On June 7, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su testified before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Department of Labor FY 2024 policies and priorities. During the hearing, there was substantial discussion of the opportunities available to support workforce development through registered apprenticeships, secondary and postsecondary CTE programs and more.
Acting Secretary Su discussed the workforce needs that will be required to ensure successful implementation of federal investments such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Several members noted the impact of youth apprenticeship programs, including House CTE Caucus co-chair Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), who highlighted several youth apprenticeship programs in her district. Bonamici also called attention to the importance of industry partnerships that link employers with community colleges, particularly in the manufacturing and semiconductor fields.
Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) added that telecommunications training programs, such as those at Atlanta JATC Electrical Training Center, are preparing students to become technicians in these in-demand fields.
“It's clear that we need to be doing more to get Americans into these careers so that we can see the full benefit of our bipartisan investments through the infrastructure package and the CHIPS and the Science Act,” said McBath.
Continuing the messages echoed by Reps. Bonamici and McBath, Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) asked how Congress can scale up investments and WIOA training programs, such as career counseling, American Job Centers and other employer programs, to better meet workforce needs, and how the Department and Congress can partner to boost and strengthen community college programs as part of the workforce development pipeline. Acting Secretary Su identified the Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants program as one such example.
Su also highlighted the proposed Sectoral Employment through Career Training for Occupational Readiness (SECTOR) program, which would support the development and expansion of partnerships between employers, education and training providers and community-based groups to focus on training the workforce in growing industries.
You can view the full hearing here.
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