Rep. Courtney Votes to Advance Bipartisan Bills to Expand Americans’ Access to Workforce Training

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Rep. Joe Courtney, a senior member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, voted to advance two bills out of the Committee that will help workers access affordable, high-quality training and ensure employers have access to a strong talent-pipeline. As the manufacturing supply chain rapidly expands across eastern Connecticut, these bills are critical for workers and employers in the region.

The bipartisan A Stronger Workforce for America Act makes critical improvements to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) 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.

The Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act provides opportunities for students and workers looking to gain skills in high-demand fields by allowing Pell Grants to support students enrolled in high-quality, short-term workforce programs that will lead to career advancement.

“Workforce training is the backbone of eastern Connecticut’s economy. Since 2016, more than 4,000 workers in eastern CT have graduated from the WIOA-funded Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative, leading them to high-quality careers at Electric Boat and suppliers across the region. Unfortunately, while the U.S. labor force has grown by roughly half over the past four decades, federal spending on workforce development has fallen by two-thirds,” said Rep. Joe Courtney. “The bills I enthusiastically voted for today will deliver overdue investments in WIOA-funded programs, make training opportunities more affordable for learners, and ensure employers can access high-quality candidates for years to come. As our local economy, particularly the submarine industrial base, rapidly expands, these bills will help ensure we have a workforce that can meet the moment.”

“The passage of this bill by the House Education and Workforce Committee is an important first step toward updating our nation’s primary federal workforce development legislation. The draft proposal contains several elements that address shortcomings in the current law while adding innovative approaches, including concepts that have been critical to the success of our award-winning Eastern CT Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Connecticut Workforce Development Council and our federal congressional delegation to refine the elements of the draft that require modification to optimize our system’s capacity to promote economic growth and equitable opportunity,” said Michael Nogelo, President and CEO of Eastern CT Workforce Investment Board.

Since coming to Congress, Courtney has been a champion for WIOA programs, like Connecticut’s Eastern Workforce Investment Board’s (EWIB) Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative, and has worked to increase federal funding to expand the programs’ reach, which has paid dividends in eastern Connecticut. Earlier this year, Bloomberg News featured how Groton, CT has successfully leveraged WIOA to help workers across the region gain in-demand skills and help employers, like Electric Boat, recruit qualified candidates into rewarding careers.

A Stronger Workforce for America Act:

• Upgrades the skills of American workers.

o   Dedicates 50 percent of the adult and dislocated worker funding toward upskilling workers through “individual training accounts” (ITAs) and on-the-job learning while redirecting an existing funding stream toward ITAs for displaced workers. 

o   Prioritizes employer-led initiatives that equip workers with the skill sets to fill jobs in critical industries and help the currently employed workforce upskill to avoid displacement and advance their careers.

• Delivers greater efficiency and accountability to WIOA programs.

o   Streamlines the “eligible training provider list” to focus on outcomes and ensure eligible programs are aligned with the skill and hiring demands of employers. 

o   Strengthens and fully implements the performance accountability system in the law to hold states and local workforce boards accountable for achieving positive labor market outcomes for program participants.

• Strengthens pathways to economic opportunity. 

o   Places a greater emphasis on work-based learning for youth, codifies and strengthens a program to help individuals released from incarceration transition back to employment and access career pathways, and strengthens workforce education programs at community colleges that align with in-demand jobs. 

• Fuels innovation for a skills-based economy. 

o   Establishes a demonstration authority to provide several states and local workforce boards the flexibility to reimagine their workforce system and innovate in pursuit of better outcomes. 

o   Facilitates skills-based hiring by validating workers’ competencies gained through prior experience and authorizing state and local boards to provide technical assistance to employers on implementing skills-based hiring practices. 

The Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act: 

• Helps low-income students participate in short-term programs to move into a job quickly.
• Creates a quality assurance system for Workforce Pell Grant programs—allowing any institution of higher education to participate as long as they meet all the requirements.
• Guarantees that program prices are aligned with economic value, so students and taxpayers receive a positive return on investment.
• Ensures programs provide students with relevant education and competencies necessary for employment in in-demand industries. 
• Outlines a process for recognized accreditors to oversee Workforce Pell programs at the institutions they accredit and supports the on-ramp of new expert accreditors to oversee Workforce Pell programs, minimizing the time it will take to implement Workforce Pell fully.

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