by Mitch Coppes, Federal Government Affairs Manager, Goodwill Industries International
The House Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee of the Education and the Workforce Committee recently held a hearing on strengthening the workforce system and improving outcomes for job seekers through the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The House passed a bipartisan WIOA reauthorization bill, titled A Stronger Workforce for America Act, in April 2024, but the legislation was not enacted into law.
During the hearing, Chairman Burgess Owens (R-UT) expressed his intention to restart the committee’s work on A Stronger Workforce for America Act in the 119th 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,” said Owens. “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.”
A Stronger Workforce for America Act would require that at least 50 percent of the adult and dislocated worker funds allocated to a local area go toward providing training through individual training accounts or other training services, with the option to count a portion of spending on supportive services toward meeting this requirement. It would also establish a new process for recognizing eligible training providers, make updates to the primary indicators of program performance, recognized digital literacy skills as one of the “foundational skill needs” of youth and adults participating in the workforce, and increase the amount of funding available for implementing local pay-for-performance strategies.
Ranking Member Alma Adams (D-NC) emphasized the provisions of the bill that would support out-of-school youth who are disconnected from the workforce. “That’s a big challenge for local communities,” said Adams. “That is why it was so critical that A Stronger Workforce for America included several key provisions aimed at helping opportunity youth gain employment opportunities and ensure they can receive services at local job centers.” Specifically, it would create a new definition for “opportunity youth” and permit youth programs to begin serving participants while an eligibility determination is pending.
Members of the subcommittee also expressed support for codifying in law the Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Grant program to increase youth participation in apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, as well as the Strengthening Community Colleges Workforce Development Grant that funds the expansion of high-quality workforce development programs at community colleges. The Reentry Employment Opportunities grant program, which funds reentry services for justice-involved youth and adults, was also mentioned as a WIOA reauthorization priority for subcommittee members and witnesses during the hearing.
by Mitch Coppes, Federal Government Affairs Manager, Goodwill Industries International
The House Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee of the Education and the Workforce Committee recently held a hearing on strengthening the workforce system and improving outcomes for job seekers through the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The House passed a bipartisan WIOA reauthorization bill, titled A Stronger Workforce for America Act, in April 2024, but the legislation was not enacted into law.
During the hearing, Chairman Burgess Owens (R-UT) expressed his intention to restart the committee’s work on A Stronger Workforce for America Act in the 119th 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,” said Owens. “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.”
A Stronger Workforce for America Act would require that at least 50 percent of the adult and dislocated worker funds allocated to a local area go toward providing training through individual training accounts or other training services, with the option to count a portion of spending on supportive services toward meeting this requirement. It would also establish a new process for recognizing eligible training providers, make updates to the primary indicators of program performance, recognized digital literacy skills as one of the “foundational skill needs” of youth and adults participating in the workforce, and increase the amount of funding available for implementing local pay-for-performance strategies.
Ranking Member Alma Adams (D-NC) emphasized the provisions of the bill that would support out-of-school youth who are disconnected from the workforce. “That’s a big challenge for local communities,” said Adams. “That is why it was so critical that A Stronger Workforce for America included several key provisions aimed at helping opportunity youth gain employment opportunities and ensure they can receive services at local job centers.” Specifically, it would create a new definition for “opportunity youth” and permit youth programs to begin serving participants while an eligibility determination is pending.
Members of the subcommittee also expressed support for codifying in law the Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Grant program to increase youth participation in apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, as well as the Strengthening Community Colleges Workforce Development Grant that funds the expansion of high-quality workforce development programs at community colleges. The Reentry Employment Opportunities grant program, which funds reentry services for justice-involved youth and adults, was also mentioned as a WIOA reauthorization priority for subcommittee members and witnesses during the hearing.
