On Wednesday, Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8) joined the House with the bipartisan passage of the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (formerly the SKILLS Act). The legislation, which passed the Senate last month, is headed to President Obama where it is to be expected to be signed into law. Click the video below to watch as Fitzpatrick speaks of the issue on the floor of the House this past Wednesday.
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Fitzpatrick, who visited with local Bristol Borough business owners last week as part of his ‘100 Businesses in 100 Days’ tour has made accomplishing the ‘American Dream’ an integeral part of his mission as Congressman.
Congressman Fitzpatrick Talks Economic Growth with Bristol Borough Businesses
“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.”
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Fitzpatrick believes that streamlining job training programs is of extreme importance, being that it will not only save taxpayer dollars but give all Americans the necessary tools to succeed in the workplace.
“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.”
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According to Fitzpatrick, this bill will succeed in preparing Americans for the workforce of today 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.
