The Congress finds that-
(1) American businesses now and for the remainder of the 20th century will face a dramatically different labor market than the one to which they have become accustomed;
(2) two in every three new entrants to the work force will be women, and to meet labor needs such women must work in all occupational areas including in apprenticeable occupations and nontraditional occupations;
(3) women face significant barriers to their full and effective participation in apprenticeable occupations and nontraditional occupations;
(4) the business community must be prepared to address the barriers that women have to such jobs, in order to successfully integrate them into the work force; and
(5) few resources are available to employers and unions who need assistance in recruiting, training, and retaining women in apprenticeable occupations and other nontraditional occupations.
It is the purpose of this chapter to provide technical assistance to employers and labor unions to encourage employment of women in apprenticeable occupations and nontraditional occupations. Such assistance will enable business to meet the challenge of Workforce 2000 by preparing employers to successfully recruit, train, and retain women in apprenticeable occupations and nontraditional occupations and will expand the employment and self-sufficiency options of women. This purpose will be achieved by-
(1) promoting the program to employers and labor unions to inform them of the availability of technical assistance which will assist them in preparing the workplace to employ women in apprenticeable occupations and nontraditional occupations;
(2) providing grants to community-based organizations to deliver technical assistance to employers and labor unions to prepare them to recruit, train, and employ women in apprenticeable occupations and nontraditional occupations;
(3) authorizing the Department of Labor to serve as a liaison between employers, labor, and the community-based organizations providing technical assistance, through its national office and its regional administrators; and
(4) conducting a comprehensive study to examine the barriers to the participation of women in apprenticeable occupations and nontraditional occupations and to develop recommendations for the workplace to eliminate such barriers.
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