by Mitch Coopes, Government Relations Senior Specialist, Goodwill Industries International
The U.S. Senate recently passed a resolution designating September as “National Workforce Development Month.” It’s a time to recognize the important contributions that local workforce stakeholders, including community-based organizations like Goodwill®, provide in support of job seekers and career advancers, particularly those who have faced employment challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a crucial partner in the workforce system, local Goodwill organizations provide job placement services, skills training, employment, and other community-based services, such as career counseling, credentialing opportunities, and access to reliable transportation and childcare for people with barriers to employment. In 2020, local Goodwill organizations connected more than 126,000 people in the United States and Canada with jobs through career services programs.
The bipartisan resolution, which was sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), noted that more than half of the jobs lost due to the pandemic impacted workers earning less than $40,000 per year, and that employment rates among workers with lower levels of educational attainment remain well below pre-pandemic levels. Moreover, a recent survey found that nearly 50 percent of workers reported that they will need to learn new skills in the next year to do their jobs.
“COVID-19 has forced many Americans to adapt their work habits and has altered the demands for many jobs,” said Sen. Feinstein. “As we recover from this pandemic, we must prioritize getting people back to work, an effort that will require significant investments in education and skills training.”
In addition to the ongoing effort in Congress to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill, the House and Senate are also busy crafting reconciliation legislation that will focus on promoting jobs and families. President Biden has called for a $100 billion investment over the next ten years in workforce training programs and other services to connect workers with good-paying jobs and provide businesses a new pipeline of talented employees.
It is important that Congress include this $100 billion investment in the reconciliation package to help prepare the workforce needed to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure and ensure a robust and inclusive economic recovery that benefits all Americans. Click here to take action via GII’s Legislative Action Center and contact your members of Congress today.
