Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8)
“Millions of hardworking people are seeing their American Dream slip away as the disconnect between those looking for work and the businesses hiring continues to grow. We must address this ‘skills gap’ – starting with the government’s own job training programs,” said Fitzpatrick.“Passing this bipartisan legislation is a step toward creating more effective and accountable workforce programs that invest in the American worker of the 21st century. Helping people get to work and increasing opportunity means preparing them for the jobs of today.”
Speaking on the House floor prior to the vote, Fitzpatrick highlighted the importance of streamlining job training programs to not only save taxpayer dollars, but to ensure that all Americans have the tools to succeed.
“Each year hardworking American taxpayers send $18 billion dollars to Washington for federal job training and workforce development programs. While training unemployed Americans is a worthy goal, even after spending billions of dollars, only a fraction of workers receive and complete the necessary training to get a job,” said Fitzpatrick. “That’s not only an unacceptable return on investment, that’s an unacceptable outcome for the millions of Americans who are trying to get ahead in this economy.”
The House and Senate-passed bill creates a more efficient workforce development system by eliminating 15 duplicative and under-performing programs; increasing the flexibility for states and communities to utilize job training funds; expanding access to on-the-job training opportunities, like apprenticeships; and increased outreach to groups like disconnected youth and those with disabilities looking for work.
"Bucks County Community College is deeply committed to the education and training of our regional workforce. The new SKILLS Act will make the goal of providing more workers with 21st century skills an attainable one. The opportunity to enhance partnerships between colleges and workforce systems, the streamlining of regulatory and delivery processes, and the focus on integrating basic skills and occupational instruction all will greatly help us achieve our regional and national goals of a highly trained workforce,” said Bucks County Community College President Stephanie H. Shanblatt, Ph.D. “The college applauds the efforts of Representative Fitzpatrick and the entire House and Senate to reach bipartisan consensus on this important legislative matter.”
Fitzpatrick is a leader on efforts to close the ‘skills gap’ and get Americans back to work. He has sponsored the bipartisan Skills Gap Strategy Act [H.R. 4541] to require the Department of Labor to address a lack of trained workers, as well as supporting plans to extend unemployment insurance for those in need and offsetting the costs with pro-jobs legislation.