor unions. This approach results in approximately 1,200 new apprenticeship programs each year. However, this figure is not very large in comparison to the number of employers in the United States. Some indications of the size of the job confronting the Bureau is provided in the table below which shows the number of establishments in various industries, with a breakdown by size of the establishment. 4 These plants were training about 5,600 persons at the same time that they were employing 42,000 already skilled craftsmen. Among trainees in all occupations covered by the survey, the largest proportion (40 percent) are under informal training programsthose that do not define the training period. Approximately a third of the trainees are under formal programs that are not registered with the New York State Apprenticeship Council, while the remaining 26 percent receive their instruction under registered programs. "Manpower in Selected Metal Crafts," New York State, Department of Labor, 1959, p. 2. 5 "Apprenticeship and Training in the Tool and Die Industry," Bulletin T-150, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, U.S. Department of Labor, November 1959. |