Mike Lippiello, a Young Workers Initiative Committee (YWIC) member from Local 433, recently attended the 2019 Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Legislative Conference in Harrisburg, the state capital. The conference focused on pro-union activism and upcoming legislation. Panels included Common Sense Economics, Minimum Wage, Organizing Unions, and Apprenticeships.
“As a member of the Young Workers Committee, the discussion on apprenticeship programs impacted me the most,” Lippiello said. “I learned about the relevance to young workers. Apprenticeship programs offer paid, on the job training that end in little to no debt. They provide students with career enhancing experience that pertains directly to their industry.”
Unfortunately, apprenticeship programs today don’t get the recognition they deserve. Lippiello continued, “As a young union worker that has a four-year college degree. I can tell you from experience that apprenticeship programs are equal to or better than a college education. While serving on the Young Workers Initiative Committee I hope to introduce the importance of apprenticeship programs to all young workers.”