WASHINGTON — First lady Jill Biden will visit Chicago and Rolling Meadows Monday to kick off National Apprenticeship Week with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, the White House announced Thursday.
The purpose of the trip, the White House said, is to “highlight the Biden administration’s commitment to strengthening our economy and building pathways to good-paying jobs through registered apprenticeships and career-connected learning.”
Biden and the three Cabinet members will first stop at northwest suburban Rolling Meadows High School to meet with students in the school’s Career Pathways program.
After that, they head to Chicago to highlight successful apprenticeship programs “offering pathways to good-paying jobs” at an event featuring Aon, a company long involved in apprenticeship programs in partnership with the Chicago Apprentice Network and the Business Roundtable.
In September, the Biden-Harris administration launched the Apprenticeship Ambassador Initiative, a national network of more than 200 employers and industry organizations, labor organizations, educators, workforce intermediaries and community-based organizations committed to strengthening and diversifying registered apprenticeship.