The Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), today held a hearing on the urgent need to strengthen the federal workforce development system. Members discussed a number of legislative proposals intended to address flaws in federal job training policies, including the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act. “Today’s wo... Read more »
U .S. House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) responded today to a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that identified weaknesses in how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) monitors its enforcement activities. The report was requested by committee leaders in 2011 ... Read more »
On Thursday, February 28 at 9:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, chaired by Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN), will hold a hearing entitled “Raising the Bar: How are Schools Measuring Teacher Performance?” The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. In addition to parental involvement, a student's success is heavily dependent... Read more »
We begin the new Congress addressing a familiar challenge. Over the last two years, the committee has taken a close look at the realities of a broken workforce development system. Just yesterday, North Carolina’s Greensboro News & Record drew attention to the problem of potentially thousands of well-paying manufacturing, construction, engineering, and nursing jobs sitting vacant in my state becaus... Read more »
An infographic released earlier today revealed the confusing state of the nation’s workforce training system. The House Education and the Workforce Committee is taking action to provide taxpayers, employers, and workers with a more effective workforce development system. The Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act eliminates and streamlines dozens of ineffective and dupl... Read more »
President Obama has said the nation’s workforce development system is a "maze of confusing training programs." But words alone can’t describe how convoluted the system has become – the following infographic reveals the true size of the bureaucracy standing between workers and the skills they need to find a job: In total, the federal government administers more than 50 different programs across nin... Read more »
Chairman Kline will convene a full committee hearing on Wednesday, February 27 at 12:30 p.m. to discuss school safety issues in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. The hearing, entitled “Protecting Students and Teachers: A Discussion on School Safety,” will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. “The events that took place two months ago in Newtown shocked ... Read more »
Here's a trend you'll be reading more about: part-time "job sharing," not only within firms but across different businesses. It's already happening across the country at fast-food restaurants, as employers try to avoid being punished by the Affordable Care Act. In some cases we've heard about, a local McDonalds has hired employees to operate the cash register or flip burgers for 20 hours a week a... Read more »
Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans, led by Higher Education and Workforce Training Subcommittee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), today released a comprehensive proposal to reform federal job training and employment assistance. The Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act, which will be formally introduced on February 25, streamlines federal programs and cre... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: Roughly 12 million Americans are unemployed and searching for work, yet the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports millions of job openings remain unfilled. One reason for this startling fact is a broken workforce development system. Despite a multi-billion dollar annual taxpayer investment in federal job training programs, employers continue to struggle to find workers with skills neces... Read more »
