For Immediate Release – November 4, 2022
Hagåtña, Guam – Governor Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Governor Josh Tenorio today signed a proclamation to recognize National Apprenticeship Week, noting that Guam remains among the top producers of registered apprentices in the nation per capita.
“Our apprenticeship programs work. We have shifted our people into better paying jobs, stable career paths, and industries that are in demand like construction, hospitality, automotive, ship repair, and retail. We are seeing the results of these programs in a declining unemployment rate and, as we announced yesterday, a rise in the Gross Domestic Product to 1.1%, which is a tremendous achievement from the previous year of -11.4%,” said Governor Leon Guerrero.
Through public-private investment and partnerships, there are approximately 630 active registered apprentices on Guam who earn income while learning skills from more than 50 occupations. Through the Guam Registered Apprenticeship Program (GRAP), $17 million in tax credits have gone to local businesses toward the salaries of apprentices who are trained into positions for which they may not otherwise qualify. On a yearly average, over 250 apprentices benefit from GRAP through more than 15 employers with those numbers trending upward.
“I want to recognize the leadership at the Guam Department of Labor (GDOL) and Guam Community College (GCC). Through this partnership, relevant registered apprenticeship programs have been developed very rapidly and have evolved over time to better suit the needs of our people and business community,” said Lt. Governor Tenorio. “The business sector has also been instrumental in transforming and elevating the careers of hundreds of people and protecting local jobs. I want to congratulate everyone for a job well done.”
National Apprenticeship Week is celebrated from November 14 to 20, 2022 and recognizes the work of registered apprentices, employers, schools, and apprenticeship program sponsors in providing and promoting career development across a growing variety of trades and industries. Participants are provided on-the-job training and classroom instruction.
“Now that the island is recovering from the pandemic, businesses are operating at normal hours, and people have returned to work, we plan to aggressively develop and expand these programs to more people, including our youth. The military buildup and the Administration’s success in securing record number H-2B laborers will result in increased funding to apprenticeship programs. We look forward to strengthening our partnerships with GCC and all our stakeholders,” said GDOL Director David Dell’Isola.
For more information or inquiries, contact the American Job Center at 671-475-7000/1 or visit dol.guam.gov.
