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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC) issued the following statement after the House passed her bill, the bipartisan A Stronger Workforce for America Act, that that will expand the skills development provided under the law, strengthen the relationship between employers and the workforce system, and put more Americans on the pathway to successful careers:

“A Stronger Workforce for America Act is a bill for those who believe in the incredible, boundless potential of the American workforce. This is the American workforce that smelted the steel that built the engine that propelled man to the moon in a Saturn V rocket. This is the American workforce that has repeatedly dropped its tools and its livelihoods on a moment’s notice to go fight in service to our country. This is the American workforce that ‘put the world in our pocket’ when it created the iPhone—a transformational tool that’s revolutionized the way we communicate and enabled drones, smart homes, self-driving cars, and more.

“This legislation will bolster the efficiency of the workforce system by dedicating 50 percent of funding to upskilling workers. Skills are becoming the currency of the labor market and the key to unlocking career success, yet too few of the taxpayer dollars provided to the workforce system are being spent developing the skills of our workforce. By elevating skills development, this bill will deliver more opportunities for Americans to prepare for good-paying jobs.”

Background

A Stronger Workforce for America Act: 

• Upgrades the skills of American workers.
• Dedicates 50 percent of the adult and dislocated worker funding toward upskilling workers through “individual training accounts” (ITAs) and on-the-job learning while redirecting an existing funding stream toward ITAs for displaced workers.
• Prioritizes employer-led initiatives that equip workers with the skill sets to fill jobs in critical industries and help the currently employed workforce upskill to avoid displacement and advance their careers. 
• Strengthens pathways to economic opportunity.
• Places a greater emphasis on work-based learning for youth, codifies and strengthens a program to help individuals released from incarceration transition back to employment and access career pathways, and strengthens workforce education programs at community colleges that align with in-demand jobs. 
• Fuels innovation for a skills-based economy.
• Establishes a demonstration authority to provide several states and local workforce boards the flexibility to reimagine their workforce system and innovate in pursuit of better outcomes.
• Facilitates skills-based hiring by validating workers’ competencies gained through prior experience and authorizing state and local boards to provide technical assistance to employers on implementing skills-based hiring practices.