November 8, 2005
REP. RYAN RECEIVES APPRENTICESHIP AWARD
State Representative Kevin Ryan is a recent recipient of the William Fitzgerald Apprenticeship Award in recognition of his support and commitment to Connecticut’s registered apprenticeship system.
“I am proud to be a strong supporter of the apprenticeship system, and I am grateful to receive this award,” said Rep. Ryan. “While the apprentice is getting on-the-job training, he or she is also receiving classroom instruction. Unlike other vocational training that is held in a school setting, apprenticeship is based solidly on an employer-employee relationship. Trades for apprentices are in occupations requiring a wide and diverse range of skills and knowledge, as well as a high level of maturity, reliability, and judgment.”
William Fitzgerald, a Congressman from Norwich, sponsored legislation in 1937 to establish the National Apprenticeship Act, also known as The Fitzgerald Act. Today, as a result of the act, a national system of apprenticeship training exists in all fifty states and U.S. territories.
The Connecticut State Apprenticeship Council is an advisory board to the Connecticut Department of Labor dedicated to promoting “the other four-year degree”. The apprenticeship program has, in the past 67 years, become a vital part of many lives. Today, more than 1,500 employers and labor/management committees employ over 5,000 apprentices in registered apprenticeship programs in the state of Connecticut. Nationwide, 80,000 industries and companies currently offer registered apprenticeship to more than 395,000 apprentices.
Other recipients were: Governor M. Jodi Rell; State Senator Edith Prague; State Representative Lawrence Cafero; John E. Taylor, President of Electrical Energy Systems; J. Chris Beal, Retired Apprentice Coordinator, Sheetmetal Workers.
Rep. Ryan is serving his seventh term in the Connecticut General Assembly. He is House Chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee and serves as a member of the Appropriations and Public Health Committees.