SC Alaska News

During a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions hearing, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) discussed the challenges and needs related to workforce development in Alaska. The focus was on the importance of “wraparound services” in apprenticeship programs and how these can help train workers for the state’s diverse energy sector.

Senator Murkowski addressed committee members and industry leaders about the specific barriers Alaskans face in completing apprenticeship training. She said, “One of the things that we heard, and we heard it repeated, was a shortage of what we will call ‘wraparound services.’ It’s everything from childcare. It's everything I need to take care of an aging parent. It's education, it’s housing. It's all the things that go into those barriers that keep someone from completing their apprenticeship training.”

Murkowski asked if these issues were unique to Alaska or if they affected other states as well. John Downey, General President of the International Union of Operating Engineers, responded by highlighting opportunities for federal support in pre-apprenticeship programs and attracting younger generations through initiatives like Job Corps: “We had 300 graduates last year, and of those 300, we put 40% of those into our apprenticeship programs.”

Josh Laney, Vice President of Apprenticeship and Work-Embedded Learning at Competency-Based Education Network, noted that Alabama faces similar challenges with wraparound services despite not being as rural as Alaska. He pointed out inefficiencies in integrating existing federal programs: “There's money there. It's too difficult for the employers to access... WIOA is there for those wraparound services. Registered Apprenticeship doesn't need to try to take that on independently, we need to address that with the existing programs.”

Brent Booker, General President of Laborers’ International Union of North America, added that measures such as childcare tax credits and union maternity leave policies are important supports for apprenticeships: “So, the wraparound services childcare tax credit is helpful to get people to allow to afford childcare where they're gone... When you're working under collective bargaining agreement, your wage is defined in that agreement, and that is a pathway...to participate.”

The discussion also covered Alaska’s transition toward an all-of-the-above energy strategy—moving beyond oil production into renewable sectors such as wind and solar—and how workforce training must adapt accordingly.

Booker referenced joint training facilities at the University of Alaska Fairbanks designed specifically for pipeline work but adaptable across industries: “You have those training facilities...our training curriculum is based off of training the labor to be effective in all fields of construction.” He emphasized versatility among workers so they can shift between projects like pipelines or renewable energy installations.

Laney concluded by supporting local control over apprenticeship standards: “Your people in Alaska are looking at this idea already. That gives you exactly the kind of local control...every state needs to be in control of their own destiny for these things.”

The hearing underscored ongoing efforts among lawmakers and industry leaders to improve workforce readiness amid evolving economic needs.