Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 4, 2000
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Locke signs order to boost construction ranks with apprentices

OLYMPIA — Gov. Gary Locke today said construction companies that do business with the state must include in their ranks a substantial number of apprentices — an order intended to put more workers into family-wage jobs and supply more trained workers for a booming industry.

In signing the executive order, Locke called it one more step in his multi-prong and multi-year effort to link new and dislocated workers with the state's growth industries as they scramble to hire skilled employees.

"Without this step, we will simply miss the opportunity to move thousands of young people into high-skill and high-wage lifetime careers," the governor said.

"Washington is facing a labor shortage in the construction industry, which is booming. Skilled workers are retiring at a rapid rate, and we're not replacing them quickly enough. Performance data collected by the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board indicates that apprentices enjoy the highest employment and wage rates of any education and training program in the state," Locke said.

Locke, who said apprenticeship programs have proven themselves in the cities of Tacoma and Seattle, ordered that all state agencies under his authority require the participation of apprentices in all state public works at the following levels:

For contracts awarded from July 1, 2000 through Dec. 31, 2002, at least 10 percent of total labor hours for projects of more than $2 million.

For contracts awarded from Jan. 1, 2003 through Dec. 31, 2003, at least 12 percent of total labor hours for projects of more than $2 million.

For contracts awarded from Jan. 1, 2004 forward, 15 percent of total labor hours for projects of more than $ 1 million.

Locke already has taken steps to ensure that welfare recipients looking to become apprentices will get the opportunity. He has set aside $2 million of welfare savings to be available to qualified nonprofits, businesses, and business associations that want to set up programs to train low-income workers in pre-apprenticeship programs.

"We would welcome a partnership with industry in this effort," he said.

The governor also noted a voluntary goal of his order that as much as one-fifth of the apprentice hours be performed by minorities, and one-sixth of the apprentice hours be performed by women.

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