Rep. Courtney Renews Calls for Investments in Workforce Training Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02), a senior Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, emphasized the need for Congress to modernize and improve workforce training programs essential to eastern Connecticut’s shipbuilding and manufacturing sectors.

The bipartisan, bicameral bill, A Stronger Workforce for America Act, improves the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) which has long served as the federal government’s workforce training system that helps students get job-ready and adults advance in their careers.

Last Congress, bipartisan labor leaders in Congress teed up the bill for final passage as part of the December short-term spending bill. Then, Elon Musk killed the measure. Now, Congressman Courtney wants to get the bill back to the House Floor. 

“The Stronger Workforce for America Act was a deal that we had agreed to bicameral, bipartisan last December. It was in Speaker Johnson's legislation for the Continuing Resolution. And, within six hours, it was blown up because the Trump transition team led by Elon Musk demanded that the bill be stripped and cut because he complained he didn't understand what was in was in the legislation,” said Courtney during a Education and Workforce hearing last week.

For eastern Connecticut, A Stronger Workforce for America Act would go a long way to expanding successful job training models – like the Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative that Rep. Courtney secured funding to launch in 2015 – and ensuring manufactures have access to a talented pipeline of workers for years to come.  

“I represent a district in Eastern Connecticut which has had a hiring boom at Electric Boat Shipyard. 5,300 hires in 2023, 4,000 last year. The target for this coming year is 3,000. The retention rate has actually been 86%, which sort of defied all the conventional wisdom that people don't want to work in manufacturing.

“WIOA  was an instrumental part of that great success. The Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board’s Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative has an accelerated course of ten weeks for welders, eight weeks for outside machinists and electricians. That gets people a badge to go into the yard. And today, they're part of the process of building the Virginia class and Columbia class, submarines,” continued Courtney. 

“If you're coming from a blue-collar family that does not know about the technology and the new opportunities that are happening, WIOA allows you to expose them. The work experience part is also very, very critical because it gives, funding to actually have the young people experience the opportunity to walk into an industry they might not otherwise walk into,” said Mr. Robert Sainz, Chair, Board of Directors, National Youth Employment Coalition.

A Stronger Workforce for America Act makes critical improvements to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that will expand the skills development provided under the law, strengthen the relationship between employers and the workforce system, and put more Americans on the pathway to successful careers.

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