On February 15, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing titled, “Supporting Quality Workforce Development Opportunities and Innovation to Address Barriers to Employment.” Four witnesses testified about their workforce development strategies and recommendations to confront the nation’s skills gap.
Melinda Mack, Executive Director of the New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals. noted the importance of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in New York, where half a million New Yorkers utilize resources like American Job Centers. Mack added that childcare, transportation, access to career navigation and case management, and continued access to benefits like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are key to worker success in job training programs.
In response to business demand, the local workforce board in the rural Southern Tier of New York, the regional adult education provider and a state-funded workforce intermediary partnered with four local businesses to design an accelerated machining training program. The program invested WIOA funding to provide individualized case management to ensure workers could navigate the program and access public resources to support childcare needs.
Peter Beard, Senior Vice President for Regional Workforce Development - Greater Houston Partnership, observed that in Houston, upskilling appears to be more effective when provided in the context of an individual’s current employment, in part because the additional skills workers obtain are generally context specific.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) noted that there are opportunities for workers to pursue postsecondary and apprenticeship programs if they wish, and that engaging learners and parents in career exploration is extremely beneficial. “Ultimately, more career exposure is necessary to make sure we are getting through to adults and parents, because many don't know what exists in their region. [Showing] them the facilities makes a huge difference.”
Ashli Watts, President and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, said, “We hear the rhetoric that college is not for everyone. What we should be saying is that something past high school is for everyone. In Kentucky, we are looking at Union Scholarship dollars so children can go to the pathways that we need for the logistics and manufacturing sectors. We are completely aligned. In Kentucky, our system has been at the forefront of making sure we have the students that are going to meet the needs of our employers in Kentucky.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) added that the JOBS Act, which would expand Pell Grants to short-term postsecondary programs, would help solve or address several of the workforce barriers that the witnesses addressed.
Each witness emphasized the need to support sector-based training models and industry or sector partnerships to bring businesses of all sizes together with education providers. These partnerships would increase employment opportunities for workers, as well as support learning on the job, including through work-based learning, apprenticeship, and incumbent worker training. You can watch the full hearing here.
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