2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-2650/1
CMH:emw
2025 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 26
April 16, 2025 - Introduced by Senators FEYEN, CABRAL-GUEVARA, DRAKE,
HESSELBEIN, JACQUE, RATCLIFF, ROYS, TOMCZYK and WALL, cosponsored by
Representatives MOSES, KITCHENS, ALLEN, ARMSTRONG, BEHNKE, CALLAHAN,
CLANCY, DESMIDT, DITTRICH, GOEBEN, GOODWIN, GUNDRUM, JOHNSON,
KAUFERT, KNODL, KREIBICH, MADISON, MIRESSE, MURPHY, O'CONNOR,
PALMERI, PENTERMAN, PETERSEN, PRADO, ROE, SHEEHAN, SINICKI,
SNODGRASS, SPAUDE, SUBECK, TITTL, TRANEL, WICHGERS and WITTKE.
Referred to Committee on Senate Organization.
Relating to: celebrating May 7, 2025, as Skilled Trades Day in Wisconsin.
Whereas, the construction industry is one of our nation's largest industries,
and those in the skilled trades work in critical, rewarding, high-paying, high-
demand jobs that cannot be outsourced overseas; and
Whereas, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors, more than
one in four construction workers are over 55 years old, and the construction
industry will need to attract an estimated half million additional workers on top of
the normal pace of hiring in 2025; and
Whereas, Wisconsin's world-renowned registered apprentice program,
established in 1912, is the oldest in the nation and allows anyone to participate in
structured, on-the-job training with classroom instruction where they earn while
they learn; and
Whereas, Youth Apprenticeship, which Wisconsin started in 1991 as a first
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13 2025 - 2026 Legislature - 2 - LRB-2650/1
CMH:emw
program of its kind in the nation, is a strong connector to registered apprenticeship
programs; and
Whereas, the State of Wisconsin has invested significant tax dollars to
encourage apprenticeship in the form of incentives and grants and passed reforms
like allowing EdVest accounts to be used for apprenticeship costs, ratio reform, and
allowing high school students to participate in registered adult apprenticeships;
and
Whereas, those investments paid off when, last year, Wisconsin had an all-
time record high number of apprentices in the history of the program, with over
17,000 apprentices, many of which were in the construction trades, breaking the
previous records set in 2022 and 2023; and
Whereas, last year, Wisconsin announced an all-time high of 9,932 youth
apprentices enrolled during the 2023-24 school year, with a record 6,671 employers
participating; and
Whereas, National Skilled Trades Day was created to help raise awareness of
the important work of those men and women who build the places where we all live,
work, play, worship, learn, and heal; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the Wisconsin
State Legislature celebrates May 7, 2025, as Skilled Trades Day in Wisconsin.
(END)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20