Biden administration backs off proposed overhaul of apprenticeship programs

— President Joe Biden’s administration has withdrawn a proposed overhaul of workplace apprenticeship programs after facing pushback from business groups concerned about the costs and Republican state attorneys general opposed to new diversity requirements. Registered apprenticeship programs approved by the federal government or states provided training and education for hundreds of thousands of workers in fields ranging from construction to manufacturing to public administration. A group of two dozen Republican state attorneys general objected, asserting the proposal could have run awry of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibited race as a deciding factor in college admissions, striking down affirmative action programs. Some business groups asserted that increased oversight and reporting requirements could have driven up costs of apprenticeship programs while other proposed changes could have reduced flexibility and participation.