Workforce Development Conference Request for Presentations
Share your wisdom, knowledge and experience in workforce development and training by presenting at the 2014 Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Workforce Development Conference in Birmingham, Ala., on April 29 – May 2. ABC is calling on experts in construction craft training, workforce development, Career and Technical Education, training partnerships and public policy to share […]
GAO Report On Green Jobs Training
A recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that the Department of Labor has ineffectively spent $595 million dollars on Green Jobs Training. A closer reading of the report also reveals the program has so far been unsuccessful at achieving employment outcomes – only 55 percent that completed training were placed into jobs. […]
Workforce Training Bill Clears Senate Panel
Training programs administered by the federal government have long needed a major overhaul. The original Workforce Investment Act (WIA) was signed into law by President Clinton in 1998 and was due for reauthorization in 2003. For those keeping score at home, it has been a full decade since Congress updated federal workforce training programs. On […]
Workforce Legislation Takes Aim At Closing the Skills Gap, Misses.
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA) have introduced a bill that would create a fund to provide “eligible entities” with the resources to develop workforce development programs (H.R. 2560, S. 1269). One of the significant provisions of this bill that promotes partnerships between industry and community colleges would give priority to […]
Training Bill in the Senate Establishes WIA Grant for Union-Only Partnerships
Labor-only workforce partnerships got a boost today when Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced a bill that would provide the Department of Labor with authority to issue grant money for “industry or sector partnerships.” According to the bill’s language, this program to fund training in industry sectors will, “improve worker training, retention, and advancement in targeted […]
Bipartisan CAREER Act Will Enhance Federal Training Programs
Workforce skill shortages have grabbed the attention of both sides of the aisle in Congress. Today, Sen. Rob Portman (OH-R) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced a bill they hope will better align federal workforce training programs with the skilled labor demands of businesses. The Careers Through Responsive, Efficient and Effective Retraining (CAREER) Act will […]
SKILLS Act Passes House
The federal workforce training system received high profile criticism in early 2012 when President Obama referred to it as “[A] maze of confusing training programs.” In an effort to untangle that maze and make it easier for Americans to access skilled training, the House passed the Supporting Knowledge and Investing In Lifelong Skills Act (H.R. […]
