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Labor Department wants to expand job training

Proposed changes aim to help U.S. workers who lose their jobs because of imports

Illustration of job training

The U.S. Department of Labor proposes changes to the Trade Adjustment Assistance program to help U.S. workers, including metalworkers. The program provides job training and income support. Getty Images

The Department of Labor (DOL) announced in November a number of proposals for revamping the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, which provides job training and income support for U.S. workers who lose their jobs because of imports.

The job training component is in many instances tied to an apprenticeship program for a particular skill, such as those related to metalworking. In that instance, an employer can be reimbursed for up to 50% of the employee’s job training costs. The prospective changes would make apprenticeship programs more attractive to industries beyond construction, which has been the major implementer of apprenticeships.

The proposed rule, issued by the DOL’s Employment Training Administration, does the following:

  • Expands the number of workers eligible to apply for job search and relocation allowances
  • Increases those allowances in line with the statute and expands training to include more flexibility for apprenticeships
  • Increases staffing flexibilities for states to more efficiently provide integrated services at the state and local level
  • Makes it easier for groups of workers to apply for benefits
  • Offers assistance to additional categories of workers, including those whose jobs are threatened by foreign trade competition

The National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS) recently received grants from the Labor Department to develop industry-recognized apprenticeship programs (IRAPs). NIMS executives did not respond to a request for comment on whether any apprenticeship expansion projected by the Trump administration would help increase the number of metalworking companies taking advantage of federal support for apprenticeships.

More broadly, Annelies M. Goger, David M. Rubenstein fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution, said the proposed changes “improve the efficiency of program operations and add much-needed flexibility and clarity; however, the underlying design flaws and assumptions built into the TAA program will continue to make it challenging for America's displaced workers—especially older workers and low-skill workers—to make smooth transitions into a quality job.”

OSHA considers changes to welding equipment reports

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is considering changes to the information metalworking facilities and other manufacturers have to report periodically about their inspection of resistance welding equipment.

The OSHA standard that comes into play here is Welding, Cutting, and Brazing. The key requirement is that qualified maintenance personnel conduct periodic inspection of resistance welding equipment and that a certification record be generated and maintained. The certification must include the date of the inspection, the signature of the person who performed the inspection, and the serial number (or other identifier) of the equipment inspected. The record has to be made available to an OSHA inspector upon request.

OSHA’s consideration of changes in that reporting is something the agency does occasionally for all its standards. But in considering changes, OSHA is being consistent with the Trump administration’s deregulatory bent.

The White House wants governmental agencies to minimize the reporting burden for companies—meaning the time it takes to fill out reports and the cost of doing so. That puts the onus on OSHA to have forms that are clearly understandable and to deliver accurate estimates of the effort and time required to collect mandated information.

According to a statement from OSHA, it is apparently examining whether the information it collects is “useful” and its “quality, utility, and clarity” is where it should be. It also wants to know whether the burden on metalworking facilities can be reduced by, for example, “using automated or other technological information collection and transmission techniques.”

About the Author

Stephen Barlas

Contributing Writer

Stephen Barlas is a freelance writer that has more than 30 years of experience covering Congress, the White House, and the many regulatory agencies found in Washington, D.C. He has covered issues affecting the metal fabricating industry for The FABRICATOR for more than a decade.