Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) is joining the Pre-Apprenticeships To Hardhats (PATH) Act led by Senator Martin Heinrich (D-M.M) to strengthen workforce development in Nevada and grow the state’s economy through quality pre-apprenticeship programs. Since 2018, total construction jobs in Nevada have grown by 36%, and this bill will help Nevada train more workers for careers in the building trades.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act are bringing thousands of good-paying, union jobs to Nevada, and we need to make sure our workers have the training and skills they need to take advantage of these opportunities,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m proud to support the PATH Act to help create more job training programs and prepare hardworking Nevadans for apprenticeships and careers in the building trades.”
Pre-apprenticeship programs instruct participants on everything from basic literacy and math to work-readiness skills, and can be tailored to the needs of students, employers, and local labor markets. Under the PATH Act, the U.S. Department of Labor will award $20 million in grants to a wide variety of organizations to provide pre-apprenticeship training to help prepare a diverse workforce for registered apprenticeships in the building trades. Grantees may include public or private employers, unions, state and local workforce development boards, community-based organizations, postsecondary educational institutions, school districts, state education agencies, high schools, small businesses, state and local veterans’ agencies, and veterans’ service organizations.
In addition to U.S. Senators Cortez Masto and Heinrich, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
The full bill text is available HERE.
The proud daughter of a Teamster, Senator Cortez Masto is fierce advocate for Nevada’s working families and has cosponsored the PRO Act to protect workers’ rights to come together and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces. She has passed multiple pieces of legislation to support Nevada’s workforce, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act. She has also supported legislation and delivered federal resources for training in-demand industries, including health care, travel and tourism, and transportation.
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