Press Releases

Today, Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Chairman Burgess Owens (R-UT) delivered the following statement, as prepared for delivery, at a hearing titled "Strengthening WIOA: Improving Outcomes for America's Workforce":

"Good morning, and welcome to the first Higher Education and Workforce Development subcommittee hearing of the 119th Congress. I am excited to be discussing a bill today that we worked with our partners on the other side of the aisle to pass in the House last Congress. Although it failed to cross the goal line, we are looking forward to restarting the conversation on A Stronger Workforce for America Act in the belief that it is good for both the workers and employers of America.
 
"A strong workforce development system is vital to growing our economy and providing economic opportunity for every American. Employers are seeking high quality workers to fill the nearly 8 million open jobs in the U.S. while we also have 6.8 million people unemployed, many without the skills needed for these available jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A Stronger Workforce for America Act seeks to help bridge that gap by bringing employers and workers together.
 
"When the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, or WIOA, was enacted in 2014, it streamlined federal workforce development programs and improved accountability. However, more than a decade later, significant challenges still exist that hamper the workforce system’s ability to provide high-quality services to youth, workers, and employers to help fill job openings in growing and in-demand industries. 
 
"A Stronger Workforce for America Act made critical reforms to encourage better outcomes for workers and employers under WIOA. The bill ensured at least 50 percent of adult and dislocated worker funding will be dedicated to providing workers the skills they need through 'individual training accounts,' on-the-job learning, and other employer-led and industry-relevant programs, with appropriate flexibility built in to allow funds to also be used to support workers receiving skills development. The bill also increased connections between employers and workers. For example, it allows states to establish a 'critical industry skills fund' to reimburse employers, sector partnerships, and other intermediaries for upskilling workers in priority industries selected by the state. The bill strengthened the law’s accountability mechanisms to ensure that WIOA funds are being used effectively. 
 
"A Stronger Workforce for America Act also supported in-school and out-of-school youth by placing a greater emphasis on work-based learning, pre-apprenticeship programs, and apprenticeships for youth while improving the quality of summer and year-round employment opportunities. It strengthened workforce education programs at community colleges that align with in-demand jobs by emphasizing programs with industry partnerships and those that use competency-based assessments to give academic credit for prior learning. 
 
"Not only this, but the bill sought to improve WIOA by allowing for states and regions to try out innovative ideas to make the workforce system more responsive and aligned with evidence-based practices. Smaller states can choose to consolidate their local regions to eliminate inefficiencies and to pool resources. This provision was based on my One Door to Work Act, which would provide states the same opportunities to innovate that my home state of Utah has enjoyed for decades. 
 
"A Stronger Workforce for America Act makes critical updates to WIOA that will improve the skills development of workers provided under the law, strengthen connections between employers and the workforce system, and put more Americans on the pathway to a successful career. I look forward to hearing from our panel of witnesses."

 

 

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