On August 16, 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the National Apprenticeship Act into law. Apprenticeships have played a large role in America’s history. Apprentices learn important skills such as carpentry, masonry, shipbuilding, and more to contribute to our growing economy. Some of America’s founding fathers got their starts as apprentices – George Washington apprenticed as a surveyor, Benjamin Franklin as a printer, and Paul Revere as a silversmith. For many years, apprenticeships were largely unregulated. The first state registered apprenticeship system was created in Wisconsin in 1911. Following the passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) in 1934, trade unions worked with the National Recovery Administration to establish “industry codes” relating to wages, working conditions, and apprenticeships in the construction sector.