Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) today met with site managers responsible for hiring employees at BASF business and production sites throughout the country to discuss how the SKILLS Act (H.R. 803) can help ease the strain of the skills gap on U.S. hiring. The SKILLS Act, authored by Foxx, was passed by the House of Representatives on March 15 and referred to the Senate for consideration on March 18.

Congresswoman Foxx takes a question from a New Jersey site manager.

|Congresswoman Foxx describes the maze of workforce education programs today’s job seekers encounter.

Excerpts from Foxx’s comments:

“Employers from across the country – including many in this room – are experiencing the frustration of having open jobs, but not enough skilled workers to fill them. The federal government is spending too much money - $18 billion each year – on workforce development programs that aren’t helping to connect millions of jobless Americans with the skills and experience they need to compete for good, high-paying jobs.”

“The SKILLS Act is built on the understanding that local employers, community colleges, and workforce boards know more than ‘the suits’ in Washington about what job seekers need to succeed at finding work within their respective states. They should help guide any workforce investments.”

“The purpose behind the SKILLS Act – and behind the federal government’s involvement in the first place – is to connect job seekers with jobs. Washington isn’t doing that very well. And it will continue to fail if we don’t bring in people with practical experience to help us get it right.”

The SKILLS Act will streamline 35 duplicative federally run workforce development programs – as highlighted by a 2011 GAO report – and create one Workforce Investment Fund. Additionally, the SKILLS Act will:

• Require a report on administrative costs and savings due to program streamlining;
• Provide more flexibility to states by removing 19 mandates that currently dictate Workforce Investment Board membership;
• Strengthen the role of state and local officials and job creators, allowing them to tailor programs to best fit their area’s needs and job opportunities;
• Facilitate greater collaboration with community colleges by allowing states to determine the standards required for eligible training providers;
• Reform Job Corps to ensure that career and technical education is geared toward in-demand jobs;
• Increase focus on the delivery of basic literacy and math skills; and
• Help individuals with disabilities transition into employment.

For a list of the legislation’s supporters, click here.
To see the current workforce development maze, click here.
To see the SKILLS Act alternative, click here.

Watch Foxx address the House of Representatives on the SKILLS Act here and here.

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