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▶ 0:22:48good morning subcommittee on higher education and Workforce Development will come to order I note that a quum is present without objections the chair will is authorized to call resource resource recess at any time good morning and welcome to First higher education Workforce Development subcommittee hearing of the 119th Congress I'm excited to be discussing a bill today that we worked on with our partners on the other side of AIS to pass in the last uh last Congress uh although it failed to cross the line we're looking forward to
▶ 0:23:18restarting the conversation on a Workforce for America Act is the belief that it is good is good for both the workers and the employees of America a strong Workforce Development system is vital to Growing our economy and providing economic opportunities to every American employers and uh are seeking high high quality workers to fill the nearly 8 million open jobs in the United States while we also have 6.8 million people unemployed many without the skills needed for
▶ 0:23:48these available jobs according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics a stronger Workforce of America Act seeks to to help bridge the gap by bringing employers and and workers together together when the workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act or weoa was enacted in 2014 it streamlined Federal Workforce Development programs improved accountability however more than a decade later significant challenges still exist that hamper the workforce system's ability to provide high quality services to youth workers
▶ 0:24:19um and employers to help fill the gap opening the job openings in the growing and in demand Industries the stronger Workforce for America Act make critical reforms to encourage better outcomes for the workers and employers under aor the bill ensures ensured at least 50% of adults and dislocated workers funding will be dedicated to providing workers the skills they need and through the individual training accounts and on the job learning
▶ 0:24:49and other employee led the industry relevant programs with the appropriate flexibility built into the allowing funds to also be used to support work workers receiving skills development the bill will also increase connections between employers and workers for example it allow states to establish a critical industry skills fund to em uh reimburse employers sector part uh Partnerships and other intermediaries for upskilling workers in the priority Industries selected by the state
▶ 0:25:20the bill strengthens the laws accountability mechanisms to ensure that well funds are being used effectively a stronger Workforce for America Act also also supported in in school and out of school youth by placing greater emphasis on the work-based learning pre uh pre-apprenticeship programs and apprenticeships for youth while employing the quality of Summer and year-round employment opportunities it has strengthened Workforce education programs of community colleges that aligns with the in demand jobs by
▶ 0:25:50emphasizing programs with industry Partnerships and those that use Competency Based assessments to give academic uh credit for prior Journey not only this but the bill sought to improve OA by allowing States and regions to uh try out innovative ideas to make the workforce system more responsive and align with evidence-based practices small states can choose to consolidate their local regions to eliminate inefficiencies and to pool resources this provision
▶ 0:26:20uh was based on my one door to work act which would provide States the same opportunities to innovate that my home state of UT has enjoy for decades a stronger Workforce for America Act makes critical updates foror that will improve the skills development of of workers provided under the law strengthen connections between employers and the workforce system and put more Americans on the pathway to a successful career I look forward to hearing uh from our panel of witnesses
▶ 0:26:51and with that uh you y to the ranking member for the open her opening statement thank you Mr chairman and I want to also thank our Witnesses for being here today Workforce Development is not just an abstract policy it directly impacts the lives of North Carolinians and millions of Americans as I've discussed with the chairman this is an issue where we can come together and and find common ground and so I'm encouraged by the chance that we have today
▶ 0:27:21to make meaningful progress on this front the Workforce Development system is vital to providing our work with the skills that they need to succeed helping employers find the required talent and positioning our nation for a future economic growth but as we all know significant gaps persist the workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act or weoa was a landmark step forward when enacted in 2014 it was a bipartisan
▶ 0:27:51success that sought to streamline the complex web of work for Force programs and improve the accountability of our Workforce systems we ow success uplifts my constituents as well as Americans throughout our country in Charlotte alone the local Workforce Development board generates an annual economic impact of nearly 20 $225 million and provides services to over 42,000
▶ 0:28:22job Seekers just last year alone and none of this would be possible without coordinated Federal investment in Workforce Development but more than a decade later we still face systemic challenges that limit its Effectiveness we all was intended to address these challenges but it has become clear that we need reform our Workforce system must ensure that that every worker especially those without a bachelor's degree can
▶ 0:28:53access good paying jobs and gain the skills required to thrive into today's economy without a fully functioning system we risk leaving behind a large portion of our Workforce we know job Seekers especially those without advanced degrees face significant barriers to finding stable meaningful employment similarly businesses are continuing to look to fill openings with qualified candidates and so
▶ 0:29:23I'm pleased that our committee has consistently led the way in addressing these challenges and reauthorizing we weoa uh last Congress our committee Advanced and the house passed the weo reauthorization bill on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis then after the house acted our committee and the senate committee on health education labor and pensions reached the bipartisan bamal agreement entitled a
▶ 0:29:53stronger Workforce for America's act and this agreement updated we y to increase skills development strengthen the connection between employers and the workforce system and put more Americans on a path to success a stronger Workforce for America Act also upgraded the skills of our nation's Workforce by dedicating 50% of the adult and dislocated worker funding towards upskilling workers and related wrap up wraparound
▶ 0:30:23uh supports it ensured eligible displaced workers were provided individual training account vouchers with a value of at least $5,000 to enroll in a high quality reskilling program uh it emphasized initiatives that equip workers with the skills to fill jobs in critical Industries and help the currently employed Workforce improve their skills to avoid displacement and to advance their careers it increased accountability
▶ 0:30:54by reforming what's known as the eligible training provider list to ensure that programs are of high quality and aligned with hiring demands and it codify two important programs to help individuals released from incarceration can transition back to employment and strengthen Workforce programs at community colleges and so I'm particularly proud that a stronger Workforce for America also focused on our nations's opportunity youth
▶ 0:31:24these are young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in school school not at work and as one of today's Witnesses uh Mr signs notes in his excellent testimony nearly 11% of 16 to 24 year olds in my home state of North Carolina are disconnected from school or work that's a big challenge for local communities and that's why it's so critical that a stronger Workforce for America included several key Provisions aimed
▶ 0:31:54at helping opportunity youth gain employment opportunities and Ensure that they receive services at local job centers a stronger Workforce for America was supported by a diverse Coalition of stakeholders ranging from AARP to the US Chamber of Commerce and I wish to enter into the record and an endorsement letter uh from scores of Youth Workforce organizations including several locations in North Carolina uh Mr Mr chairman and so as my
▶ 0:32:24colleagues know a stronger Workforce for America was on the cusp of being law last December initially it was included in the continuing resolution funding the government but was unfortunately removed by the speaker at the last minute in part due to some misinformation circulating on social media but today's hearing presents an important opportunity to get our effort back on track so I appreciate chair wber Walberg and subcommittee chair uh uh Owens
▶ 0:32:54for convening and finally I am mindful that we are a little over a week away from a potential government shutdown one of the reasons we must avert it is the importance of appropriately funding Workforce Development programs which have been chronically uh underfunded and while the US Labor Force has grown by roughly half over the past four decades federal spending on Workforce Development has fallen by 2ir and and we must do better
▶ 0:33:25so I'm excited Mr chair to hear from our Witnesses today I look forward to working with you to enact a stronger Workforce for American act this year and and continue to build a Workforce system that supports workers businesses and our economy thank you Mr chairman I yeld back thank you M M M Adams appreciate that pursuant to committee rules 8C all members who wish to insert written statements into the record may do so by submitting them and Comm commit committee clerk electronically
▶ 0:33:55uh in Microsoft Word format by 5:00 p.m. 14 days after this hearing which is March 19th 2025 and without objections the hearing record will remain open for 14 days to allow such statements and other materials to be noted uh during this hearing to be submitted for the official hearing record uh I know the subcommittee that some of my colleagues who are not permanent members of this subcommittee may be W wavering on for the purpose of today's hearing I now turn to an introduction of our four distinguished Witnesses my first witness
▶ 0:34:25is uh Dr Steven Mor um who's president and CEO of strata Education Foundation Washington DC previously he was a CEO of Virginia Economic Development partnership our second witness is uh Miss Molly Dodge who is a senior vice president of Workforce and careers at the IV Tech Community College in Indianapolis Indiana prior to this role she's a chancellor of Madison College uh Campus of Ivy Tech uh Community College third witness is Mr Robert
▶ 0:34:56SS uh who's board chair of the National Youth Employment Coalition in Washington DC he also serves as a partner of the California opportunity youth Network and as executive director and president of the new ways to work a fourth witness is Mr Nicholas Nick Moore uh who's director of The Office of Education Workforce transformation in the office of Governor uh of Governor Alabama which is in Montgomery Alabama previously served as a Teach for America corpse
▶ 0:35:26member uh in Lis County Alabama he also worked in offices of Representative Martha Robbie and Senator Luther strange we thank the witnesses for being here today and we look forward to your testimony pursuant to the community rules I will ask that each of you limit your oral presentation to three minute summary in your uh of your written statement the clock will count down from three minutes as committee members may have many questions for you and you may like to spend as much time as possible on questions pursuant
▶ 0:35:57to community rule 8D the committee practice however will not we will not cut off your testimony until you reach the 5 minute Mark i' also like to remind the witnesses to be aware of the responsibility to provide accurate information to the subcommittee I'd like first to uh recognize Mr Mor for your testimony sorry good morning chairman Owens ranking member Adams and members of the subcommittee I'm Steven Mor CEO of strata education
▶ 0:36:27Foundation at strata we deploy a range of tools including research Grant making Investments and public policy Solutions all in support of a single Mission connecting education with opportunity we believe in a future where every person no matter where they start can navigate their way to a quality education a fulfilling career and a life filled with growth and choices yet today capable Learners and eager employers are searching for each other in a
▶ 0:36:57system with tooo many walls and not enough doors this is true across all career Pathways not just 2year and four-year degrees for many weoa participants Workforce training does not provide a strong economic foundation for example a 2023 Harvard study estimated that more than 40% of weoa funded training participants earn less than $25,000 per year a foundational promise of our education and Workforce systems is to knock down walls and open doors to opportunity but but these systems
▶ 0:37:28have struggled to keep up with the rapid evolution of work and learning too many weoa participants finish training without securing a good job while many employers struggle to find the talent with the skills that they need a fundamental barrier to better outcomes for both individuals and employers is the lack of actionable data federal and state leaders should be commended for all that we do know about weoa participants but when it comes to what happens after program completion we only know two things whether participants
▶ 0:37:58got a job and how much they earned each quarter now it's time to break new ground despite the substantial data collected on who participates in a weoa program we lack three critical insights into their employment outcomes what occupation they entered the hourly pay rate and where the job is located by helping states that want to add these three data points to quarterly wage records we can gain a clear picture of how well Workforce programs meet participant needs and employer needs for example
▶ 0:38:28are participants finding good jobs related to their training are Workforce programs meeting employee needs employer needs or are they training people for jobs in short supply are some participants earning low quarterly wages because they're in low-paying jobs or is it because they're working part-time which occupations represent dead ends and which ones lead to Future upward Mobility with targeted enhancements to outcomes data we could answer these and other important questions about weoa while also position positioning individuals employers
▶ 0:38:59Workforce boards training providers and policy makers to make better informed decisions strata today is supporting more than 15 states working to implement enhanced wage records Congress can accelerate this Movement by codifying and expanding wdq grants as included in the bipartisan of stronger Workforce for America Act I refer you I refer you to my written testimony for additional details and I applaud you all for the bipartisan work you are doing to modernize weoa thank you chairman offic thank you so much I'd like
▶ 0:39:29now to recognize Mr noge for your testimony good morning chairman Owens ranking member Adams and members of the subcommittee my name is Molly Dodge and I have the honor of serving as senior vice president of Workforce and careers at ivytech Community College Indiana's largest post-secondary institution and America's largest singly accredited Statewide community college system serving over 200,000 students this year at ivytech we are deeply committed
▶ 0:39:59to building a skills-based economy by providing high impact career coaching employer aligned stackable credentials and Workforce training programs that directly support Indiana's key Industries as Indiana's largest training or we owe a training provider we work closely with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and 12 Regional Workforce boards to deliver training and business services to thousands of employers and Learners this work is vital in addressing Indiana's pressing Workforce challenges
▶ 0:40:30including a labor force with only 72 workers for every 100 open jobs we support key Provisions in this bill including requiring no less than 50% of local Workforce funding to be used for skills development expanding individual training accounts for displaced workers the establishment of a critical industry industry skills fund increasing funding for industry-driven training models and increased transparency related to out outomes and credentials earned including their labor market
▶ 0:41:00value Indiana faces an urgent demand for skills training with projections indicating that 69% of our job openings in the next decade will require education Beyond High School additionally Indiana will need to upskill or res skill 82,000 Learners annually through 2030 to meet our Workforce demands that's a staggering Challenge and one in which additional weoa funds would be leveraged to address a critical industry skills fund would provide strategic focus on Workforce
▶ 0:41:30aligned stackable short-term certificates and provide additional support to expand or develop training programs aligned to Indiana's priority Industries this provision validates the college's focus on co-production of Talent with employers such as our partnership with Eli lilan company to create a pipeline of 1,00 trained technicians ivtech believes it is critical to provide transparent information information about the credentials earned by our students and the value in the labor market
▶ 0:42:01and therefore supports these Provisions in the legislation the college currently tracks student earnings post-graduation ensuring our programs lead to wages above Indiana's median income the college is also embarking on a new partnership with credland to enhance our understanding of the labor market value and outcomes associated with micr credentials industry certifications and licensure program completions the reauthorization of weoo represents a critical opportunity to strengthen Indiana's Workforce
▶ 0:42:31ibch strongly supports the provisions in a stronger Workforce for America Act which align Federal Workforce Investments with Indiana's economic priorities thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of this legislation thank you so much I'll now recognize Mr SS thank you uh chairman Owens ranking me member Adam and members of the subcommittee uh thank you for this opportunity to testify this morning
▶ 0:43:01my name is Robert sence as and as previously mentioned I spent 31 years in the public uh uh sector 16 years as a weoa administrator uh currently I serve as executive director for new way to work as well as a partner with coin the California opportunity youth Network um and I previously was the president of the Workforce Development Council for us Conference of Mayors uh as you can say I like to work and one of the reasons why I like to work is on this particular population of
▶ 0:43:32opportunity youth um the National Youth Employment Council uh has over 46 years representation uh for this particular population the 16 to 24 year uh 16 to 24 year olds in the country there's 4.6 million who are not in school and who are not at work and I'll say that again it's nearly 4 .3 million that's over 10% of our young adult population
▶ 0:44:02not in school and not at work and what are their life chances if they're not connected to school and work so we need to be able to connect these young people now our economy is changing and it's changing rapidly and if they're not connected now their life chances in terms of economic prosperity and Mobility is going to be severely challenged and as a membership organization uh with over 160 members throughout the country we work real ex uh extensively with federal
▶ 0:44:32state and local lawmakers to be able to uh advocate for this population as well as to bring best practices of how to reach and to reconnect these young people to school and to work as you know all people all young people need Supportive Services they need Financial Resources they need basic needs like Transportation housing and food opportunity youth are no different but many times they do not have the access to these uh stable uh uh Provisions
▶ 0:45:02we need opportunity youth to be served because they are represented throughout the country in Utah 88.5% of 16 24 year olds uh are disconnected as mentioned previously in North Carolina nearly 11% are disconnected and there's significant economic benefits to reconnecting young people uh uh to school and to work the Federal government itself would gain 11,900 for each uh young person who's
▶ 0:45:32reconnected every year if we were to reconnect all 4.3 million opportunity youth in the United States this will contribute 51 billion per year to the economy importantly the economic benefits of reconnecting these youth show up in long-term indicators like increased income discretionary spending higher levels of home ownership employment rates and better overall health conversely the costs of not reconnecting these young people are high
▶ 0:46:03each year not reconnecting opportunity youth represent a tax burden of 13,900 and a social burden of 37,45 fortunately uh programs like the weoa weoa youth youth build and re-entry employment opportunities serve as a Lifeline to over 130,000 young people each year today's hearing comes at a a critical moment young people are seeking jobs and seeking education and employers
▶ 0:46:33need these young people to actually serve their labor needs programs like weoa help connect these two interests but as you know the law has not been reauthorized since 2014 last year we came close of having the law passed the bipartisan B Camal agreement to reauthorize weoa also known as a stronger Workforce for America Act came close to being passed and it was in the right direction it
▶ 0:47:03made major steps to connect more young people to school and work and as a part of our efforts to support the bill we created the bipartisan opportunity youth caucus uh in conjunction with chairman Owens and former congresswoman steel and this uh bipartisan uh opportunity youth caucus we're hoping to have it reestablished this uh uh Congress as well and hope all members can join as well U NYC
▶ 0:47:33uh uh is supporting ASA for many reasons uh number one is the $65 million competitive uh youth apprentiship uh Readiness grant that is going to actually increase youth apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship opportunities it actually creates a new uh definition ofstead of in school out of school to talk about opport opportunity youth we also support the bill because it codifies the re-entry employment opportunity
▶ 0:48:04program it also en encourages or mandates the state and local Workforce boards have a plan for opportunity youth so we have more details in the written testimony here and thank you for this opportunity thank you Mr signs I appreciate it um last witness is uh Mr Moore for your testimony thank you thank you chairman Owens ranking member Adams and distinguished subcommittee members it's a pleasure to testify before you today reauthorizing weoa can incentivize states to align
▶ 0:48:35the workforce system with the economy states were eager to see a stronger Workforce for America Act or HR 6655 become law last Congress and 119th Congress provides another opportunity to modernize our nation's Workforce system for program year 20122 almost 44% of Alabama's weo a title one allocation was spent on administ ation just over 3,000 alabamians exited training and only 34% were employed in a training rate related occupation a year later
▶ 0:49:05the disparities between the results of the public Workforce system and the realities of the labor market are also endemic nationally in 2022 just over 200,000 Americans were provided Training Services through weoa approximately 127,000 exited training and just over 35% of those were employed in a training related occupation Alabama abama has combined work-based learning industry recognized credentials and has launched the Alabama Talent Triad working with the private sector as the nation's first fullscale
▶ 0:49:35talent Marketplace in 2023 in 2024 Governor Ivy signed the working for Alabama legislative package which gives Alabama a mandate to improve performance these aggressive state-led accountability measures go beyond Federal requirements which are just far too low HR 6655 would have allowed states to be designated as as single state local areas this reform would allow states to receive to reduce rather duplicative layers of administration while preserving local control and services
▶ 0:50:06for job Seekers and employers revisions of section 119 would have allowed states to negotiate performance levels with the US Departments of Labor and education by requiring those departments to First make and propose and then for states to offer counter proposals these reforms would allow Alabama to align the weoa performance indicators with state determined goals amendments to section 143 would have required at least 50% of local area funds to be expended on training while also authorizing Supportive Services
▶ 0:50:37these reforms would assist Alabama with training more workers rather than funding an inefficient Workforce system amendments to section 190 would have allowed up to five states already approved to be single state areas to receive a Consolidated we ow a title one Grant this reform would allow smaller States like Alabama to compete on on a Level Playing Field again thank you and I am grateful that this subcommittee is holding this hearing I look forward to answering your questions working together the Congress and the states can ensure that
▶ 0:51:07all Americans have an opportunity to re the reach the full measure of their god-given potential thank you Mr chair thank you so much for that under Community rule 9 we'll now uh question a witness under five-minute rule I will recognize myself for first five minutes uh Mr Moray uh in your written St uh testimony you talked about the need to use more data effectively to track and ultimately improve performances in your experience why are work for Workforce and education system reluctant to improve their use of data or do you think it's a
▶ 0:51:37lack of technical expertise chairman Owens thank you for that uh thank you for that thoughtful question uh in my personal experience um higher education leaders generally welcome uh that data but that data is not readily available to them uh the vast majority of Institutions don't have the data systems the capacity to really track that at the institution level so creating this sort of state level capacity that can serve the
▶ 0:52:07whole state and all the institutions within the state uh I think is a really critical step and one of the reasons why we think um the inclusion of sort of the expansion of wdq grants in a stronger Workforce America Act is such a positive uh development um I think as more data becomes available I do think we're going to see those institutions be resp responsive one of the big changes that has happened in the last few years is as affordability concerns have become really Paramount uh in the public we're seeing more and more higher education institution
▶ 0:52:37leaders be more and more focused on employment outcomes outcomes after completion we think that's a really positive development but we think they need better data to help them do that work okay thank you so much U Mr do in your written statement you mentioned the critical industry skills fund an increase in the cap of in incumbent uh work training that were proposed in the stronger Workforce America Act uh how would these Provisions strengthen the connections between the workforce system and employers thank you for that question
▶ 0:53:08Owens these Provisions deepen employer engagement with the workforce system by making training Investments more strategic outcome focused and aligned with industry needs that critical industry skills fund will provide performance-based payments to training providers ensuring funds are directed toward industries that employers identify as critical to their growth this provision puts Employers in the driver's seat or as we call this at ivtech co-production of Talent with employers
▶ 0:53:38allowing them to play a direct role in defining Workforce needs and skills gaps this fund can also incentivize Regional Partnerships where multiple Employers in the same industry like Advanced manufacturing healthc care or Logistics co-develop training pipelines that benefit all all businesses within the sector and finally increasing the cap on incumbent worker training enables local Workforce boards to provide more funding for employers to upskill and retain experienced workers
▶ 0:54:09as you heard in my testimony that is critical uh to the growth of Indiana and also These funds will enable uh employers to resk skill employees into hard to fill roles so both of these Provisions provide more agency to employers ensure alignment of our training programs with real job market needs and they also create a continuous feedback loop where employers can provide real-time feedback on training Effectiveness allowing training providers
▶ 0:54:39like Community College to adapt those programs as needed thank thank you so much for that Mr Moore you mentioned in your testimony that a stronger Workforce of America Act would establish a pilot to allow certain States and local areas to receive their woa Title One grants as uh as Consolidated grants with increased flexibility uh the provision is based on my one door to act which was in turn based on reforms taken in in Utah how could such pilot Authority benefit workers Employers in
▶ 0:55:09Alabama it's a very important question Mr chairman over the last six program years Alabama has lost 58% of its title 1B funding and at the same period of time we've we've seen increase needs of our Employers in each of our regions and if we allow States working through your one Workforce Solution to not only have the block grant for the title 1B programs but also to become a single state area will allow more of those dollars to be spent on training and to
▶ 0:55:39get more people connected to the labor force so that we can been to begin to connect the labor force participation rate and the number of people that exit our weoa programs thank you um first of all I'm very very excited about this process we're going through and and working with my colleagues across the board uh this is something we all need American needs big time so thanks so much for that I'm now going to recognize the ranking member um for her the purpose of her questioning thank you Mr chairman and again thank you to the to the witnesses today uh Mr Dodge uh community
▶ 0:56:09colleges are the backbone of Workforce training in this country now I am a former professor of a four-year institution but I do understand the value of our community colleges as it relates to that uh because they provide job job training that's affordable accessible directly connected to employers needs but despite their importance there's no dedicated funding for community colleges under weoa and that's why the the bamal bipartisan stronger Workforce for America Act would have cified
▶ 0:56:40uh the strengthening Community College training programs we have them all over our state uh we have one uh in my district in Charlotte uh but uh fory uh tech for example received a $5 million Grant to support Workforce Development and advanced Manufacturing working with seven other community colleges in North Carolina to expand those opportunities so what role uh do community colleges play in strengthening the workforce system and why is dedicated capacity building investment
▶ 0:57:10like the strengthening Community College training grants so critical uh for these institutions to meet employer demand support workers uh who need training uh uh the most thank you ranking member Adams for that question and and thank thank you for your passion for the mission and the goals of our community college system Nationwide um this weo of funding this reauthorized bill would enable community colleges to work in a more collaborative and systematic
▶ 0:57:41fashion with with Workforce boards as well as uh employers um creating that backward designed program development from the needs of employers through the community college system and into even the our high schools uh CTE programs provides a pipeline of of workers for critical Industries within the state of Indiana that pipeline right now is leaky and we lose individuals
▶ 0:58:11who uh cannot do not understand or do not find their why in high school or in college and that's where career coaching plays a very important role in ensuring that students know why they're enrolled in educational programs and what the outcome of those educational programs are also the employers providing that pull system from these programs um being at the table working with us on developing the curriculum
▶ 0:58:42ensures that our graduates are offered interviews and ultimately hired for these hardto fill roles as as it relates to your oh uh go ahead as it relates to your question about the strengthening Community uh Grant we were fortunate to receive such a grant in October of 2022 it's focused on helping indiv or Employers in our state modernize and automate uh their through the manufacturing skills standards
▶ 0:59:12Council uh their supply chains this is brand new a brand new certification that's industry align to the skills and competencies needed in logistics that Grant also provided us with critical fing to uh purchase equipment to offer this certification to our St let me move on to to this next question uh we we had of course the Hurricanes last year in in North Carolina uh left thousands Without Shelter and work and so we owe a dislocated worker programs
▶ 0:59:43uh 11 counties were able to to receive um access to job training uh Mr uh um Mr signs given the increase of severity and frequency of natural disasters would you explain the critical role that we all plays in in Disaster Response thank you for that timely question in California with the fires as an example uh the weoa dollars and emergency grants that come from both the feds and the state has allowed uh the local
▶ 1:00:13Workforce boards to actually employ dislocated workers um to assist on the fire recovery and as those programs has historically rolled out on the emergency uh programming we were able to reach populations that had uh wanting to get back into the workforce uh uh and labor market and really provided a a real strong way to connect them with immediate work opportunities okay well thank you very much uh Mr chairman I'll you back
▶ 1:00:43thank you I'd like to now recognize my colleagues from Missouri Miss Andre uh thank you Mr chairman and thanks to all the witnesses for coming here for this important issue uh one of the biggest impediments to the success of the federal Workforce Development programs is the amount of red tape that local Workforce boards must navigate and any Reformation of the workload Innovation Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act we must make it easier for local Workforce boards to partner with one-step
▶ 1:01:14Partners to establish onstep Delivery Systems right now we owa requires local boards to develop a memorandum of understand understanding with all One-Stop Partners pertaining to the operation ation of One-Stop Delivery Systems in the local area a key component of that is the infrastructure um funding agreement which establishes the costs for General onstop operations uh such as facility rental and so on um and you know many times there's confusion
▶ 1:01:44between the State State method and the and the local method um this is often an unnecessarily long process that takes away valuable time and resources from helping people find jobs so last Congress the house um passed a stronger Workforce for America Act which included language to reform the funding of One-Stop infrastructure by removing the requirement on local boards to negotiate an IFA with the One-Stop partners and
▶ 1:02:14defaulting to the state in infrastructure mechanism U but I believe there's still more we can do to streamline these processes Mr Moore in your testimony you discussed how Alabama is striving to improve program efficiency you mentioned that last year Governor Ivy signed into law the Alabama Workforce uh transformation act which directs the Alabama Workforce board to improve performance through technological integration um how can we Mr Moore at the federal level help states
▶ 1:02:45to leverage modern technological advances with the need for Regulatory Compliance and hopefully minimize that time needed for Regulatory Compliance thank you for that very important question so one there's far too much system in the money right now and I appreciate you mentioned the state funding mechanism because right now states are required to watch local Workforce Development board sometimes negotiate to the point of frustration until the governor can step in and provide the state funding mechanism
▶ 1:03:15we can also I think look in a little bit more nuanced way about how we're funding the physical footprint for our One-Stop delivery system how many people do we have per square foot what's the the foot traffic are we are we simply giving somebody directions to the 7-Eleven are we actually delivering services in that foot traffic pattern but we have to combine policy technology and process to make this system more efficient number one we've got to make it easier to cross Trin and maybe loosen up a little bit on the Merit system requirements for title one and three
▶ 1:03:45staff and we have to embrace large language models to be able to improve the intake and assessment process and that's what we're doing in Alabama through the talent Triad if you're AET V in that comes in with a joint service transcript you should easily in one stop not have to go to go see John from 2 to four or Susie on next week from one to five but one case manager serving One customer to give them the sort of golden ticket to employment and their next stop on their training Journey
▶ 1:04:16uh thank you m Dodge would you care to comment well I I would just agree with with uh Nick wholeheartedly I I think that as we think about the services being provided Within These one stops we need to we need to acknowledge that the adults that we're serving come to us with prior learning experiences they come to us with Workforce training that they've already taken and we need to honor those skills and competencies
▶ 1:04:46ensuring that they are they can either be reskilled into a a a highly needed job or that they can enter postsecondary with academic credit on an academic pathway thank you thank you Mr chairman I yield back thank you like to now recognize my colleague from Virginia Miss Scott thank you thank you Mr chairman uh Dr mored um you mentioned the challenges of get getting enough data to know whether you're successful
▶ 1:05:16how does the bill address that concern sorry thank you representative Scott and appreciate your service in my home state of Virginia um uh one of the things that we think is a really positive feature of the bill is the wdq grants portion and in particular the codification and expansion of those grants and those grants have been helpful to a number of states in modernizing their education employment or uh Data Systems uh one of the specific opportunities that we see is for states that want
▶ 1:05:46to create uh a more robust outcomes data including the enhanced wage record uh opportunities that I talked about earlier these grants can help help give them the scarce resources they need to do that so we think it's a really constructive um part of the bill and we also think that as more States Implement uh that opportunity that you're going to see more energy around it more impact uh and more interest in that area across the country really enabled by the expansion of the wtq grants thank you and Mr Dodge
▶ 1:06:16you mentioned um sector training one of the things we want to make sure we have is when there's an entire sector where they need training where one industry is pretty much going out of phasing out and you've identified another sector that where training can be very um does the bill make that um process um possible and effective
▶ 1:06:46that's a very that's a very important question especially at the speed in which our economy is changing both in Indiana and Nationwide I I think I think what the bill uh stresses is that we use Frameworks skill-based Frameworks like onet credential engine and others to help Learners understand what skills and competencies they have mastered and what the Gap is between their current role and a new industry one of the one one of the
▶ 1:07:17things we've identified is a transition between uh automobiles combustion engines to electric cars and in a lot of areas even in in repairs and um in parts manufacturing there's going to be a transition um how would the Bill affect transition also a great question I I think the employer the Deep employer engagement that is outlined in this
▶ 1:07:47bill is critical especially in uh transition industries that are in transition at ivtech we are are still offering uh certificates aligned to to the combustion engine but we just launched with the support of numerous employers um and associations uh in Indiana a new electric and hybrid vehicle cert certificate which prepares students for the automotive service Excellence light duty hybrid electric vehicle specialist
▶ 1:08:17certification and so as we think about these transitions it's critically important for local Regional Workforce boards to understand the employers within that region and what skills and competencies they're looking for thank you uh Mr s the um many local Workforce boards have had to cap um individual training Accounts at $2,000 and that's been quite a limit can you um say something about the increase
▶ 1:08:47of that to $5,000 yes sir the increase in the new uh or the legislation that was proposed last year increased it to $5,000 which will really allow for longer term training I think one of the shortfalls that we've had within the system has been the emphasis on short-term training six week or eight-week training which does provide uh some immediate gains but the short gains the longer term investment in uh like was just described by Mrs Dodge
▶ 1:09:18of of the long-term training and having the resources to be able to pay for that as well as to pay for the support services many of our young people need to have to be able to actually obtain the training is critical thank you and you mentioned the cost of not reconnecting opportunity youth uh with quality work can you say what some of the costs are in ignoring opportunity youth yeah very very important you know our opportunity youth population
▶ 1:09:48does look different in comparison to the population that is connected to school and work one of the biggest um uh statistical uh deviations is that the young people have a higher Reliance on public assistance and that public assistance comes out a cost and so if they're not uh working and if they're not in school they have a higher Reliance of Public Assistance second secondary is their uh contributions to the tax base if they're not working
▶ 1:10:18they're not contributing to the tax base and their likelihood of being a homeowner is very small so not being a homeowner it means that the stability as well as their contributions to the property tax base is lower so it has some very negative effects for them not being connected and the positive side is that the higher the income or the higher the education the higher the income the higher the contributions thank you Mr chairman thank you um i' like to recognize my colleague from North Carolina Mr Harris thank you Mr
▶ 1:10:49chairman and thank you to all of you that are uh giving your testimony today I've had the pleasure of reading your written testimonies and um for just a moment I want to focus on this uh idea of accountability and um Mr Moore how does a training provider get on the list of programs that a Workforce Center can offer and can just any employer company get WIA funds for providing training well thank you sir for that question and there is a
▶ 1:11:19process under current law and I believe the stronger Workforce through America Act would would improve that process but but it also is going to take States taking action as well to meet the federal government and part of that is making sure that you've got a strong process for identifying credentials of value so the credential that is put out from that program and then that's not enough we need to work to make sure that the credential is basically the wrapper that the employer recognize skills that imbue that credential that's what actually has currency in the labor market so
▶ 1:11:49making sure that any eligible training provider has been in operation long enough to where you can demonstrate that and I I believe this bill takes the percentages and increases those and states can go even further but there certainly currently is a patchwork and Governor Ivy in our state is working to improve our eligible training provider list so that when somebody completes a weoa program they can Bank on the fact that they're going to be able to connect with an in demand job and and what happens if a training provider fails to meet the criteria they can be sanctioned
▶ 1:12:19and removed from the list and I think that more States need to clean up their eligible training provider list sometimes there's hundreds if not thousands of programs on these lists and it's very difficult for a student or a job Seeker to be able to come through all of that so it leads to a lot of information asymmetry and people don't necessarily know which programs are connected with an in- demand job okay thank you Miss Dodge it's it's important for students to know ahead of time what they can expect from a program and One reform
▶ 1:12:49we should consider is requiring training providers like industry and community colleges to provide transparent information about the credentials they create help me how can we make sure that these credentials line up to the labor market and are also valuable for the learner well that that is the most important question uh for for the learner and the success of the Learner in America to your point uh representative Harris Learners
▶ 1:13:20have to understand what is their return on investment for enrolling in post postsecondary training they also have to make sure especially adults and older youth who have other responsibilities including parenting or or uh part-time work or even full-time work in an underemployed uh role they have to understand that the postsecondary offering will will meet their needs and and is suitable for them so encouraging or requiring uh providers on the etpl
▶ 1:13:50to include uh program duration the cost including total expenses for the program what the delivery method is whether it's Hands-On in person um or online ensures that our weoa dollars will be invested uh in programs with measurable success excellent well it's it's great to see how all of you have partnered in your community to ensure your graduates are well prepared to enter the job market and uh when they leave your campus and I think we
▶ 1:14:20all agree that we should ensure that all of our federal dollars are only going to programs that are going to do the same in just my last minute I want to come back to Mr Moore for just a moment because I firmly believe that the federal government's role in Workforce Development should primarily be to get out of the way and I I mean by that I believe States employers schools and individuals are best equipped to handle Workforce preparation and the federal government should simply ensure our laws regulations and taxes
▶ 1:14:51all promote job growth and a strong economy Mr more I would just ask you specifically how do mandates from the federal government impact your ability to respond to the needs of your state well I'll give you a good example so in our annual performance report the six core performance indicators measure how an average of how many people were served and how many had a good outcome so in Alabama if we want to increase our labor force participation
▶ 1:15:21rate one percentage Point we've got to we've got to add 41 1,000 nonp participators to the labor force in our weoa programs we're training about 4,000 okay but in our annual report the US Department and of education and labor tell us that we're doing a good job so part of the federal mandate that's getting in our way is telling us that we're doing a good job whenever we're you know if we serve nine out of 10 people well but that is not actually aligned with the economy if we've got 16 Target populations
▶ 1:15:52and we've got close to a million people that need to be trained saying that we're doing a good job by serving nine out of 10 people that's not lined up with reality I got you well thank you all very much Mr chairman I yield back thank you like to now recognize my colleague from California Mr Kell thank you Mr chairman and thank you to Witnesses for being here Mr SS um your testimony highlights the economic benefits of reconnecting opportunity uh youth to quality
▶ 1:16:22work um and educational opportunities um you make the case that there's a strong return on investment when you when we ensure that young people have resources and support I I want to give you some time to elaborate that thank you I would point the committee to uh some of the great research that has uh been done by uh the social science research research Council uh measure of America they have extensively looked
▶ 1:16:52at this issue AC across the country and have published some direct reports uh on that but in each of the studies that they're able to show uh both the the relationship to uh economic uh outputs uh and contributions to educational levels so out of that uh uh 4.3 million population that I speak of about 40% do not have a high school diploma so if you think about what's what is
▶ 1:17:23a Young Person's uh ch CH es to succeed if with economic Mobility without a high school diploma uh they're very small so just that alone actually has a huge increase in their economic output by getting the high school diploma the other 60% are folks that have uh graduated with a high school diploma but have not entered into higher education training apprenticeship programs Andor the workforce uh so being able to move them into
▶ 1:17:53the Community College being being able to move them into apprenticeship programs being able to move them into the workforce W with a a career not just a part-time job the other part of the study is that without them having this early Work Connection their long-term um work prospects become very very shaky uh in terms of being uh not laid off you know the first in first out uh which happens in the labor market for these young people so all
▶ 1:18:23this contributes uh if we're able to reconnect them early have them have the work experiences that are called out in this legislation having them reconnect to education and to training programs their overall incomes will increase and overall productivity both for their families their communities and for our overall uh uh economic health increases well thank you for that you you mentioned also that failing to connect opportunity youth with necessary resources impacts their
▶ 1:18:53Community both economic I Ally and socially can you describe those impacts um meaning the failure to connect youth right and so the failure to connect is is what we actually see oftentimes on the front page of our metro section uh where you have young people who are not um participating in the economy and the high concentration of these young people usually in communities really causes some of our community U challenges um so you have higher costs that would go in terms of
▶ 1:19:23of them in the justice system higher costs for them for long-term u connection to public support systems and then the high cost that they will have on the healthc care um these are all indicators that uh uh without education and without uh uh work prospects uh all go up and and so that's where you have direct hard expenditures as well as the social costs of lack of productivity well thank you I'm very proud that my
▶ 1:19:54district has a strong network of support for young people including six Youth Opportunity centers in our region and a youth commission that leazes directly with the Riverside County Board of Supervisors as one of the most rapidly growing areas in the country Workforce Development uh is crucial to my District's infrastructure and engaging young people is imperative so Mr Zs how would you how would the stronger Workforce for America proposal increase youth participation in
▶ 1:20:24these career Pathways and what tangible impacts would districts like mine see and you have a great district and and some great leadership in your District uh with those opportunity youth they're part of our member Network um so thank you for your leadership on this issue um the the the Asad does two uh really uh fundamental changes one is on the eligibility and someone had mentioned about making it easier to serve uh young people currently uh
▶ 1:20:54as the regulations state is that we wait for uh young people to have all the eligibility documentations before we start providing any services and often times those paperwork and those documentation in terms of having income tax records and even sometimes simple identification uh uh they don't not have uh at their ready so being able to actually in aswa give them time to actually bring that documentation to the programs but you could start the services when the young people
▶ 1:21:24need the services so when they come in and ask for the services you're able to start uh and doing the enrollment that's a critical piece in in terms of of uh retaining the young people in the programming and then secondly is in terms of the authorization in in the funding the the ASA authorizes this beyond the the fiscal 24 levels which to to me is really a great thing because you need to be able to have the fiscal support for the programs in order to uh to do the
▶ 1:21:55Mr chairman I'm sorry we went over but you're very kind to allow him to finish his his response thank you so much no problem um like to now recognize my colleagues from Wisconsin Mr grman thank you uh Mr Moray or Dr Moray uh you know there there's so many programs out there we have a great uh Technical College uh system in Wisconsin I encourage young people to go there all the time um and I I think everybody in Wisconsin is aware we have a great technical
▶ 1:22:25college system so I don't know um really why we need any federal involvement but I but I will say this I know there complaints in the past that whenever the federal government gets involved in anything uh more paperwork that sort of thing how could at a federal level we we restructure weoa to allow for Less administrative burden and more flexibility at the local level representative gothman I appreciate that question uh and I would say not state has a great technical
▶ 1:22:55college system so it's great that Wisconsin does have one uh candidly I think my colleagues uh in particular Mr Moore and Miss Dodge might be able to give you a more thoughtful question on how to reduce the federal sort of administrative burden on those local and Regional Workforce boards I do think if we can Empower those boards with better data about employment outcomes it would help them to make better informed decisions so we think that's a big opportunity but it doesn't get necessarily directly at your question
▶ 1:23:26okay I me I mean my tech schools they all have for every major you can get percentage of people who are working how much they're making all this stuff uh you feel that there's some states that don't have that that should actually every institution of um After High School including fouryear colleges ought to have that information but if they don't they don't um would any would anybody else like to take a swing of that or go ahead go ahead I was just going to say the the there are very
▶ 1:23:56few higher education institutions today that could accurately report to you the occupational outcomes of their graduates uh and even at the workforce boards uh most of them do not have comprehensive data on the kinds of occupations people are getting so when you look at the sort of training align job outcomes uh it's based on very incomplete information today is that kind of in excusable if they really cared about their students well I think that what what we're Sugg sugesting is there's a systemic solution that
▶ 1:24:26would actually make it easier to collect all that data if you look at employers today in the United States already report you know every quarter as part of the UI wage records reporting who they employ how much they make and so forth what they don't report today uh for example is the occupation or the title of of those folks and without that information there's no comprehensive way to understand what those employment outcomes look like so that institutions policy makers training providers and others can be responsive to that real labor market demand okay Miss
▶ 1:24:56Dodge um what do you feel what or what role can technical colleges play and expanding Competency Based education to better align with employer needs and Industry standards that that's a wonderful question and and I would just Echo your comment about having an exceptional community college system in Wisconsin we we regularly Benchmark your your system your community colleges and your state credit for prior learning learning uh is critically important
▶ 1:25:27if we want to effectively serve adults I can't think of any one of us who would want to sit in a classroom uh learning something we already know especially if we've already mastered a scill or competency and essentially without a systematic way of assigning credit for prior learning we're doing just that to adults it really when that happens it decreases their motivation to complete their education uh it
▶ 1:25:57also wastes their time and money um and in some cases employers money who are choosing to send them back to post-secondary training so by really understanding and um taking in that credit for U uh prior learning assessment during intake into the weoa system we're getting that information that can be shared throughout the training provider system okay I I think today just about anybody can get a four-year degree but if I just I don't want to get you in
▶ 1:26:27trouble here uh percentage wise how many of the people go into a four-year college today would probably be better off going to tech school or letting their own employer train them something other are May I'll put it this way what percent you think are making a mistake matriculating at a University I hope my president isn't watching right now no I I actually think it really depends on
▶ 1:26:57the students career goals no but just what percent I mean you know we know it's a mistake when I look at my tech schools there are people going there who have a four-year degree and got nothing for it right if I go to the trade school same thing uh you talk to people who work for a business and they'll just tell you honestly you know I'm doing a good job here but uh my my degree was of no benefit to me in this job for example um okay
▶ 1:27:27I guess we're not going to get an answer you luck out okay can we have give them an answer it's only a one we're only looking quick one just give me a number yes sir so in Alabama only 24 out of 100 nth graders have a bachelor's degree by the time they have gone through a six-year cohort so what we're trying to do is make all learning count blurring the lines between work and learning that way you can get a shortterm credential and if you want
▶ 1:27:57to over your lifetime bank that up towards a two or foure degree so I don't think these things have to be mutually exclusive somebody may earn a credential at one point in their life and then be able to use that in another way later on we got to have the technology to make that happen that's I was okay I was going to say you can submit that if if if you need to still need to get that answer okay thank you so much appreciate it um okay i' like to recognize my colleague from Connecticut Mr Courtney uh thank you Mr Mr chairman uh and before I ask my question I just again want to go back
▶ 1:28:27to uh your opening remarks which talked about the fact that actually the stronger Workforce for America was um a deal that we had agreed to by Camal bipartisan last December it was in speaker Johnson's uh legislation for the continuing resolution and um within six hours it was blown up because the Trump transition team led by Elon Musk demanded that the bill be stripped and cut uh for Provisions because he he claim he complained he didn't understand uh what was
▶ 1:28:58in was in the legislation another measure actually which was from our committee was the pharmacy benefit manager Reform Bill which actually would help Employers in terms of saving and having more transparency as far as Pharmacy uh drug pricing is concerned uh and again that that hit The Cutting Room floor um a great loss actually for particularly small businesses who are you know carrying the brunt uh of these you know back room deals with Pharmacy benefit managers another bipartisan
▶ 1:29:28bamal measure which the transition team um you know basically stripped uh from the from the bill um I represent a district uh similar to my uh colleague on sitting next to me um in Eastern Connecticut which has had a hiring boom uh at electric boat Shipyard uh 5,300 highes in uh 2023 4,000 last year the target for this coming year is 3,000 uh the retention rate has actually been 86%
▶ 1:29:59which sort of defied you know all the conventional wisdom that people don't want to work in manufacturing and um again the uh weoa Act was an instrumental part of that great success uh the Eastern Connecticut Workforce investment board manufacturing pipeline initiative which has an accelerated course of 10 weeks for welders uh eight weeks for outside machinists and electricians uh and again that gets a badge to go into the yard and today they're part of the process of building the Virginia
▶ 1:30:29class and Columbia class uh submarines one aspect that also um weoa enabled was the youth manufacturing pipeline initiative which reached out to not the uh career in technical schools because frankly they were you know already hitting all cylinders in terms of supplying metal trades uh workers but they were actually going into comprehensive high schools there were at least a dozen um in Southeastern Connecticut using weoa funding that um again
▶ 1:30:59has created new curriculums for kids who were again not able to get into career in technical schools which have waiting lists at this point so uh Mr SS maybe you could talk about again how those um you know we all can really supplement particularly the the comprehensive high schools in terms of giving kids an opportunity to to learn a trade yes uh uh uh weoa serves both in school as well as out of school uh young people as you know uh on the in school Provisions
▶ 1:31:30it really does make a difference when you're actually having the strong Partnerships with the schools with these industries many of our kids only know what they know they know what their parents have done their neighbors and maybe you know family friends but often times they're not exposed to great opportunities that might not be in their immediate family or immediate neighborhood so one of the aspects that allows within we is to do this career exploration is being able to introduce them to things and New Opportunities
▶ 1:32:00so if you're coming from a blue collar family that does not know uh about the uh the technology and the new opportunities that are happening uh weoa allows you to expose them the the work experience part is also very very critical because it gives funding to to actually uh have the young people experience the opportunity to walk into an industry they might not otherwise walk into often times when we think about youth jobs we think about the fast food and Retail but we don't think
▶ 1:32:30about these other opportunities to spark that Innovation to spark that Curiosity for them to go into these fields thank you I mean one high school which is up in the northeast corner of Connecticut Turtle lot high school again Comprehensive High School basically uh about 60% of the student body goes to higher education so that's a fairly sizable group that does not um go into higher education and again using ymi they basically expanded welding Labs um for the students
▶ 1:33:01to again get a skill uh School attendance went up uh when that was added uh to the curriculum and again these kids when they're getting their diploma are also getting a certificate which makes them job ready to to walk into again really good paying jobs um in in the shipyard so Susan Smith who is the superintendent got to give her a shout out because she really sort of put all the pieces together um to really basically transform kids' lives um and actually get um School attendance you know up to where it
▶ 1:33:31really uh you know we all want it to be I yield back uh Mr uh chairman thank you thank you again I'd like to now recognize the U full chair full full committee chairman Mr wallberg from Michigan Mr chair thank you and thank you to the panel too and thank you for holding this hearing uh I'm excited about the subject and the opportunity that can come uh Dr morray um one thing we hear consistently about um employers
▶ 1:34:01and their response to weo is that uh they sometimes don't see the value in participating in it um you suggested that a fundamental barrier uh to Greater employment engagement in weoa is the lack of actionable data and so why do you think more employers would participate in weoa if there was greater transparency about the results thank you Mr chairman um it's a great question
▶ 1:34:32um when I think about the past work that I've done at the state level and working with regional and local groups in Louisiana and Virginia one of the challenges is that even when employer engagement is done very well uh you're really only engaging a small percentage of the total employment base in Virginia for example there's more than 200,000 uh employer establishments in the state so you're never going to touch all of them so the best model is one that combines both uh targeted engagement with real employers to sort of have a better understanding of their qualitative
▶ 1:35:02needs but also one that gives you a comprehensive picture Quant quantitatively of of what's going on in the labor market and what those needs are from my perspective employer engagement in the workforce system is not just about whether uh employers are actively engaging with the workforce system but in particular whether they're seeing the the particip that get training funded through ioa uh as Attractive people to hire right because that's the ultimate outcome that we really want uh is for people to get good jobs and have good economic
▶ 1:35:33Mobility we think the kinds of an enhanced wage record opportunities that we identified in my written testimony that I covered earlier uh briefly in my opening remarks would go a long way to helping strengthen those connections with employers okay thank you thank you uh Miss Dodge you mentioned in your WR testimony that the Statewide advisory boards and Industry leaders in your State recently created uh short-term Workforce align certificate training uh can you give me some examples of of this and as a follow-up to that
▶ 1:36:03uh how can short-term certificates help a worker with their long-term career goals thank you for this that important question chairman wallberg ivytech honed our employer-led playbook in 2021 when we launched a Statewide industry 4.0 uh employer Advisory Board one of the first in the nation out of that work and guided by the voice of of Indiana employers like erser Caterpillar Lipper amatrol Barry Global and others as well as National associations like the
▶ 1:36:33American Technical Education Association iych was the first uh Community College in the nation to launch a smart manufacturing digital integration degree and that degree includes uh certifications that are aligned to the skills and competencies that employers who are highly automated are seeking um th this degree was critical in Indiana's bid um to recruit uh highly automated uh employers like SK hex and starplus energy to our state
▶ 1:37:04because we have that Playbook we have uh reused it in in other high demand critical areas like biopharmaceutical manufacturing where those conversations are being led by our states Life Sciences Talent Association biocrossroads as well as uh certificates and semiconductor fabrication and certificates in data center technician and data center engineering operations led by the data centers uh that are locating in Indiana this is really
▶ 1:37:34critical work because we know that a certificate is often aligned to an entry level role at one of these industries the goal that we have at IV Tech is to help a student make that transition into these industries into a good technician role and then as their career goals uh evolve over time allow them to work with that employer to send them back to Ivy Tech Community College you leveraging their employer tuition benefit hopefully to upskill that
▶ 1:38:04technician into more a more senior level role thank you very much like Mr Mo what you talked about that expanding opportunity the base of experience as well that you build upon let me ask you this um a stronger Workforce for America uh act expands the number of states allowed to better align its local areas with the states Economic Development goals how can such realignment improve the workforce system Mr Moore thank you Mr chairman commuting patterns don't respect political boundaries and since 1998 when
▶ 1:38:35WEA was enacted states have been unable to switch up the the alignment of their local Workforce Development areas including not being able to go to a single State Workforce area there's about a dozen states that were able to do that in 1998 and including Mr burgess's home state which has done a great job of making that alignment happen with not only Human Service but Workforce and education so what this would do stronger Workforce for America Act would allow
▶ 1:39:05a state and A legislature to enact a single state area and then to be held accountable if their performance Falls within five years they'll have to go back and receip we'll push for that my time has expired i y back thank you um like to now recognize my colleague from um Georgia Miss McBeth thank you Mr chair uh thank you to each and every one of you our Witnesses this morning um and thank you to rankie me member Adams um but thank
▶ 1:39:35you so much for taking the time to be with us today uh while I'm excited at the prospect of reauthorizing weoa and updating our Workforce system we've frankly been here before uh this bill should have been signed into law last December and there's nothing efficient about needlessly delaying bipartisan legislation that chairwoman fox and ranking member Scott and committees from both Chambers have spent
▶ 1:40:05years negotiating long before I even came to Congress only to force us to try again next Congress Americans they are so frustrated and rightfully so they are frustrated by a government that doesn't put their needs first and that has become more expensive more difficult and more timec consuming to Simply get the skills necessary to get a good paying job and provide a decent life for themselves and for their
▶ 1:40:36families for too long this country has limited the opportunities available to Everyday Americans by failing to embrace the full scope of proven education and training programs a 4-year degree Remains the shest path the economic success but it's not the only way for Americans to get there and we've got to do more to put uh effort and time and energy into uplifting community colleges
▶ 1:41:07on the job training programs and registered apprenticeship programs the reality is that not everyone can afford to put their entire life on hold take out a loan and go back to school for four years uh to land a decent job or make a change in their career this simply isn't a luxury that many of our families can afford to take for their children or for themselves workers and Employers in this country they need a Workforce system that is
▶ 1:41:37easy for them to navigate works for them and meets them exactly where they are and this is exactly what this bill will do I'm so very proud to have my bill to authorize the strengthening community colleges train training Grant included as Section 179 of this reauthorization over 200 community colleges and over 35 States rely on this funding to build capacity for new students and set up
▶ 1:42:07sector Partnerships with Employers in their own area the bill also includes large portions of the adult education Works act another bill that I've LED with representatives marvan and Senators Jack Reed and Todd Young on the Senate side as our world grows and it changes as rapidly as it is it is never too late for people to learn we must do more to support Americans who are making an active effort to better themselves in adulthood
▶ 1:42:38a report from the national skills Coalition found that onethird of workers don't have the foundational digital skills necessary for today's job market Mr SS can you use what time there is left to discuss the importance of digital literacy skills and the need to update the adult education and family literacy act or title two of WEA and thank you for all the great work that you have done on these issues
▶ 1:43:09uh as you know uh digital literacy is critical to all employers uh our former uh Workforce uh development chair said when he runs a very large import company and said 15 years ago it was the biggest guy in the warehouse was the foreman and he says now the person that we need as the the lead in our warehouse has to speak at least two different languages has to be dig uh uh have the digital skills has to be able to have the capacity to think and and not
▶ 1:43:39just to to act so you know that is really just critical how our economy has changed we need to be able to have our young people uh and our all of our workers to have the digital literacy the connection to Adult Ed and the community college and the workforce is a part of the ecosystem they're not separate entities they have to work together in Los Angeles as a great example there's Navigators that that go in between the workforce system The Adult Ed and the community colleges
▶ 1:44:09to land people in the right places to get the skills they need to get these very important jobs in the growing technology sector well thank you very much and I uh want to be able to continue to really helps support our workers support our students uh in ways that my son Jordan never got a chance to thank you and I yield back my time thank you so much I'd like to now recognize my colleagues from California Mr colleag thank you Mr chair uh the workforce Innovation and
▶ 1:44:39Opportunity Act is is good legislation it's a good program because it empowers local communities for a very important public purpose which is to get people into the workforce uh folks who are unemployed under underemployed uh not sufficiently educated or trained it gives them the tools to join the workforce which is good across the board number one it's good for uh these individuals who gain the ability to support themselves and their families it's good for the employers
▶ 1:45:09who are able uh often times to fill fill critical Workforce needs it's good for the taxpayer because we get people off of uh public assistance and actually turn them into taxpayers uh it's good for the economy as a whole it's good for the the character and vitality of our country when more of our fellow citizens are actively engaged uh in productive work the question uh I wanted to ask today and we have representatives from various States so uh just whoever uh would like to
▶ 1:45:39uh to answer on this is how uh we can better align these programs with our Public Assistance programs because uh during the co era we had this uh phenomenon where uh unemployment insur Insurance kind of got out of control uh and people were being paid more uh to not work uh than to work even once we'd move past all of these business closures and restrictions employers just couldn't compete with the wages being offered by the unemployment programs uh but then even uh other programs
▶ 1:46:10that incorporate uh work requirements uh or um other such things uh there's clearly an alignment uh here with the goals of uh WEA so uh I know Utah has created a model that been uh lauded uh in that respect but uh for Representatives here of the other states uh do you want to talk about how uh those objectives can be met yes sir and we're definitely looking to emulate the Utah model and it's clear that when you deliver Workforce Training Services and human Human
▶ 1:46:40Services concurrently you're going to have a better ability for somebody to not only enter but to persist in the workforce but you've got to do that in a way that helps to limit the information asymmetry and what I'd like to call unrestricted customer choice if somebody comes in the One-Stop Center just like it's a a two generation problem that if I'm a young person and I don't know what I want to be because I haven't seen all the opportunities sometimes an adult walks in with those mental blockers on as well so it's our job in the public Workforce
▶ 1:47:10system using data to inform them what are the benefit Cliffs I'm going to face as I taper off of means tested public assistance and then how can the workforce system by braiding and blending adulted education we owe a title one through integrated Education and Training how can I get that person employed today and then have them comfortable understanding how they're going to eliminate their benefit Cliffs and persist in the workforce thank you and uh second question relates to uh the the
▶ 1:47:40rapid uh advancements we're seeing in the areas of art artificial intelligence uh and Robotics which uh have been uh picking up steam uh lately in particular uh and and uh to the extent that Americans are uh uh following the latest developments I think people see this as exciting as potentially transformational as holding uh the promise of improving the quality of life uh in dramatic ways for people across our country and across the world but people also have questions about what
▶ 1:48:10does this mean uh for My Career uh what economic dislocations uh are likely to uh result and so I think that the existing infrastructure we have around the workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act it's clearly uh not adequate to that challenge to the scale of that challenge but perhaps there are some lessons that we can learn or pieces that can be uh you know uh scaled up uh to try to start to deal with it so do we have any thoughts on that
▶ 1:48:42respect thank you for that question I think the future of work is all about adaptability as you as you describe uh our economies are changing fast and employers uh must help us as the Education and Training providers understand what skills and competencies they're looking for in automation AI to en to ensure that we can backward design uh programs from those needs uh we must invest in programs that teach D digital literacy
▶ 1:49:12AI Basics data analytics and coding to ensure that workers understand and can work alongside Automation and and finally we must partner with employers to design design on the job training uh specific to these skills and competencies so employees can learn these AI tools and automation software relevant to their industry thank you very much y back thank you I'd like to now recognize my colleague from Oregon Moni uh thank you very much Mr chairman
▶ 1:49:42and thank you to the witnesses for your expertise today um I supported a stronger Workforce for America Act uh last year and was disappointed it was removed from the end of the year package at the 11th hour and I I know we've been hearing about that from my colleagues and I sincerely hope we can bring this bipartisan by Camero a bill back to the floor I I was here that in fact the first bill signing I went to as a member of Congress was weo in 2014 I remember Sitting In This Very Room looking at a big chart that looked like spiderwebs about you know how we needed to make changes
▶ 1:50:13to streamline the program so it's more more than overdue for an update with more than a decade that passed and I want to mention that in the in the stronger uh America uh Workforce for America Act um uh both my partners act bipartisan Partners act uh and builds act partners for industry Partnerships with small and medium-sized businesses so they can uh help with Workforce Development programs and the builds act which is Workforce Development in the in infrastructure bipartisan as well as my access
▶ 1:50:43act which I um have with Mr Thompson thank you for your co-sponsorship of that to expand College and Career uh counseling uh for more information about Workforce opportuni so I truly hope we can get that done um I see our role here on the education committee is having a path for everyone to a a good future and with the recognition that not everyone is on the same path I I just want to mention that a couple weeks ago I got to visit Benson poly Technic High School in Portland Oregon amazing in addition to
▶ 1:51:13their core classes they have programs in various Industries uh Automotive building construction Health occupations digital media elect rtion skills and more they repair cars they run their own radio show they design to build tiny homes and integrated with the core classes you can see how engaged students are and how they're gaining not only technical skills but all the skills of collaboration and responsibility uh in fact my State uh of Oregon passed by ballot initiative a career in technical education
▶ 1:51:43um ballot measure that has actually had some pretty incredible results we've increased graduation rates by more than 10% for uh vulnerable low come and uh Hispanic Latino students uh and importantly uh reduced absenteeism so we know these programs work so moving on to to where we are today Mr signs you know the the bipartisan stronger Workforce for America Act authorized increased funding level for the weoa youth program which provides those vital educational support and career
▶ 1:52:13development skills and opportunities so how does the federal government's investment in we the weoa youth program as well as other major programs how do they help the the economy and how would Draconian across the board cuts at the Departments of Labor and education affect uh youth in Oregon and across the country it it is really critical that the federal government as well as the state and local government invest in our young people and as you mentioned not all young people are going off to college
▶ 1:52:44not all young people have those resources so is really critical that there is a mechanism and the workforce boards and the workforce system systems at the local level and at the state levels are that backdrop they're the ones that actually are saving lives I always say this work is not about just putting people to work it's about changing lives and in many cases it's saving lives so being able to provide those resources to be able to connect the young people back to school back to work is
▶ 1:53:14critical and and also important for the economy we hear a lot about the skills Gap and and how they help address that to it and Mr SS again so could you talk a little bit about opportunity Youth and what it means to be an opportunity Youth and how how your member organizations serve uh the opportunity Youth and how can the workforce system do a better job at reconnecting opportunity youth with uh quality work and educational opportunities um and and will this bill which I hope I I I know it has such bright partisan support
▶ 1:53:44we'll we'll get it through thank you uh as I mentioned there's 4.3 million young adults who are not at school and not in work ages 16 24 uh throughout this country but there in all states rural as well as in non-rural in urban environments and they're just not um in the rural States or in in urban States but they're concentrated in certain communities and because of that concentration their access to Opportunities
▶ 1:54:15is what becomes limited and when you look at these young people it it's not that they don't have the potential or the capacity to succeed Ed they just don't have the access to the opportunity to succeed and that's where we make a difference and statistically as I mentioned previously is that they do have different characteristics that and and many more of them have a physical or mental health disability about 25% about 30% of them are already parents so the need to
▶ 1:54:45have and provide additional resources is really critical it gives them hope as well and I I just wanted I I know I'm out of time just mention also the importance of apprenticeships and I've had Roundtable conversations with people who said it changed their life but not just their life but the life of their family to have that path thank you Mr chairman thank you um I like to recognize my colleague from Pennsylvania Mr Thompson well thank you chairman and thanks to all of our Witnesses who are joining us today I think we can all agree we owe a needs to be modernized uh to better meet the needs of
▶ 1:55:15today's Workforce I was proud of uh the last reauthorization that we we did uh but we do those Peri periodically because it's important to keep them fresh and focused on you know the current state of of where we're at uh especially when it comes to U you know the the need for uh opportunity and the need for qualified trained employees as a co-chair of the bipartisan career and Tech education caucus one of my priorities for this re authorization is better coordination between
▶ 1:55:46Perkins and weoa during the last Perkins reauthorization the primary Federal invest and CTE this committee focused heavily on ensuring that this law and weoa were thoughtfully aligned as a result weo and Perkins have much in common um shared including shared goals such as preparing students and workers for growing in demand and high high skill occupations emphasizing the importance of work-based learning and meaningful
▶ 1:56:16employer engagement and making use of aligned definition and terminology to more closely connect State CTE and Workforce Development systems and one of the major features in what eventually became Perkins 5 were new planning elements for State CTE Perkins plans these included new requirements that broad components of state's weoa plans were to be incorporated within the Perkins plan to better ensure
▶ 1:56:47alignment with uh Perkins being reauthorized four years after the passage of weoa any weo a reauthorization must include intentional alignments with Perkins 5 to build upon the success of that legislation one way to achieve this would be to ensure State weoa plans include State's wider strategic vision for CTE is outlined in in Perkins and so this question really is for all of our witnesses can you each share your
▶ 1:57:17perspective on why this would be a helpful policy change in future we owe a legislation well in Alabama we were proud to add Perkins CTE to our combined plan in 2020 we did so again in 2024 and aligned the stakeholder engagement process I think if we could align the plan year link to be four years for both weo and Perkins that would help and then also to make a a Triad or a through line
▶ 1:57:47of three indicators of performance particularly for Perkins that would line Perkins and weo and that would be work-based learning secondary or post-secondary credentials of value and dual and concurrent enrollment so that we're creating seamless career Pathways for particularly young people and adults who are are in adult education and CTE to have seamless career Pathways U also I would say that we're using the national Career Cluster framework as the basis for our sectoral Partnerships
▶ 1:58:17to ensure that we've got a strong industry-led sectoral partnership that's codified and state law that then guides the development of our regional and Statewide in demand jobs good more the m and what I would add in Indiana um employers are very interested in uh the development of their Workforce pipeline starting with students in middle school or even earlier with career awareness activities plant tours uh guest being guest speakers in classrooms and
▶ 1:58:47that dovetails nicely into CTE Pathways that then that that they can uh enroll in in high school those are all backward designed from industry using our community college credentials so that students in Indiana high school students in Indiana can not only graduate with their high school diploma but also a college credential aligned to the workforce very good thank you represent Thompson I would just add I think the the focus on work-based learning is a really powerful uh uh focus and I really applaud you for that the aligned
▶ 1:59:18terminology I think also very positive um I think also one of the challenges that we face today is that for weoa participants for the vast majority of them in the US we actually don't know what their occupational outcomes are today so being able to enhance wage records to make that information available will help Workforce boards training providers individuals and others to be more responsive to what's actually changing in the labor market which will be critical obviously for CTE as well thank you yeah M Saints and now just mention in California
▶ 1:59:48the governor is currently going through a master plan for career and education training with the intent of having that alignment between the titles uh one two5 as we go down that list as well as with Perkins well I'm just saying because I'm out of time but I certainly would welcome any uh recommendations for specific policy changes that we can incorporate into weo a reauthorization to better integrate CTE and Workforce uh development systems more generally to
▶ 2:00:18improve cross- sector collaboration so I look forward to your feedback in the future thank you chairman thank you I'd like to uh recognize my colleague from California Mr delier thank you Mr chairman and thanks to all the witnesses um Mr signs nice to see you I want to um first talk a little bit well about vulnerable populations that historically have been challenging to get in the workforce but we've been successful at with bipartisan efforts so specifically my predecessor in this seat Mr Miller
▶ 2:00:49up here used to chair this committee uh when I was a count supervisor and I'm a former juvenile probation officer to this so this is a passion to me we did a number of um programs with the presiding judge of our ju juvenal bench who was Reagan's R uh administrator here in DC for juvenal justice so we know these programs work um I was an advocate for a new juvenile hall uh the presiding judge Reagan appointee was kept telling me it's
▶ 2:01:19not big enough we built it a few years ago I went back and did a tour and it's only 30% full and when I asked the probation Chiefs I said why is it so empty and he said because all those programs worked we got them in intoy emies we started when I was in the legislature with Governor Schwarzenegger so these kids in a in a 2000 uh student High School couple of them know that 25 to 50 kids are getting apprenticeship standards because of deals we worked out with unions and the non-affiliated
▶ 2:01:49can participate in this as well and when companies like Chevron because there's a large Refinery there so all that is to say the cost Effectiveness and the bipartisan efforts on these challenges for years could you speak to that you have a lot of experience in this this isn't about ideology this is about performance when we come together and work on these things analytically in this instance ater's kids those kids go out and get over $100,000 a year being a welder an electrician whatever um in industrial
▶ 2:02:19places in the San Francisco Bay Area and they're not in that juvenile hall and they're not in the criminal justice system and they're not they're making $100,000 a year or more and contributing to society raising a family that strikes me as very American and non- ideological thank you congressman and is great to see you U and for your longtime leadership on on on this issue um in California 23 years ago 24 years ago there was a bill passed by your former colleagues uh
▶ 2:02:50um Mr cardinus and and and Mr Schiff um and the crime prevention act Juvenile Justice crime prevention Act of California provided over1 million specifically for juvenal justice involved kids when I started in the probation uh department so uh myself uh uh we had juvenile Halls that had over 3,000 individuals now they're less than 400 that are concentrated in LA county so that huge reduction it it was a direct result of by
▶ 2:03:20direct investment not just by uh Workforce investment act dollars but by uh education dollars by support services but it was also by local leadership that said that we cannot just lock young people up the cost to lock an individual and a juvenal up is while over $150,000 uh per year that is more than the investment that we make on a per student in education and in and in Workforce and that's why the US Supreme Court
▶ 2:03:50directed us when I was chair of the budget subcommittee on corrections to take 25% of our adal population out of the prisons because the the the living circumstances were so ridiculous can we talk about another vulnerable po population the disabled population another place where we've had enormous bipartisan success um President Eisenhower started this uh President Reagan signed authorization Gerald Ford signed and was very supportive of the idea program
▶ 2:04:21so again there's a population where we gave them a public education and have been able to put them in the jobs that are appropriate for them that everybody benefits from could you speak to that the importance of Workforce Development all along the line uh correct one of the populations that are hugely vulnerable to the economic shifts is the uh uh disabled Community uh for the opportunity youth population it's set upwards of between 25 to 40%
▶ 2:04:52of the of of that population have a disability both a physical disability and or a mental health disability that is the hidden disability so it's an education disability it might be uh um as I mentioned a mental health disability um being able to have the programs that are addressing their particular needs really calls for that integration of resources uh one of the uh Partners in the workforce system is the Department of Rehabilitation and by connecting
▶ 2:05:22the department of re Rehabilitation with the weoa dollars really does make a a significant difference there's an uh organization in Northern California called Pride Industries or it's actually throughout the Southwest yeah so Pride Industries is a fantastic organization that works specifically with this population to be able to provide them with a career and a living wage thank you thank you uh now I'd like to recognize the former chair of the full committee Dr Vox
▶ 2:05:53thank you Mr Burgers um Miss Dodge in your testimony you highlighted the provision of the bipartisan a stronger Workforce for America act that strengthens Workforce education programs at community colleges that align with in demand jobs what makes community colleges the most appropriate place for industry Partnerships and educating workers for in demand jobs thank you for that import important question and thank you for your leadership
▶ 2:06:23on this committee uh community colleges are our mission is really to it's in our name to serve our communities and our in at ivtech over 90% of our graduates stay in their local communities and stay in the state of Indiana so we are a critical Economic Development driver for the state of Indiana as as the co uh State's Community College we also engage industry in meaningful and deep ways ensuring that we understand
▶ 2:06:53the skills gaps that they're facing in uh hardto fill entry-level roles and design both non-credit and academic programs that meet those goals um as a followup in your testimony you say that quote Indiana will need to upskill or res skill 82,000 Learners annually over the next 10 years to fill end quote to fill jobs in growing sectors how would the division of funds diversion of
▶ 2:07:23funds to places like individual trading accounts and greater flexibility of funds assist Workforce Development organizations like community colleges that is a wonderful question and I I'm excited about um Provisions in the bill that provide flexibility in terms of how training funds can be used uh in Indiana we know that there's this there's this tsunami of need related to upskilling and reskilling we also know
▶ 2:07:53that employers are in the best position to describe the skills Gap and enable us to create relevant and On Demand training programs to be funded with weoa for that purpose thank you Mr Moore under the current law there are 75,000 eligible worker education programs but performance data is not available for most of these programs a stronger Workforce for America Act improves performance indicators
▶ 2:08:23for worker education programs like worker retention Mr Moore how would these changes create a more focused system of accountability for weoa pro dollars and how will improvements in data collection and transparency impact Workforce Development initiatives in the state thank you Dr Fox your leadership has been crucial on weoa so thank you you know it's it's important that we we recognize that employers are
▶ 2:08:53in need of thousands of of open jobs that go unfilled in Alabama and nationally and we owe a truly does need to be about employment first but then also following up providing the training and education somebody needs to progress through a career pathway so by aligning the performance indicators with the needs of our economy and the jobs that are actually in demand that can give us insights about how we braid and blend other funding mechanisms like Elementary and secondary Education Act and Perkins GTE so that we can create the full complement
▶ 2:09:24of appropriate funding mechanisms but making we ow employment first really drives a focus of employers and training providers on labor market alignment thank you uh Dr morray how might performance accountability that is improvements to data collection and quality improve employer-driven worker education models and when Workforce Development programs are employer driven what benefit do workers
▶ 2:09:55experience thank you Dr Fox uh first I'd say that the more that the workforce programs can be responsive to real labor market demand of employers particularly for high demand higher wage jobs really both individual participants and employers will win you'll have more of those critical uh jobs being filled and more people getting jobs with excellent wages one of the um challenges right now in enabling that to happen is that everyone involved doesn't have really the information that they need to be able to make well-informed
▶ 2:10:25decisions that includes training providers it includes individual participants employers policy makers and Workforce boards and that's really because we don't currently track occupational outcomes uh of participants and without that kind of information particularly without understanding both the outcomes from an occupational perspective but also their primary work location uh it's very difficult to be able to understand what those Supply demand gaps are are uh and how to be responsive to them thank you all very much Mr
▶ 2:10:56chairman i y back okay thank you uh now i' like to recognize my colleague from Guam Mr molan thank you Mr chairman ranking member I'd like to thank the committee for hosting this important hearing today about strengthening our nation's Workforce in my district the military buildup is bringing new Industries and careers for the people of Guam and it is critical that our Workforce has the tools needed to fill these positions robust jobs training models and education systems
▶ 2:11:26are not only important for Guam's economy infrastructure and Health Care Systems but the United States national security as well we must work together to modernize the workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act we to reflect the needs of today's job markets will prepare the American Workforce to become more competitive putting Americans on the path to success it will also deepen the connection employers have with the workforce system and Achieve
▶ 2:11:56better outcomes for our workers businesses an American taxpayer a strong Workforce is the backbone of a strong Nation so Mr Moray in your testimony you discussed the need for modernizing data systems and including more data points to close gaps in our program Assessments in May of last year the GAO released a report that found statistical products often contain data gaps from
▶ 2:12:27for the US territories can you please elaborate on the difficulties for accurate data collection in certain areas like the territories which often suffer greater gaps than more populace areas uh thank you representative Morland I I appreciate the question at strata it may help to understand that our primary focus has been on the 50 states and in DC so we've not done really in-depth analysis of the territory but I would say that my understanding is that Guam does not participate in the US unemployment insurance system
▶ 2:12:57that other that the states do uh and therefore some of the recommendations that I made earlier are not immediately applicable to Guam uh what I was off what I would offer is two thoughts one is uh my understanding is Guam actually can participate in the wdq grants that I talked about earlier which could help to strengthen um the data infrastructure there to help inform the kind of decisions that need to be made by everyone uh involved uh and secondly um represent William we'd be happy to follow up with your office and offer to reach out um to build a relationship with
▶ 2:13:27the leaders in your state and your territory excuse me thank you that's excellent um we'll we'll do that uh also another question for you your testimony also mentions the need to expand employer driven models to meet real Workforce needs can you please speak further to how the models you help develop in Louisiana and Virginia directly improve economic Mobility what are you seeing in terms of long-term sustainability for these models uh thank you very much uh represent Morin um probably the the two main programs I think you have in mind
▶ 2:13:57are the the LED fast Start program and the Virginia talent accelerator program uh what those programs do is particularly relevant for Rural regions and smaller Metro areas where Workforce availability concerns are most acute one of the big shifts that's happened in America over the last 20 years is that Talent considerations have really become the dominant drivers of corporate site selection decision those programs are really created and have been highly effective at helping provide uh comprehensive customized
▶ 2:14:28fast high quality Solutions both to recruit uh employees and to fully train those employees in a job specific um way collectively they've helped uh create tens of thousands of good jobs collectively between those two um States those are sustainable programs the way they're structured now they're largely modeled after uh a program in Georgia called quickart that's been around for quite some time uh decades um I think in terms of of Mobility the other real opportunity that states have is to better understand what their high demand high- wage jobs are
▶ 2:14:58that are going unfilled and how they can better meet those Talent needs uh the data improvements that I've talked about uh earlier including enhanced wage record supported by the wdq grants would help that greatly ASW States investing in some form of a dedicated team uh at the state level to really produce insights based on that data that can be utilized by everyone in the system thank thank you very much uh Mr Mor just a real quick question for you I see that the state can set money aside to create a critical
▶ 2:15:28industry skill fund and the money from for a stronger Workforce for America Act must be matched with other funds can you explain the purpose of the critical industrial skills fund and how that could improve the workforce system thank you sir so this would allow Alabama and other states to make sure that we're not doing random acts of Workforce Development and that there's skin in the game from employers and the state and the federal government what I mean
▶ 2:15:58by that is many times we design a program we put it out into the wild and we hope that individuals and employers find Value in that with the critical industry and a sectorial partnership fund we can lead with the demand identify the number of jobs that are needed the labor market shed in that area and then create a customized and bespoke program that is funded with this braided set of fun fing I appreciate that I've run out of time thank you panel thank you Mr chairman thank you like to now recognize my colleague from Pennsylvania Miss
▶ 2:16:29Lee thank you Mr chair the opportunity youth program and young adult re-entry partnership are a Lifeline to thousands of young people across the country and it's critical that we support and expand these programs as we begin to process um the process of reauthorizing the workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act through this Congress in my district 3% of all youth ages 16 to 19 are identified opportunity youth uh meaning they're not in school um they're not employed these young people are at higher risk for persistent
▶ 2:16:59unemployment and low income into adulthood uh they experience disproportionate mental and physical health challenges and are more likely to encounter the justice system thanks to we's opportunity you funding programs like Pittsburgh's partner for work uh help to set these young people up for a brighter future partner for work serves around 770 WEA youth uh participants annually by assisting them with job training career services and individualized employment counseling as a result nearly 70% of the opportunity youth
▶ 2:17:29uh that partner for work serves enter post-secondary education or employment after leaving the program the opportunity youth program is often described as a schoolto prison pipeline disruptor school to prison pipeline systematically funnels kids into the juvenile justice system through Zero Tolerance discipline policies even for minor uh violations of school rules overuse of suspensions and expulsion excessive School policing and arresting students in school often times opportunity youth become out of school uh and unemployed because they they've fallen
▶ 2:18:00into this Pipeline and the opportunity you gives them an opportunity to get reconnected with work and school programs before they wind up in the criminal legal system Mr signs how does the opportunity youth program disrupt the school to prison pipeline thank you and Pittsburgh has one of the greatest uh programs around the country and very strong strong Community leadership at the local level and how it disrupts really on three areas number one it
▶ 2:18:30provides them the support they need to stay in school The Chronic absenteeism is one of the greatest indicators of uh someone going to be an opportunity youth or out of school second it provides the work opportunities and the the subsidized support for them to actually have work opportunities is the best thing that a young person can have and without weoa often times they will not have that opportunity to do that but third it provides hope and I think what we want to
▶ 2:19:00see for our young people to have a hope for their future and many times of the young people that are in the J the juvenile justice system or in the foster care system or in the homeless care system they lack the hope of seeing themselves in the future and that's what we ow it does and to restore is that hope for that young person that they can have a a decent living they can make or have economic Mobility they can see themselves in a different position from where they started thank you and um I don't want to limit
▶ 2:19:30us here I know that that's just one program that we're particularly proud of in Pittsburgh but are there any other programs um through weoa um that you think we should invest in to continue to disrupt the school to prison pipeline uh the REO program as which will you know formerly uh get U uh authorized through aswa uh 20% of the dollars does come into the youth um uh for youth specifically and and to me that is really critical because it's identifying the dollars specifically for the young people that have gotone into the criminal justice
▶ 2:20:00system uh but also the youth apprenticeship which is something new and $65 million nationally uh um is not a lot of resources to be blunt on a national basis but I think it sets the precedent for uh youth apprenticeship that young people could earn and learn it means that they're not taking out uh student loans they're not having to compete in a four-year degree uh for uh uh their future but they could actually be hired by the employer
▶ 2:20:31they're working and they're learning at the same time so I think the establishing this program under aswa gives a a huge foundation for growth and for apprenticeships as a model thank you we know all these these programs are they're important and and as you say still too many young people are still falling through the cracks and they do do wind up in a criminal justice system when they do we must meet them with active and impactful re-entry employment programs when Pittsburgh's partner for work obtained a temporary Grant to provide re-entry Employment Services to Citizens returning from incarceration
▶ 2:21:0267% of the returning citizens they served obtained uh employment within six months of leaving that program as you mentioned in your testimony a stronger Workforce for American act would codify these re-entry grants and 20% of the funding would be dedicated to serving youth transitioning out of the justice system codifying effective employment re-entry programs like partner for Works will allow them to continue to expand these vital programs um I just want to end with saying black and brown and low-income and disabled students are disproportionately pushed into this pipeline there's no single one opportunity uh for justice
▶ 2:21:32and youth uh impact youth but this is a start and we have to be sure to reauthorize uh weio of this Congress thank you and I Y back thank you like to uh recognize my colleague from Indiana uh Mr mmer uh thank you chairman Owens for allowing me to to wave in even though I even though I don't sit in the subcommittee I'm honored to be here today for this hearing covering weoa I'm also honored to have a fellow hooer Wy Dodge from iych as a witness on this panel iych is Indiana's largest
▶ 2:22:02postsecondary institution and the largest singly accredited Statewide community college system in America they do a lot of great work in Indiana and in my district and it's great to have their achievements highlight highlighted in front of this committee Miss Dodge one of the goals of a stronger Workforce for America Act is to build a greater build greater connections between the workforce system and Employers in your in your written statement you talked about IV Tech's achieve your degree program you mentioned that preliminary research suggests that students
▶ 2:22:33sponsored by an employer like this program does or more likely to complete a degree certificate um or or degree program than other IB Tech students who aren't enrolled in the program why is this direct connection to an employer so important thank you representative Mesmer and thank you for your support uh as as a a state congressman and also here in DC um we are very proud of our achieve your degree program at Ivy Tech Community College what started out with one employer actually
▶ 2:23:03in your District uh has now grown into a Statewide uh program encompassing 340 employers who are actively uh partnering with ivch Community College to leverage their tuition benefit to upskill or resk skill their incumbent Workforce into hardto fill or new jobs um this program uh has actually demonstrated success for a couple of reasons number one because the employer is actively engaged in choosing the program offerings
▶ 2:23:34that they're supporting they have created internal career Pathways within their organization ensuring that students who complete their credential or their non-credit training have a guaranteed path to a promotion or new opportunity and secondly because the employer so so engaged they often provide wraparound support and other supports uh and go above and beyond to ensure a student is successful in their education well and I appreciate Dr elman's leadership on that program um also how does iych
▶ 2:24:04measure the success of its Works Workforce programs particularly in terms of graduate earnings and employment and this is where I will highlight president elman's leadership at ivch Community College our strategic plan uh higher education at the speed of life has four metrics three of which should come as no surprise it's enrollment retention and completion but under Dr ellman's leadership we have added a fourth which is the percentage of our graduates earning above Indiana's median wage three years after
▶ 2:24:35graduation what this metric does is ensures that our CareerLink departments across the state who are providing career counseling work-based learning and job placement as well as uh our academic uh Partners at the at the college are aling our programs and services to labor market needs um it's ensuring that we're routinely um checking those programs um uh we're we're measuring our wage data with the help of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development
▶ 2:25:05and we're reporting on that ensuring that Learners know the return on investment of coming to ivtech well it's a good way to make sure that the the degrees you're offering are relevant and that's great uh Mr Moore can you highlight what uh State Workforce Development boards can do do under current we author authorized programs for apprenticeships yes sir thank you for that question registered apprenticeship is the gold standard of work-based learning and what we can do is to better integrate State apprenticeship agencies into the
▶ 2:25:35public Workforce system Alabama was the first state to create a state apprenticeship agency in 25 years back in 2019 subsequently more than 10 additional states have joined us and that allows us to provide additional Staffing that state fund and capacity to make sure that we're given a concierge treatment for employers and individuals to serve as the Senus and mediating institutions to help connect those individuals to the opportunity with employers um what are the roadblocks for guaranteeing success for either
▶ 2:26:06newly registered programs or established programs most of it is the paperwork and needing to have help with somebody to be able to help with compliance issues an employer doesn't have time to fill out 150 pages of documents and also sometimes the incentives can be so small even if they're state funded have to go through that burden so taking the paperwork and compliance burden off of the back of the employer letting the state handle that has helped us to see not only participation in the apprenticeship program by the employer
▶ 2:26:36but more retention among the apprentices in that employer's program excellent Dr morray median earnings um are already tracked within the workforce why is it important to track and have better understanding of hourly wage earnings thank you representative M that's a great question uh while median earnings do provide a good sense of what a a typical uh completer might might earn in the labor market it's also not uncommon that the outcomes actually vary quite dramatically uh in fact very much by the type of occupation
▶ 2:27:06that someone gets so for example you could have a weoa funded training program uh with a median wage that was attractive but really where half the participants had really excellent skilled uh uh jobs connected to their training with upward Mobility the other half are working in lower wage kind of more retail jobs that don't really have much of a a career trajectory associated with them so while the median wage might look okay it's really masking this sort of divided outcome Set uh this is one of the reasons among many that we think
▶ 2:27:37it's critical to enhance wage records so that employers and everyone else involved can better understand outcomes and be able to make uh better informed choices thank you I yield back thank you I want to thank all of our Witnesses this uh for the Insight this very important topic I want to um to recognize my my colleague Mr Mr desier to finish up and have a state closing statement thank you Mr chairman I want to thank the witnesses as well this is terrific and it's really an opportunity for us to work together on
▶ 2:28:07measurements and getting people employed in measuring tough PE people who have a difficult time as well as people who have less difficult time in a way that produces results which I always thought was nonpartisan um or bipartisan uh I'd like to um have unanimous cons uh request I have a unanimous request Mr chairman that a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco entitled did the did the $600 unemployment supplement uh discourage work which finds just in part
▶ 2:28:37that the $600 UI benefits supplemented in the car's act had a little or no effect on the willingness of unemployed people to search for work or accept job offers and it goes on from the air I'd like to have it entered into the record um again thank you all uh last Congress as I referred to uh we work together to reach an excellent bipartisan agreement to strengthen our Workforce system to help America's employers and workers this agreement entitled a
▶ 2:29:07stronger Workforce America for America Act updated the workforce in Innovation and Opportunity Act weoa to increase skills develop and strengthen the connection between employers and the workforce system and put more Americans on the on a pathway to success in the workforce unfortunately a combination of factors including rampant misinformation on so social media caused our agreement not to become law as we had all hoped but I'm pleased that today's conversation had
▶ 2:29:38allowed us to get back on track I urge the committee to promptly Advance the same bipartisan agreement we worked so hard to reach the last Congress and then the house to swiftly pass pass it into law doing so would be good for our workers good for businesses and good for the US economy thanks again Mr chairman for convening this important hearing and I yeld back my time thank you uh I want to um I just say I I too agree with the the bipartisan
▶ 2:30:08way we've approached this actually we're looking forward to having this uh this hearing the last couple days I knew would be bipartisan uh and this probably one of the more important National Security conversations we can have how to prepare uh uh Our Generation this next generation for an explosion we're going to have over the coming years and um I'll say this uh Mr s you said something about Hope and that's really what what we obligation we have to give for folks who are looking for a way to achieve their dreams and what I'm appreciate is Again The Innovation the innovators like yourself
▶ 2:30:39that the years you spend in your occupations to be able to sit here as experts to tell us how we can better be Innovative in our in our way of of doing this approaching this so just know we have a a legislative body that wants us to work uh we we our American people deserve the opportunity they want to get to the middle class they have to be educated they have to have an opportunity to reach out for something they can dream for and work hard for and uh that hope is a big piece of it so we look forward to working with you uh my ask and I say this as often as I can uh you the innovators
▶ 2:31:09uh what we can do best is take what you have and try to legislate around that legislate those things that can actually make a difference so we ask you to be proactive reach out to us let us know this this is a very very important uh legislative piece that we need to put through we came so close again we're going to make sure it happens uh as we get into this next next time so I want to thank my colleagues uh for this bipartisan approach uh we're going to make sure we work together to get this done and thank you again for uh the the insight and expertise you'll given us today and with
▶ 2:31:39that I would like to thank the witness again for taking this time to testify for the subcommittee without objections uh there being no further business the subcommittee now stands adjourned