**Click Here** to Watch Assemblyman Slater Question Roberta Reardon, New York State Department of Labor Commissioner

 At the recent Joint Budget Hearing on Workforce Development and Labor in Albany, Assemblyman Matt Slater (R,C-Yorktown) pressed for answers on how we can better support apprenticeship programs and cultivate a pipeline of skilled trades workers.

“With regard to apprenticeship programs, how can we better foster a dialogue and a pipeline between our school districts and bona fide apprenticeship programs?” Slater asked the commissioner. “These programs are critically important because not everyone needs to go to college, and we need to recognize the importance that apprenticeship programs provide. New York is anticipating a deficit of skilled trades workers in the coming decade, and it is paramount to expose young people to these wonderful careers early and often in their education.”