Throughout my travels across Iowa, I have heard from many businesses who are struggling to find skilled workers to fill new jobs in high-growth industries such as advanced manufacturing, construction, finance, and health care. Over the next decade, millions of these jobs will need to be filled in the U.S., but the so-called “skills gap” between how our workforce is currently trained and the demands of emerging fields is a significant barrier to connecting those looking for jobs with those creating them. We must find a way to give job seekers the training and skills they need to be competitive in the 21st Century economy, and that is why I am proud to have introduced the New Jobs Training Act. This legislation is part of the House minority’s Make It In America agenda, which focuses on closing the skills gap, building a 21st century infrastructure, breaking down manufacturing barriers in the U.S., and expanding entrepreneurship and innovation.
The New Jobs Training Act creates a grant program that helps community colleges partner with local businesses to provide training for new jobs. Here’s how it works: When a business creates new job openings, but cannot find enough job applicants with the necessary skills for these new positions, the business can then partner with a local community college to provide the necessary training for the openings. This legislation will get folks who are interested in pursuing a new line of work the opportunity to receive the training they need to find employment. It will also create a pipeline for highly skilled workers, encouraging businesses to grow here in America instead of looking abroad for a highly skilled workforce.
We have highly capable and eager Americans who are in of need work, and I am proud that the New Jobs Training Act will get these folks one step closer to finding a good job in one of these fast growing, high-paying fields.
Sincerely,
Dave Loebsack
Iowa's Second District
