[House Hearing, 119 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
STRENGTHENING WIOA: IMPROVING
OUTCOMES FOR AMERICA'S WORKFORCE
=======================================================================
HEARING
Before The
SUBCOMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
of the
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND
WORKFORCE
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, MARCH 5, 2025
__________
Serial No. 119-3
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Workforce
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via: edworkforce.house.gov or www.govinfo.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
60-918 PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE
TIM WALBERG, Michigan, Chairman
JOE WILSON, South Carolina ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT, Virginia,
VIRGINIA FOXX, North Carolina Ranking Member
GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona
GLENN GROTHMAN, Wisconsin JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut
ELISE M. STEFANIK, New York FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida
RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon
JAMES COMER, Kentucky MARK TAKANO, California
BURGESS OWENS, Utah ALMA S. ADAMS, North Carolina
LISA C. McCLAIN, Michigan MARK DeSAULNIER, California
MARY E. MILLER, Illinois DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey
JULIA LETLOW, Louisiana LUCY McBATH, Georgia
KEVIN KILEY, California JAHANA HAYES, Connecticut
ERIN HOUCHIN, Indiana ILHAN OMAR, Minnesota
MICHAEL A. RULLI, Ohio HALEY M. STEVENS, Michigan
JAMES C. MOYLAN, Guam GREG CASAR, Texas
ROBERT F. ONDER, Jr., Missouri SUMMER L. LEE, Pennsylvania
RYAN MACKENZIE, Pennsylvania JOHN W. MANNION, New York
MICHAEL BAUMGARTNER, Washington
MARK HARRIS, North Carolina
MARK B. MESSMER, Indiana
R.J. Laukitis, Staff Director
Veronique Pluviose, Minority Staff Director
------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT
BURGESS, OWENS, Utah, Chairman
MICHAEL BAUMGARTNER, Washington ALMA ADAMS, North Carolina,
JOE WILSON, South Carolina Ranking Member
VIRGINIA FOXX, North Carolina FREDERICA WILSON, Florida
GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania MARK TAKANO, California
GLENN GROTHMAN, Wisconsin LUCY McBATH, Georgia
LISA C. McCLAIN, Michigan DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey
KEVIN KILEY, California RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona
ERIN HOUCHIN, Indiana JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut
JAMES C. MOYLAN, Guam SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon
ROBERT F. ONDER, Jr., Missouri MARK DeSAULNIER, California
MARK HARRIS, North Carolina ILHAN OMAR, Minnesota
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Hearing held on March 5, 2025.................................... 1
OPENING STATEMENTS
Owens, Hon. Burgess, Chairman, Subcommittee on Higher
Education and Workforce Development........................ 1
Prepared statement of.................................... 4
Adams, Hon. Alma, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Higher
Education and Workforce Development........................ 6
Prepared statement of.................................... 16
WITNESSES
Moret, Stephen, President and CEO, Strada Education
Foundation................................................. 19
Prepared statement of.................................... 21
Dodge, Molly, Senior Vice President, Workforce and Careers,
Ivy Tech Community College................................. 29
Prepared statement of.................................... 31
Sainz, Robert, Board Chair, National Youth Employment
Coalition.................................................. 36
Prepared statement of.................................... 38
Moore, Nicholas J., Director, Office of Education and
Workforce Transformation................................... 40
Prepared statement of.................................... 42
ADDITIONAL SUBMISSIONS
Ranking Member Adams:
Endorsement letter dated December 12, 2024, from various
youth and workforce development organizations.......... 8
DeSaulnier, Hon. Mark, a Representative in Congress from the
State of California:
Article dated September 21, 2020, from FRBSF Economic
Letter titled ``Did the $600 Unemployment Supplement
Discourage Work?''..................................... 76
QUESTIONS FOR THE RECORD
Responses to questions submitted for the record by:
Mr. Robert Sainz......................................... 82
STRENGTHENING WIOA: IMPROVING
OUTCOMES FOR AMERICA'S WORKFORCE
----------
Wednesday, March 05, 2025
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce
Development,
Committee on Education and The Workforce,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:15 a.m., in
Room 2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Burgess Owens
(Chairman of the Subcommittee) presiding.
Present: Representatives Owens, Foxx, Thompson, Grothman,
Kiley, Moylan, Onder, Harris, Walberg, Adams, Takano, McBath,
Courtney, Bonamici, DeSaulnier, and Scott.
Also present: Messmer, Lee.
Staff present: Vlad Cerga, Director of Information
Technology; Dara Gardner, Einstein Fellow; Wilson He, APAICS
Fellow; Amy Raaf Jones, Director of Education and Human
Services Policy; Libby Kearns, Press Assistant; Isaiah Knox,
Legislative Assistant; Campbell Ladd, Staff Assistant; R.J.
Laukitis, Staff Director; Georgie Littlefair, Clerk; Danny
Marca, Director of Information Technology; Audra McGeorge,
Communications Director; Ethan Pann, Deputy Press Secretary and
Digital Director; Kane Riddell, Staff Assistant; Sara
Robertson, Press Secretary; Brad Thomas, Deputy Director of
Education and Human Services Policy; Ann Vogel, Director of
Operations; Ali Watson, Director of Member Services; Ellie
Berenson, Minority Press Assistant; Ariel Box, Minority Intern;
Ilana Bruner, Minority General Counsel; Rashage Green, Minority
Director of Education Policy & Counsel; Jo Howard, Minority
Grad Intern; Stephanie Lalle, Minority Communications Director;
Jessica Schieder, Minority Economic Policy Advisor; Hannah
Seligman, Minority Legal Intern; Raiyana Malone, Minority Press
Secretary; Kevin McDermott, Minority Director of Labor Policy;
Ben Noenickx, Minority Intern; Eleazer Padilla, Minority Staff
Assistant; Veronique Pluviose, Minority Staff Director;
Elizabeth Tomoloju, Minority Intern; Banyon Vassar, Minority
Director of IT.
Chairman Owens. Good morning. The Subcommittee on Higher
Education and Workforce Development will come to order. I note
that a quorum is present, and without objection, the Chair is
authorized to call a recess at any time.
Good morning, and welcome to the first Higher Education
Workforce Development Subcommittee hearing of the 119th
Congress. I am excited to be discussing a bill today that we
worked on with our partners on the other side of the aisle to
pass in the last Congress.
Although it failed to cross the line, we are looking
forward to restarting a conversation on A Stronger Workforce
for America Act. It is a belief that it 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 are seeking high-quality workers to fill the
nearly eight million open jobs in the United States. We also
have 6.8 million people unemployed, many without the skills
needed for these available jobs, according to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics. A Stronger Workforce for America Act seeks to
help bridge the gap by bringing employers and workers together.
When the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, or WIOA,
was enacted in 2014, it streamlined Federal workforce
development programs and 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, and employers to help fill the gap
of job openings and the growing demand of job industries.
The Stronger Workforce for America Act made critical
reforms to encourage better outcomes for the workers and
employers under WIOA. The bill ensured at least 50 percent
would go in dislocated workers funding that will be dedicated
to providing workers the skills they need, through the
individual training accounts and on the job learning, and other
employee-led, industry-relevant programs with the appropriate
flexibility built into the live funds to also be used to
support workers receiving skills development.
The bill will also increase connections between employers
and workers. For example, it will allow states to establish a
critical industry skills fund to reimburse employers, sector
partnerships and other intermediaries for upskilling workers in
the priority industries selected by the State.
The bill strengthens the law's accountability mechanisms to
ensure that WIOA funds are being used effectively. A Stronger
Workforce for America's Act also supported an in school and out
of school youth by placing great emphasis of the work-based
learning, pre-apprenticeship programs, and apprenticeships for
youth, while employing the quality of summer and year-round
employment opportunities.
It strengthened workforce education programs at community
colleges that aligns with the in-demand jobs by emphasizing
programs with industry partnerships, and those that use
competency-based assessments to give academic credit for prior
learning.
Not only this, but the bill sought to improve WIOA by
allowing states and regions to try out innovative ideas to make
the workforce system more responsive and align with the
evidence-based practices. Small states can choose to
consolidate their local regions to eliminate any
inefficiencies, and to pool resources.
This provision was based on my One Door to Work Act, which
would provide states the same opportunities to innovate that my
own State of Utah has enjoyed for decades.
A Stronger Workforce for America Act makes critical updates
for WIOA that will improve the skills development 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 from our panel of witnesses, and
with that, I yield to the Ranking Member for her opening
statement.
[The statement of Chairman Owens follows:]
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Ms. Adams. 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 have
discussed with the Chairman, this is an issue where we can come
together and find common ground.
I am encouraged by the chance that we have today to make
meaningful progress on this front. The workforce development
system is vital to providing our workers with the skills that
they need to succeed, helping employers find the required
talent, and positioning our Nation for future economic growth.
As we all know, significant gaps persist. The Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act, or WIOA, was a landmark step
forward when enacted in 2014. It was a bipartisan success that
sought to streamline the complex web of workforce programs and
improve the accountability of our workforce systems.
WIOA's 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 225 million dollars and provides services to over
42,000 job seekers just last year alone.
None of this would be possible without a coordinated
Federal investment in workforce development. More than a decade
later, we still face systemic challenges that limit its
effectiveness. WIOA was intended to address these challenges,
but it has become clear that we need reform. Our workforce
system must ensure that every worker, especially those without
a bachelor's degree, can access good-paying jobs, and gain the
skills required to thrive in 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.
I am pleased that our committee has consistently led the
way in addressing these challenges and reauthorizing WIOA. Last
Congress our committee advanced, and the House passed the WIOA
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 a
bipartisan, bicameral agreement entitled A Stronger Workforce
for America Act.
This agreement updated WIOA 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 percent of
the adult and dislocated worker funding toward upskilling
workers and related wraparound supports, and ensured eligible,
displaced workers were provided individual training account
balances with a value of at least $5,000 to enroll in a high-
quality, reskilling program.
It emphasized initiatives that equipped 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 by reforming what is known as the eligible
training provider list to ensure that programs are of high-
quality and aligned with hiring demands.
It codified two important programs to help individuals
released from incarceration transition back to employment and
strengthen workforce programs at community colleges. I am
particularly proud that a stronger workforce for America also
focused on our Nation's opportunity youth.
These are young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in school,
not at work. As one of today's witnesses, Mr. Sainz notes in
his excellent testimony, nearly 11 percent of 16-to-24-year-
olds in my home State of North Carolina, are disconnected from
school or work.
That is a big challenge for local communities, and that is
why it is so critical that A Stronger Workforce for America
included several key provisions aimed at 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 U.S.
Chamber of Commerce. I wish to enter into the record an
endorsement letter from scores of youth workforce
organizations, including several locations in North Carolina,
Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Owens. No objection.
[The information of Ms. Adams follows:]
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Ms. Adams. As my colleagues 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.
Today's hearing presents an important opportunity to get
our effort back on track, so I appreciate Chair Walberg and
Subcommittee Chair Owens for convening. 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 underfunded. While the U.S. labor force
has grown by roughly half over the past four decades, Federal
spending on workforce development has fallen by two-thirds, and
we must do better.
I am excited, Mr. Chair, to hear from our witnesses today.
I look forward to working with you to enact A Stronger
Workforce for America Act this year and continue to build the
workforce system that supports workers, businesses, and our
economy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
[The statement of Ranking Member Adams follows:]
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Chairman Owens. Thank you, Ms. Adams. I appreciate that.
Pursuant to Committee Rule 8(C), all members who wish to insert
written statements into the record may do so by submitting them
into the Committee Clerk electronically in Microsoft Word
format by 5 p.m., 14 days after this hearing, which is March
19, 2025. Without objection, the hearing record will remain
open for 14 days to allow such statements and other materials
be noted during this hearing to be submitted for the official
hearing record.
I note for the Subcommittee that some of my colleagues who
are not permanent members of this Subcommittee may be waiving
on for the purpose of today's hearing.
I now turn to the introduction of our four distinguished
witnesses. Our first witness is Dr. Stephen Moret, who is
President and CEO of Strada Education Foundation in Washington,
DC. Previously, he was CEO of Virginia Economic Development
Partnership.
Our second witness is Ms. Molly Dodge, who is Senior Vice
President of Workforce and Careers at the Ivy Tech Community
College, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Prior to this role, she was
Chancellor of Madison College of Campus of Ivy Tech Community
College.
Our third witness is Mr. Robert Sainz, who is 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.
Our fourth witness is Mr. Nicholas--Nick Moore, who is
Director of the Office of Education and Workforce
Transformation in the Office of Governor of Alabama, which is
in Montgomery, Alabama. Previously, he served as a Teacher for
America Course Member in Lowndes County, Alabama. He also
worked in the offices of Representative Martha Roby, and
Senator Luther Strange.
We thank the witnesses for being here today, and we look
forward to your testimony. Pursuant to the Committee Rules, I
will ask each of you to limit your oral presentation to a 3-
minute summary of your written statement. The clock will count
down from 3 minutes as Committee members may have many
questions for you, and we would like to spend as much time as
possible on questions.
Pursuant to Committee Rule 8(B), the Committee practice is
we will not cutoff your testimony until you reach the 5-minute
mark. I would also like to remind the witnesses to be aware of
their responsibility to provide accurate information to the
Subcommittee.
I would like first to recognize Mr. Moret for your
testimony.
STATEMENT OF DR. STEPHEN MORET, PRESIDENT AND CEO,
STRADA EDUCATION FOUNDATION, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Mr. Moret. Good morning, Chairman Owens and Ranking Member
Adams, and members of the Subcommittee. I am Stephen Moret, CEO
of Strada Education Foundation. At Strada, we deploy a range of
tools, including research, grant making, investments and public
policy solutions, all in support of the single mission--
connecting education with opportunity.
We believe in the future where every person, no matter
where they started, can navigate their way to a quality
education, a fulfilling career, and a life filled with growth
and choices. Today, capable learners and eager employers are
searching for each other in a system with too many walls, and
not enough doors.
This is true across all career pathways, not just 2-year
and 4-year degrees. For many WIOA participants, workforce
training does not provide a strong economic foundation. For
example, a 2023 Harvard study estimated that more than 40
percent of WIOA funded training participants earned less than
$25,000 per year.
The foundational promise of our education and workforce
systems is to knock down walls, and open doors to opportunity.
These systems have struggled to keep up with the rapid
evolution of work and learning. Too many WIOA participants
finished training without securing a good job, while many
employers struggled 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 WIOA participants. When it comes to what happens
after program completion, we only know two things, whether
participants got a job, and how much they earn each quarter.
Now it is time to break new ground. Despite the substantial
data collected on who participates in a WIOA program, we lack
three critical insights into their employment outcomes. What
occupation they entered, the hourly pay rate, and where the job
was located.
By helping states that want to add these three datapoints
to quarterly wage records, we can get a clear picture of how
well workforce programs meet participant needs, and employer
needs. For example, are 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 are in low-paying jobs, or is it because they are 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 WIOA, while
also positioning individuals, employers, workforce boards,
training providers, and policymakers to make better informed
decisions.
Strada today is supporting more than 15 states working to
implement enhanced wage records. Congress can accelerate this
movement by codifying and expanding WDQI grants in a bipartisan
and Stronger Workforce for America Act. I refer you to my
written testimony for additional details, and I applaud you all
for the bipartisan work you are doing to modernize WIOA. Thank
you, Chairman Owens.
[The statement of Mr. Moret follows:]
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Chairman Owens. Thank you so much. I now recognize Ms.
Dodge for your testimony.
STATEMENT OF MS. MOLLY DODGE, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
OF WORKFORCE AND CAREERS, IVY TECH COMMUNITY COL-
LEGE, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
Ms. Dodge. 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 Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana's
largest postsecondary institution, and America's largest
singularly accredited statewide community college system,
serving over 200,000 students this year.
At Ivy Tech we are deeply committed to 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 WIOA 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, including the labor force with only 72
workers for every 100 open jobs. We support key provisions in
this bill, including requiring no less than 50 percent of local
workforce funding to be used for skills development, expanding
individual training accounts for displaced workers, the
establishment of a critical industry skills fund, increasing
funding for industry driven training models, and increased
transparency related to outcomes and credentials earned,
including their labor market value.
Indiana faces an urgent demand for skills training with
projections indicating that 69 percent of our job openings in
the next decade will require education beyond high school.
Additionally, Indiana will need to upskill or reskill 82,000
learners annually through 2030 to meet our workforce demands.
That is a staggering challenge, and one in which additional
WIOA funds would be leveraged to address. A critical industry
skills fund would provide strategic focus on workforce aligned,
stackable, short-term certificates, and provide additional
support to expand or develop training programs aligned in
Indiana's priority industries.
This provision validates the college's focus on
coproduction of talent with employers, such as our partnership
with Eli Lilly and Company, to create a pipeline of 1,000
trained biopharma technicians. Ivy Tech believes that it is
critical to provide transparent information about the
credentials earned by our students, and the value in the labor
market, and 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 CredLens to enhance our understanding of the
labor market value and outcomes associated with micro
credentials, industry certifications, and licensure program
completions.
The reauthorization of WIOA represents a critical
opportunity to strengthen Indiana's workforce. Ivy Tech
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.
[The statement of Ms. Dodge follows:]
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Chairman Owens. Thank you so much. I now recognize Mr.
Sainz.
STATEMENT OF MR. ROBERT SAINZ, CHAIR, BOARD OF DIREC-
TORS, NATIONAL YOUTH EMPLOYMENT COALITION, WASH-
INGTON, D.C.
Mr. Sainz. Thank you, Chairman Owens, Ranking Member Adams,
and members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for this opportunity
to testify this morning. My name is Robert Sainz, and as
previously mentioned, I spent 31 years in the public sector, 16
years as a WIOA administrator.
Currently, I serve as Executive Director for New Ways to
Work, as well as a partner with the COYN, the California
Opportunity Youth Network, and I previously was the President
of the Workforce Development Council for the U.S. Conference of
Mayors.
As you can see, I like to work. One of the reasons why I
like to work is on this particular population of opportunity
youth. The National Youth Employment Council has over 46 years
of representation for this particular population. The 16-to-24-
year-olds in the country, there are 4.6 million who are not in
school and who are not at work.
I'll say that again, it is nearly 4.3 million, that is over
10 percent of our young adult population not in school and not
at work. What are their life's chances if they are not
connected to school and work? We need to be able to connect
these young people now. Our economy is changing and it is
changing rapidly, and if they are not connected now, their life
chances in terms of economic prosperity and mobility is going
to be severely challenged.
As a membership organization with over 160 members
throughout the country, we work real extensively with Federal,
State and local lawmakers to be able to 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 and housing and food. Opportunity youth are
no different. Many times, they do not have the access to these
stable provisions.
We need opportunity youth to be served because they are
represented throughout the country. In Utah, 8.5 percent of 16-
to-24-year-olds are disconnected. As mentioned previously, in
North Carolina, nearly 11 percent are disconnected. There are
significant economic benefits to reconnecting young people to
school and to work.
The Federal Government itself would gain 11,900 for each
young person who is reconnected 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
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. Each year not reconnected opportunity youth
represent a tax burden of $13,900 and a social burden of
$37,450. Fortunately, programs like the WIOA, WIOA Youth,
YouthBuild and reentry employment opportunities serve as a
lifeline to over 130,000 young people each year.
Today's hearing comes at a critical moment. Young people
are seeking jobs and seeking education, and employers need
these young people to actually serve their labor needs.
Programs like WIOA help connect these two interests, but as you
know the law has not been reauthorized since 2014.
Last year we came close to having the law passed. The
bipartisan, bicameral agreement reauthorized WIOA, also known
as A Stronger Workforce for America Act, came close to being
passed, and it was in the right direction. It made major steps
to connect more young people to school and work.
As a part of our efforts to support the bill, we created
the bipartisan Opportunity Youth Caucus, in conjunction with
Chairman Owens and former Congresswoman Steel. This bipartisan
Opportunity Youth Caucus, we are hoping to have it
reestablished this Congress as well and hope all members can
join.
NYEC is supporting ASWA for many reasons. No. 1 is the 65-
million-dollar competitive youth apprenticeship readiness grant
that is going to actually increase youth apprenticeships and
create apprenticeship opportunities. It actually creates a new
definition of set of in school and out of school to talk about
opportunity youth.
We also support the bill because it codifies the reentry
employment opportunity program. It also encourages or mandates
a State and local workforce boards have a plan for opportunity
youth. We will have more details in the written testimony here,
and thank you for this opportunity.
[The Statement of Mr. Sainz follows:]
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Chairman Owens. Thank you, Mr. Sainz. I appreciate it. Our
last witness is Mr. Moore, for your testimony. Thank you.
STATEMENT OF MR. NICHOLAS ``NICK'' MOORE, DIRECTOR, OF-
FICE OF EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION,
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
Mr. Moore. Thank you, Chairman Owens, Ranking Member Adams,
and distinguished Subcommittee members. It is a pleasure to
testify before you today. Reauthorizing WIOA can incentivize
states to align the workforce system with the economy. States
were eager to see A Stronger Workforce for America Act, or H.R.
6655, become law last Congress, and the 119th Congress provides
another opportunity to modernize our Nation's workforce system.
For program year 2022, almost 44 percent of Alabama's IOWA
Title I allocation was spent on administration, just over 3,000
Alabamians exited training, and only 34 percent were employed
in a training related occupation a year later. The 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 WIOA. Approximately 127,000 exited training
and just over 35 percent of those were employed in a training
related occupation. Alabama 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 full-scale talent marketplace in 2023.
In 2024, Governor Ivey signed the Working For Alabama
legislative package, which gives Alabama mandate to improve
performance. These aggressive, state-led accountability
measures go beyond Federal requirements, which are just far too
low.
H.R. 6655 would have allowed states to be designated as
single State local areas. This reform allows states to
receive--to reduce rather duplicative layers of administration,
while preserving local control and services for job seekers and
employers.
Revisions to Section 119 would have allowed stated to
negotiate performance levels with the U.S. Departments of Labor
and Education by requiring those departments to first make and
propose, and then for states that offer counter proposals.
These reforms will allow Alabama to align the WIOA performance
indicators with State determined goals.
Amendments to Section 143 would have required at least 50
percent of local area funds to be expended on training, while
also authorizing supportive services. These 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 WIOA Title I grant. This reform will allow smaller
states, like Alabama, to compete 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 all Americans have an opportunity to reach the full
measure of their God given potential. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[The statement of Mr. Moore follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Owens. Thank you so much for that. Under Committee
Rule 9, we will now question the witnesses under the 5-minute
Rule. I will recognize myself for the first 5 minutes. Mr.
Moret, in your written testimony you talked about the need to
use more data, effectively to track, and ultimately improve
performances.
In your experience, why would a workforce and educational
system be reluctant to improve their use of data, or do you
think it is a lack of technical expertise?
Mr. Moret. Chairman Owens, thank you for that thoughtful
question. In my personal experience higher education leaders
generally welcome that data, but that data is not readily
available to them. The vast majority of institutions do not
have the data systems, the capacity, to really track that at
the institutional level.
Creating this sort of State level capacity that can serve
the whole State and all the institutions within the State, I
think is a really critical step. One of the reasons why we
think inclusion of certainly the expansion of WDQI grants in A
Stronger Workforce for America Act is such a positive
development.
I think as more data becomes available, I do think we are
going to see those institutions be responsive. One of the big
changes that has happened in the last few years is as
affordability concerns become really paramount in the public,
we are seeing more and more higher education institution
leaders being more and more focused on employment outcomes,
outcomes after completion.
We think that is a really positive development, but we
think we need better data to help them do that work.
Chairman Owens. Okay. Thank you so much. Ms. Dodge, in your
written statement you mentioned the Critical Industry Skills
Fund, and increasing the cap of incumbent work training that
were proposed in the Stronger Workforce America Act. How would
these provisions strengthen the connection between the
workforce system and employers?
Ms. Dodge. Thank you for that question, Chairman Owens.
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 Ivy Tech, co-production of talent with
employers, allowing 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, healthcare, or
logistics, co-develop training pipelines that benefit all
businesses within the sector.
Finally, increasing the cap on incumbent worker training
enables local workforce boards to provide more funding for
employers to upskill and retain experienced workers. As you
heard in my testimony, that is critical to the growth of
Indiana, and also these funds will enable employers to reskill
employees into hard to fill roles.
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 like community
college to adapt those programs as needed.
Chairman Owens. Thank you so much for that. Mr. Moore, you
mentioned in your testimony that A Stronger Workforce for
America Act would establish a pilot to allow certain states and
local areas to receive their WIOA Title I grants, as
consolidated grants with increased flexibility.
The provisions based on my One Door to Act, which is in
turn based on reforms taken in Utah. How could such pilot
authority benefit workers and employers in Alabama?
Mr. Moore. It is a very important question, Mr. Chairman.
Over the last six program years, Alabama has lost 58 percent of
its Title 1 defunding. At the same period of time, we have seen
increased needs of our employers in each of our regions. If we
allow states working through your one workforce solution to not
only have the block grant for the Title IB programs, but also
to become a single State area, will allow more of those dollars
to be spent on training, and to get more people connected to
the labor force, so that we could begin to connect the labor
force participation rate, and the number of people that exit
our WIOA programs.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. First of all, I am very, very
excited about this process going through, and working with my
colleagues across the board. This is something we all need,
America needs big time, so thanks so much for that. I am now
going to recognize the Ranking Member for the purpose of her
questioning.
Ms. Adams. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and again, thank you to
the witnesses today. Ms. Dodge, community colleges are the
backbone of workforce training in this country now. I am a
former professor of a 4-year institution, but I do understand
the value of our community colleges as it relates to that
because they provide job training that is affordable,
accessible, directly connected to employers' needs.
Despite their importance, there is no dedicated funding for
community colleges under WIOA. That is why the bicameral,
bipartisan, A Stronger Workforce for America Act would codify
the strengthening of community college training programs. We
have them all over our State.
We have one in my district in Charlotte, but besides tech
for example, receiving a 5 million dollar grant to support
workforce development in advanced manufacturing, and working
with seven other community colleges in North Carolina to expand
those opportunities, so what role do community colleges play in
strengthening the workforce system, and why is dedicated
capacity building investment like the Strengthening Community
College training grants so critical for these institutions to
meet employee demand, support workers who need training the
most?
Ms. Dodge. Thank you, Ranking Member Adams, for that
question, and thank you for your passion for the mission and
the goals of our community college system nationwide. This WIOA
funding, this reauthorized bill would enable community colleges
to work in a more collaborative and systematic fashion, with
workforce boards, as well as employers.
Creating that backward designed programmed development from
the needs of employers through the community college system,
and into even our high schools, CTE programs, provides a
pipeline of workers for critical industries within the State of
Indiana.
That pipeline right now is leaky, and we lose individuals
who cannot--do not understand, or do not find their why in high
school or in college, and that is where career coaching plays a
very important role in ensuring that students know why they are
enrolled in educational programs, and what the outcome of those
educational programs are.
Also, the employers providing that pool system from these
programs, being at the table, working with us on developing the
curriculum, ensures that our graduates are offered interviews,
and ultimately hired for these hard to fill roles. As it
relates to you----
Ms. Adams. Go ahead.
Ms. Dodge. As it relates to your question about the
Strengthening Community College grant, we were fortunate to
receive such a grant in October 2022. It is focused on helping
employers in our State modernize and automate their--through
the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council, their supply
chains-.
This is brand new--a brand-new certification that is
industry aligned to the skills and competencies needed in
logistics. That grant also provided us with critical funding to
purchase equipment to offer this certification to our students.
Ms. Adams. Let me move on to this next question. We had, of
course, hurricanes last year in North Carolina, left thousands
without shelter and work, and so WIOA dislocated worker
programs, 11 counties received access to job training. Mr.
Sainz, given the increase of severity and frequency of natural
disasters, would you explain the critical role that WIOA plays
in disaster response?
Mr. Sainz. Thank you for that timely question. In
California, with the fires as an example, the WIOA dollars and
emergency grants have come from both the feds and the State,
has allowed the local workforce boards to actually employ
dislocated workers to assist on the fire recovery.
As those programs have historically rolled out on the
emergency programming, we were able to reach populations that
had--wanting to get back into the workforce and labor market,
and that were really provided a real strong way to connect them
with immediate work opportunities.
Ms. Adams. Okay. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, I
yield back.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. I would like to now recognize my
colleague from Missouri, Mr. Onder.
Mr. Onder. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks to all the
witnesses for coming here for this important issue. 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.
In 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 partners to
establish one stop delivery systems. Right now, WIOA requires
local boards to develop a memorandum of understanding with all
one step partners pertaining to the operation of one stop
delivery systems in the local area.
A key component of that is the infrastructure funding
agreement, which establishes the costs for general one stop
operations, such as facility rental and so on. You know, many
times there is confusion between the State method and the local
method. This is often an unnecessarily long process that takes
away valuable time and resources from helping people find jobs.
Last Congress, the House 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
defaulting to the State infrastructure mechanism.
I believe there is 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 Ivey signed into law the
Alabama Workforce Transformation Act, which directs the Alabama
workforce board to improve performance through technological
integration.
How can we, Mr. Moore, at the Federal level, help states to
leverage modern technological advances with the need for
regulatory compliance, and hopefully minimize that time needed
for regulatory compliance?
Mr. Moore. Thank you for that very important question. One,
there is 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 boards sometimes negotiate to the point of
frustration until the Governor can step in and provide the
State funding mechanism.
We can also, I think, look at a little bit nuanced way
about how we are funding the physical footprint for our one
stop delivery system. How many people do we have per square
foot? What is the foot traffic? Are we simply giving somebody
directions to the 7-11, or are we actually delivering services
and that foot traffic pattern?
We have to combine policy, technology and process to make
this system more efficient. No. 1, we have got to make it
easier to cross train, and maybe loosen up a little bit on the
merit system requirements for Title I and III staff, and we had
to embrace large language models to be able to improve the
intake and assessment process, and that is what we are doing in
Alabama through the Talent Triad.
If you are a veteran 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 4, or Susie next week from 1 to 5, 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.
Mr. Onder. Thank you. Ms. Dodge, would you care to comment?
Ms. Dodge. Well, I would just agree with Nick
wholeheartedly. I think that as we think about the services
being provided within these one stops, we need to acknowledge
that the adults that we are serving come to us with prior
learning experiences. They come to us with workforce training
that they have already taken, and we need to honor those skills
and competencies, ensuring that they can either be reskilled
into a highly needed job, or that they can enter postsecondary
with academic credit on an academic pathway.
Mr. Onder. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I yield
back.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. I would like to now recognize my
colleague from Virginia, Mr. Scott.
Mr. Scott. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Dr. Moret, you
mentioned the challenges of getting enough data to know whether
you are successful. How does the bill address that concern?
Mr. Moret. Thank you, Representative Scott, and I
appreciate your service in my home State of Virginia. One of
the things that we think is a really positive feature of the
bill is the WDQI grants portion, and in particular, the
codification and expansion of those grants.
Those grants have been helpful to a number of states in
modernizing their education, employment or data systems. One of
the specific opportunities that we see is for states that want
to create a more robust outcomes data, including enhanced wage
record opportunities that I talked about earlier.
These grants can help give them the scarce resources they
need to do that, so we think it is a really constructive part
of the bill, and we also think that as more states implement
that opportunity that you are going to see more energy around
it, more impact, and more interest in that area across the
country, really enabled by the expansion of the WDQI grants.
Mr. Scott. Thank you. Ms. Dodge, you mentioned sector
training. One of the things we want to make sure we have is
when there is an entire sector where they need training where
one industry is pretty much phasing out. You identified another
sector where training could be very important.
Does the bill make that identification process possible and
effective?
Ms. Dodge. That is a very--that is a very important
question, especially at the speed at which our economy is
changing, both in Indiana and nationwide. I think what the bill
stresses is that we use framework, skill-based frameworks like
O*NET, 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.
Mr. Scott. One of the things we have identified is the
transition between automobiles, combustion engines to electric
cars, and in a lot of areas, even in repairs, and parts
manufacturing there is going to be a transition. How would the
bill affect that transition?
Ms. Dodge. Also, a great question. I think the employer,
the deep employer engagement that is outlined in this bill is
critical, especially in transition--industries that are in
transition. At Ivy Tech we are still offering certificates
aligned to the combustion engine, but we just launched with the
support of numerous employers and associations in Indiana, a
new electric and hybrid vehicle certificate, which prepares
students for the automotive service excellence, light duty,
hybrid, electric vehicle specialist certification.
As we think about these transitions, it is critically
important for local, regional workforce boards to understand
the employers within that region, and what skills and
competencies they are looking for.
Mr. Scott. Thank you. Mr. Sainz, many local workforce
boards have had to cap individual training accounts at $2,000,
and that has been quite a limit. Can you say something about
the increase of that to $5,000?
Mr. Sainz. Yes, sir. The increase in the new--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 have had within the system has been
the emphasis on short-term training, 6-week or 8-week training,
which does provide some immediate gains, but they are short
gains.
The longer-term investment in--like what was just described
by Ms. Dodge 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.
Mr. Scott. Thank you. You mentioned the costs of not
reconnecting opportunity youth with quality work. Can you say
what some of the costs are in ignoring opportunity youth?
Mr. Sainz. Yes. Very, very important. Our opportunity youth
population does look different in comparison to the population
that is connected to school and work. One of the biggest
statistical deviations is that the young people have a higher
reliance on public assistance, and that public assistance comes
at a cost.
If they are not working, if they are not in school, they
have a higher reliance of public assistance. Second area is
their contributions to the tax base. If they are not working,
they are not contributing to the tax base. Their likelihood of
being a homeowner is very small, so not being a homeowner means
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.
The positive side is that the higher the income, or the
higher the education, the higher the income, the higher the
contributions.
Mr. Scott. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. I now would like to recognize my
colleague from North Carolina, Mr. Harris.
Mr. Harris. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to all
of you that are giving your testimony today. I have had the
pleasure of reading your written testimoneys. In just a moment,
I want to focus on this idea of accountability. Mr. Moore, how
does a training provider get on the list of programs that a
workforce center can offer and can just any employer or company
get WIOA funds for providing training.
Mr. Moore. Well, thank you sir for that question, and there
is a process under current law, and I believe The Stronger
Workforce for America Act would improve that process, but it
also is going to take states taking action as well, to meet the
Federal Government. Part of that is making sure that you have
got a strong process for identifying credentials of value.
The credential that is put out from that program, and then
that is not enough. We need to work to make sure that the
credential is basically the wrapper that the employer
recognized skills that view that credential, that is what
actually has currency in the labor market, so making sure that
any eligible training provider has been in operation long
enough to where you can demonstrate that--and I believe this
bill takes the percentages, it increases those.
State could go even further, but there certainly currently
is a patchwork. Governor Ivey in our State is working to
improve our eligible training provider list, so that when
somebody completes a WIOA program, they can bank on the fact
that they are going to be able to connect with an in-demand
job.
Mr. Harris. What happens if a training provider fails to
meet the criteria?
Mr. Moore. They can be sanctioned and removed from the
list, and I think that more states need to clean up their
eligible training provider list. Sometimes there are hundreds,
if not thousands of programs on these lists, and it is 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 do not necessarily know which programs
are connected with an in-demand job.
Mr. Harris. Okay. Thank you. Ms. Dodge, it is important for
students to know ahead of time what they can expect from a
program, and one reform we 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?
Ms. Dodge. Well, that is the most important question for
the learner, and the success of the learner in America. To your
point, Representative Harris, learners have to understand what
is their return on investment for enrolling in postsecondary
training. They also have to make sure, especially adults and
older youth who have other responsibilities, including
parenting, or part-time work, or even full-time work in an
underemployed role.
They have to understand that the postsecondary offering
will meet their needs and is suitable for them. Encouraging or
requiring providers on the ETPL to include program duration,
the cost, including total expenses for the program, what the
delivery method is, whether it is hands on, in person, or
online, ensures that our WIOA dollars will be invested in
programs with measurable success.
Mr. Harris. Excellent. Well, it is great to see how all of
you have partnered in your community to ensure your graduates
are well prepared to enter the job market when they leave your
campus. I think we all 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. I mean by that, I believe states,
employers, schools and individuals are best equipped to handle
workforce preparation.
The Federal Government should simply ensure our laws,
regulations and taxes all promote job growth and a strong
economy. Mr. Moore, I would just ask you specifically, how do
mandates from the Federal Government impact your ability to
respond to the needs of your state?
Mr. Moore. Well, I will give you a good example. 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. In Alabama, if we want to increase our
labor force participation rate 1 percentage point, we have got
to add 41,000 non-participators to the labor force.
In our WIOA programs, we are training about 4,000, okay. In
our annual report, the U.S. Department of Education and Labor
tell us that we are doing a good job. Part of the Federal
mandate is getting in our way. It is telling us that we are
doing a good job whenever we are, you know, if we serve 9 out
of 10 people well, but that is not actually aligned with the
economy.
If we have got 16 target populations, and we have got close
to a million people, they need to be trained. Saying that we
are doing a good job by serving 9 out of 10 people, that is not
lined up with reality.
Mr. Harris. I got you. Well, thank you all very much. Mr.
Chairman, I yield back.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. I would like to now recognize my
colleague from California, Mr. Takano.
Mr. Takano. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to the
witnesses for being here. Mr. Sainz, your testimony highlights
the economic benefits of reconnecting opportunity youth to
quality work and educational opportunities. You make the case
that there is a strong return on investment when we ensure that
young people have resources and support.
I want to give you some time to elaborate on that.
Mr. Sainz. Thank you. I would point the Committee to some
of the great research that has been done by the Social Science
Research Council Measure of America. They have extensively
looked at this issue across the country and have published some
direct reports on that. In each of the studies that they are
able to show both the relationship to economic outputs and
contributions to educational levels.
Out of that 4.3 million population I speak of, about 40
percent do not have a high school diploma. If you think about
what is a young person's chances to succeed with economic
mobility without a high school diploma, they are very small.
Just that alone actually has a huge increase in their economic
output by getting the high school diploma.
The other 60 percent are folks that have graduated with a
high school diploma, but have not entered into higher education
training, apprenticeship programs, and/or the workforce. Being
able to move them into the community college, being able to
move them into apprenticeship programs, being able to move them
into the workforce with 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 work prospects
become very, very shaky. In terms of being not laid off, you
know, the first in, first out, which happens in the labor
market for these young people.
All of this contributes--if we are 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 the
overall productivity both for their families, their communities
and for our overall economic health increases.
Mr. Takano. Well, thank you for that. You mentioned also
that failing to connect opportunity youth with necessary
resources impacts their community, both economically and
socially. Can you describe those impacts, meaning the failure
to connect youth?
Mr. Sainz. Right. The failure to connect is what we
actually see oftentimes on the front page of our metro section
where you have young people who are not participating in the
economy, and the high concentration of these young people
usually in communities really causes some of our community
challenges.
You have higher costs that will go in terms of them in the
justice system, higher costs for them for long-term connection
to public support systems, and then the high costs that they
would have on the healthcare. These are all indicators that
without education and without work prospects all go up.
That is where you have direct hard expenditures, as well as
the social costs of lack of productivity.
Mr. Takano. Well, thank you. I am very proud that my
district has a strong network of support for young people,
including six youth opportunity centers in our region, and a
Youth Commission that liaises directly with the Riverside
County Board of Supervisors. As one of the most rapidly growing
areas in the country, workforce development is crucial to my
district's infrastructure, and engaging young people is
imperative.
Mr. Sainz, how would The Stronger Workforce for America
proposal increase youth participation in these career pathways,
and what tangible impacts would districts like mine see?
Mr. Sainz. You have a great district, and there is some
great leadership in your district with those opportunity youth,
they are part of our member network, so thank you for your
leadership on this issue. There are two really fundamental
changes. One is on the eligibility, and someone had mentioned
about making it easier to serve young people.
Currently, as the regulations State, it is that we wait for
young people to have all the eligibility documentations before
we start providing any services. Oftentimes, those paperwork
and those documentation, in terms of having income tax records,
and even sometimes supply identification, they do not have at
their ready.
Being able to actually and actually give them time to bring
that documentation to the programs, but you could start the
services when the young people need the services. When they
come in and ask for the services, you are able to start doing
the enrollment.
That is a critical piece in terms of retaining the young
people in the programming. Then second, in terms of the
authorization in the funding, as authorizes this beyond the
fiscal 1924 levels, which to me is really a great thing because
you need to be able to have the fiscal support for the programs
in order to do these services.
Mr. Takano. Mr. Chairman, I am sorry I went over, but you
are very kind to allow him to finish his response.
Chairman Owens. Thank you so much. No problem. I would like
to now recognize my colleague from Wisconsin, Mr. Grothman.
Mr. Grothman. Thank you. Mr. Moret, or Dr. Moret, you know,
there are so many programs out there. We have a great technical
college system in Wisconsin. I encourage young people to go
there all the time, and I think everybody in Wisconsin is aware
we have a great technical college system, so I do not know
really why we need Federal involvement.
I will say this. I know there are complaints in the past
that whenever the Federal Government gets involved in anything
more paperwork, that sort of thing. How could, on a Federal
level, could we restructure WIOA to allow for less
administrative burden, and more flexibility at the local level?
Mr. Moret. Representative Grothman, I appreciate that
question, and I would say not every State has a great technical
college system, so it is great that Wisconsin does have one.
Candidly, I think my colleagues, in particular Mr. Moore and
Ms. 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 is a big opportunity, but
it does not get directly at your question.
Mr. Grothman. Okay. I mean my tech schools they all have
for every major you can get a percentage of people who are
working, how much they are making, all this stuff. You feel
that there are some states that do not have that that should.
Actually, every institution after high school, including 4-year
colleges ought to have that information, but they do not, they
do not.
Would anybody else like to take a swing at that, or go
ahead, go ahead.
Mr. Moret. I was just going to say there are very few
higher education institutions today that could accurately
report to you the occupational outcomes of their graduates.
Even if the workforce boards--most of them do not have
comprehensive data on the kinds of occupations people are
getting.
When you look at the sort of training aligned job outcomes,
it is based on very incomplete information today.
Mr. Grothman. Is that kind of inexcusable if they really
cared about their students?
Mr. Moret. Well, I think what we are suggesting is there is
a systemic solution that would 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 do not report today, for example, is the
occupation, or the title of those folks. Without that
information there is no comprehensive way to understand what
those employment outcomes look like, so that institutions,
policymakers, training providers and others can be responsive
to that real labor market demand.
Mr. Grothman. Okay. Ms. Dodge, what do you feel, or what
role can a technical college play in expanding competency-based
education to better align with employer needs and industry
standards?
Ms. Dodge. That is a wonderful question, and I would just
echo your comment about having an exceptional community college
system in Wisconsin. We regularly benchmark your system, your
community colleges in your State. Credit for prior learning is
critically important if we want to effectively serve adults.
I cannot think of any one of us who would want to sit in a
classroom learning something we already know, especially if we
have already mastered a skill or competency. Essentially
without a systematic way of assigning credit for private
learning, we are doing just that to adults. It really--when
that happens, it decreases their motivation to complete their
education.
It also wastes their time and money, and in some cases,
employers' money who are choosing to send them back to
postsecondary training. By really understanding, and taking in
that credit for prior learning assessment during intake into
the WIOA system, we are getting that information that can be
shared throughout the training provider system
Mr. Grothman. Okay. I think today just about anybody can
get a 4-year degree, but if I just--I do not want to get you in
trouble here. Percentagewise, how many people go into a 4-year
college today would probably be better off going to tech
school, or letting their own employer train them, something
other?
Or I will put it this way, what percent do you think are
making a mistake matriculating a 4-year university?
Ms. Dodge. I hope my President is not watching right now.
No. I actually think it really depends on the student's career
goals.
Mr. Grothman. No. Just want percent? I mean, you know, we
know it is a mistake. When I look at my tech schools, there are
people going there who have a 4-year degree and got nothing for
it, right? If I go to the trade school, same thing.
You talk to people who work for a business, and they will
just tell you honestly, you know, I am doing a good job here,
but my degree was of no benefit to me in this job, for example.
Okay. I guess we are not going to get an answer. You lucked
out. We cannot give an answer? It is only a--we are only
looking for a number?
Chairman Owens. A quick one.
Mr. Grothman. Can you just give me a number?
Mr. Moore. Yes, sir. In Alabama only 24 out of 100 ninth
graders have a bachelor's degree by the time they have gone
through a 6-year cohort. What we are trying to do is make all
learning count, blurring the lines between work and learning.
That way you can get a short-term credential, and if you want
to over your lifetime, bank that up toward a two-or 4-year
degree.
I do not 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. You have got
to have the technology to make that happen.
Chairman Owens. Okay. I was going to say you can submit
that, if we need to still, he could answer okay. Thank you so
much, appreciate it. Okay. I would like to recognize my
colleague from Connecticut, Mr. Courtney.
Mr. Courtney. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Before I ask my
question, I just again want to go back to your opening remarks
which talked about the fact that actually The Stronger
Workforce for America was a deal that we had agreed to
bicameral, bipartisan, last December. It was in Speaker
Johnson's legislation for the continuing resolution.
Within 6 hours it was blown up because the Trump transition
team, led by Elon Musk, demanded that the bill be stripped and
cut for provisions because he complained he did not understand
what 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 drug pricing is concerned.
Again, that hit the cutting room floor, a great loss,
actually for particularly small businesses who are, you know,
carrying the brunt of these, you know, back room deals with
pharmacy benefit managers.
Another bipartisan, bicameral measure, which the transition
team, you know, basically stripped from the bill. I represent a
district similar to my colleague sitting next to me in Eastern
Connecticut, which has had a hiring boom, an electric boat
shipyard, 5,300 hires in 2023, 4,000 last year.
The target for this coming year is 3,000. The retention
rate has actually been 86 percent, which sort of defied, you
know, all the conventional wisdom that people do not want to
work in manufacturing. Again, the WIOA Act was an instrumental
part of that great success.
The Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board
Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative, which has an accelerated
course of 10 weeks for welders, 8 weeks for outside machinists
and electricians. Again, that gets people a badge to go into
the yard. Today they are part of the process of building the
Virginia class and Columbia class submarines.
One aspect that also WIOA enabled was the Youth
Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative, which reached out to not the
career and technical schools because frankly they were, you
know, already hitting all cylinders in terms of supplying metal
trades workers, but they were actually going into comprehensive
high schools.
There were at least a dozen in Southeastern Connecticut
using WIOA funding that again has created new curriculums for
kids who were again, not able to get into career and technical
schools which have waiting lists at this point.
Mr. Sainz, maybe you could talk about again, you know how
those, you know, WIOA can really supplement, particularly the
comprehensive high schools, in terms of giving kids an
opportunity to learn a trade.
Mr. Sainz. Yes. WIOA serves both in school, as well as out
of school young people as you know. On the in-school
provisions, it really does make a difference when you are
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 and friends. Oftentimes they are not exposed to great
opportunities that might not be in their immediate family, or
immediate neighborhood.
One of the aspects that allows with WIOA is to do this
career exploration, is being able to introduce them to things
and new opportunities. If you are coming from a blue-collar
family that does not know about the technology and the new
opportunities that are happening, WIOA allows you to expose
them.
The work experience part is also very, very critical
because it gives a funding to actually have the young people
experience the opportunity to walk into an industry they might
not otherwise walk into. Oftentimes, when we think about youth
jobs, we think about the fast food and retail, but we do not
think about these other opportunities to spark that innovation,
to spark that curiosity for them to go into these fields.
Mr. Courtney. Thank you. I mean one high school, which is
up in the Northeast corner of Connecticut, Tourtellotte High
School, again, a comprehensive high school. Basically, about 60
percent of the student body goes to higher education, so that
is a fairly sizable group that does not go into higher
education.
Again, using YMPI, they basically expanded welding labs for
the students to again, get a skill. School attendance went up
when it was added to the curriculum, and again, these kids when
they are getting their diploma are also getting a certificate,
which makes them job ready to walk into again, really good
paying jobs in the shipyards.
Susan Smith, who was the Superintendent, got to give her a
shoutout because she really sort of put all the pieces together
to really basically transform kids' lives, and actually get
school attendance, you know, up to where it really, you know,
we all want it to be. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. Thank you again. I would like to
now recognize the Full Committee Chairman, Mr. Walberg of
Michigan.
Mr. Walberg. Mr. Chair, thank you, and thank you to the
panel too, and thank you for holding this hearing. I am excited
about the subject and the opportunity that could come. Dr.
Moret, one thing we hear consistently about employers in their
response to WIOA is that they sometimes do not see the value in
participating in it.
You suggested that a fundamental barrier to greater
employment engagement in WIOA is a lack of actionable data. Why
do you think more employers would participate in WIOA if there
was greater transparency about the results?
Mr. Moret. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is a great question.
When I think about the past work that I have 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, you are really only engaging a
small percentage of the total employment base.
In Virginia, for example, there are more than 200,000
employer establishments in the State, so you are never going to
touch all of them. The best model is one that combines both
targeted engagement with real employers to sort of have a
better understanding of their qualitative needs, but also one
that gives you a comprehensive picture quantitatively of what
is 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 employers are actively
engaging with the workforce system, but in particular, whether
they are seeing the participants that get training funded
through WIOA, as attractive people to hire, right, because that
is the ultimate outcome that we really want is for people to
get good jobs, and have good economic mobility.
We think the kinds of enhanced wage record opportunities
that we identified in my written testimony that I covered
earlier briefly in my opening remarks would go a long way to
helping strengthening those connections with employers.
Mr. Walberg. Thank you.
Mr. Moret. Thank you.
Mr. Walberg. Ms. Dodge, you mentioned in your written
testimony that the statewide advisory boards, and industry
leaders in your State recently created short-term workforce
aligned certificate training. Can you give me some examples of
this, and as a followup to that, how can short-term
certificates help a worker with their long-term career goals?
Ms. Dodge. Thank you for that important question, Chairman
Walberg. Ivy Tech honed our employer-led playbook in 2021 when
we launched a statewide industry 4.0 employer advisory board,
one of the first in the Nation.
Out of that work and guided by the voice of Indiana
employers like Endress Hauser, Caterpillar, Lippert, Amatrol,
Berry Global and others, as well as national associations like
the American Technical Education Association. Ivy Tech was the
first community college in the Nation to launch a smart
manufacturing digital integration degree.
That degree includes certifications that are aligned to the
skills and competencies that employers who are highly automated
are seeking. This degree was critical in Indiana's bid to
recruit highly automated employers like SK Hynix and Starplus
Energy to our State.
Because we have that playbook, we have reused it in other
high demand critical areas like biopharmaceutical
manufacturing, where those conversations are being led by our
states, life sciences, talent association by crossroads, as
well as certificates in semiconductor fabrication and
certificates in data center technician, and data center
engineering operations led by the data centers that are
locating in Indiana.
This is really critical 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 Ivy Tech is to help
a student make that transition into these industries, into a
good technician role, and then as their career goals evolve
over time, allow them--work with that employer to send them
back to Ivy Tech Community College, leveraging their employer
tuition benefit hopefully, to upskill that technician into a
more senior level role. Thank you.
Mr. Walberg. Very much like Mr. Moore, what you talked
about that expanding opportunity, the base of experience as
well that you buildupon. Let me ask you this. A Stronger
Workforce for America Act expands the number of states allowed
to better align its local areas with the state's economic
development goals.
How can such realignment improve the workforce system, Mr.
Moore.
Mr. Moore. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Commuting patterns, not
respect political boundaries, and since 1998 when WIOA was
enacted, states have been unable to switch up the alignment of
their local workforce development areas, including not being
able to go to a single State workforce area. There are about a
dozen states that were able to do that.
In 1998, 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. What this would do, The
Stronger Workforce for America Act would allow a State and a
legislature to enact a single State area, and then to be held
accountable if their performance falls within 5 years, they
will have to go back and receive.
Mr. Walberg. We will push for that. My time is expired. I
yield back.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. I would like to now recognize my
colleague from Georgia, Ms. McBath.
Mrs. McBath. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you to each and
every one of you, our witnesses this morning. Thank you to
Ranking Member Adams but thank you so much for taking the time
to be with us today. While I am excited at the prospect of
reauthorizing WIOA, and updating our workforce system, we have
frankly been here before.
This bill should have been signed into law last December,
and there is nothing efficient about needlessly delaying
bipartisan legislation that Chairwoman Foxx and Ranking Member
Scott, and Committees from both chambers has spent years
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 does not put their needs
first, and that has become more expensive, more difficult, and
more time consuming to simply get the skills necessary to get a
good paying job, and provide a decent life for themselves, and
for their families.
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 surest path to economic success, but it is
not the only way for Americans to get there.
We have got to do more to put effort and time and energy
into uplifting community colleges, on 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 4 years to land
a decent job, or make a change in their career.
This simply is not 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 easy for them to navigate, works for them, and meets
them exactly where they are.
This is exactly what this bill would do. I am so very proud
to have my bill to authorize The Strengthening Community
Colleges Training Grant included as Section 179 of this
reauthorization for 200 community colleges, and over 35 states
rely on this funding to build capacity for new students and set
up sector partnerships with employers in their own area.
The bill also includes large portions of the Adult
Education Works Act, another bill that I have led with
Representatives Mrvan 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.
A report from the National Skills Coalition found that one-
third of workers do not have the foundational digital skills
necessary for today's job market. Mr. Sainz, 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 for Title II of WIOA?
Mr. Sainz. Well, thank you for all the great work that you
have done on these issues. As you know, digital literacy is
critical to all employers. Our former workforce development
chair said--he runs a very large import company, and about 15
years ago the biggest guy in the warehouse was the foreman.
He says now the person that we need as the lead in our
warehouse has to speak at least two different languages, has to
have the digital skills, has to be able to have the capacity to
think, and not just to act. You know, that is really just
critical, how our economy has changed.
We need to be able to have our young people, and all of our
workers to have the digital literacy. The connection to Adult
Ed, the community college and the workforce is a part of the
ecosystem. They are not separate entities. They have to work
together.
In Los Angeles, as a great example, there are navigators
that go in between the workforce system, the Adult Ed and the
community colleges to land people in the right places to get
the skills they need, to get these very important jobs in the
growing technology sector.
Mrs. McBath. Well, thank you very much, and I want to be
able to continue to really help support our workers, support
our students in ways that my son, Jordan, never got a chance
to. Thank you, and I yield back my time.
Chairman Owens. Thank you so much. I would like to now
recognize my colleague from California, Mr. Kiley.
Mr. Kiley. Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act is good legislation. It is a good program
because it empowers local communities for a very important
public purpose, which is to get people into the workforce.
Folks who are unemployed, underemployed, not sufficiently
educated or trained. It gives them the tools to join the
workforce, which is good across the board. No. 1, it is good
for these individuals who gain the ability to support
themselves and their families.
It is good for the employers, who are able oftentimes to
fill critical workforce needs. It is good for the taxpayer
because we get people off of public assistance and actually
turn them into taxpayers. It is good for the economy as a
whole. It is good for the character and vitality of our
country, when more of our fellow citizens are actively engaged
in productive work.
The question I wanted to ask today, and we have
representatives from various states, so just whoever would like
to answer on this, is how we can better align these programs
with our public assistance programs because during the COVID
era we had this phenomenon where unemployment insurance kind of
got out of control, and people were being paid more to not
work, than to work, even once we moved past all of these
business closures and restrictions.
Employers just could not compete with the wages being
offered by the unemployment programs. Then even other programs
that incorporate work requirements, or other such things, there
is clearly an alignment here with the goals of WIOA.
I know Utah has created a model that has been lauded in
that respect, but for representatives here of the other states,
do you want to talk about how those objectives can be met?
Mr. Moore. Yes, sir. We are definitely looking to emulate
the Utah model, and it is clear that when you deliver workforce
training services and human services concurrently, you are
going to have a better ability for somebody to not only enter,
but to persist in the workforce.
You have got to do that in a way that helps limit the
information asymmetry, and what I like to call unrestricted
customer choice. If somebody comes in the one stop center, just
like it is a two-generation problem that if I am a young
person, and I do not know what I want to be because I have not
seen all the opportunities, sometimes an adult walks in with
those mental blockers on as well.
It is our job, and the public workforce system using data
to inform them what are the benefit cliffs I am going to face
as I taper off of public assistance. Then how can the workforce
system by braiding and blending adult education WIOA Title I
through an integrated education training, how can I get that
person employed today, and then have them comfortable
understanding how they are going to eliminate their benefit
cliffs and persist in the workforce?
Mr. Kiley. Thank you. The second question relates to the
rapid advancements we are seeing in the areas of artificial
intelligence and robotics, which have been picking up steam
lately in particular.
To the extent that Americans are following the latest
developments, I think people see this as exciting, as
potentially transformational as holding the promise of
improving the quality of life in dramatic ways for people
across our country, and across the world.
People also have questions about what does this mean for my
career? What economic dislocations are likely to result? I
think that the existing infrastructure we have around the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, it is clearly 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, you know, scaled up to try to start to deal with
it.
Do we have any thoughts in that respect?
Ms. Dodge. Thank you for that question. I think the future
of work is all about adaptability, as you described. Our
economies are changing fast, and employers must help us as the
education and training providers, understand what skills and
competencies they are looking for in automation, AI, to ensure
that we can backward design programs from those needs.
We must invest in programs that teach digital literacy, AI
basics, data analytics and coding, to ensure that workers
understand and can work alongside automation. Finally, we must
partner with employers to design on the job training specific
to these skills and competencies, so employees can learn these
AI tools and automation software relevant to their industry.
Mr. Kiley. Thank you very much. I yield back.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. I would like to now recognize my
colleague from Oregon, Ms. Bonamici.
Ms. Bonamici. Thank you very much Mr. Chairman and thank
you to the witnesses for your expertise today. I supported A
Stronger Workforce for America Act last year and was
disappointed it was removed from the end of the year package at
the 11th hour, and I know we have been hearing about that from
my colleagues.
I sincerely hope we can bring this bipartisan, bicameral
bill back to the floor. I was here, in fact the first bill
signing I went to as a Member of Congress was WIOA 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 to streamline the program.
It is more than overdue for an update, with more than a
decade that passed. I want to mention that in The Stronger
Workforce for America Act, both my Partners, bipartisan
Partners Act and Builds Act, Partners for Industry,
Partnerships with Small and Medium Sized Businesses, so they
can help with workforce development programs.
The Builds Act, which is workforce development and
infrastructure, bipartisan, as well as my Access Act, which I
have with Mr. Thompson, thank you for your co-sponsorship of
that, to expand college and career counseling for more
information about workforce opportunities.
I truly hope we can get that done. I see our role here on
the Education Committee as having a path for everyone to a good
future, and with the recognition that not everyone is on the
same path. I just want to mention that a couple weeks ago I got
to visit Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, Oregon.
Amazing.
In addition to their core classes, they have programs in
various industries, automotive, building construction, health
occupations, digital media, electrician skills, and more. They
repair cars, they run their own radio show, they design and
build tiny homes. Integrated with the core classes, you can see
how engaged students are, and how they are gaining not only
technical skills, but all the skills of collaboration and
responsibility.
In fact, my State of Oregon passed by ballot initiative, a
career and technical education ballot measure that has actually
had some pretty incredible results. We have increased
graduation rates by more than 10 percent for vulnerable, low-
income and Hispanic and Latino students.
Importantly, reduced absenteeism. We know these programs
work, so moving on to where we are today. Mr. Sainz, you know,
the bipartisan Stronger Workforce for America Act authorizing
increased funding level for the WIOA Youth Program, which
provides those vital educational support and career development
skills and opportunities.
How does the Federal Government's investment in the WIOA
Youth Program, as well as other major programs, how do they
help the economy, and how would draconian across the board cuts
at the Departments of Labor and Education affect youth in
Oregon and across the country?
Mr. Sainz. It is really critical that the Federal
Government, as well as the State and local government invest in
our young people. As you mentioned, not all young people are
going off to college. Not all young people have those
resources. It is really critical that there is a mechanism, and
the workforce boards, and the workforce systems at the local
level, and at the State levels, are that backdrop.
They are the ones that actually are saving lives. I always
say this work is not about just putting people to work, it is
about changing lives, and in many cases, it is saving lives.
Being able to provide those resources to be able to connect the
young people back to school, back to work is critical.
Ms. Bonamici. Also important for the economy. We hear a lot
about the skills gap, and I will address that too. Mr. Sainz
again, so could you talk a little bit about opportunity youth,
and what it means to be an opportunity youth, and how your
member organizations serve the opportunity youth? How can the
workforce system do a better job at reconnecting opportunity
youth with quality work and educational opportunities, and will
this bill, which I hope I know it has such bipartisan support,
we will get it through.
Mr. Sainz. Thank you. As I mentioned, it is 4.3 million
young adults who are not at school and not at work, ages 16 to
24, throughout this country. They are in all states, rural as
well as in non-rural, and urban environments. They are just not
in the rural states, or in urban states, but they are
concentrated in certain communities.
Because of that concentration, their access to
opportunities is what becomes limited. When you look at these
young people, it is not that they do not have the potential, or
the capacity to succeed, they just do not have the access to
the opportunity to succeed, and that is where we make a
difference.
Statistically, as I have mentioned previously, it is that
they do have different characteristics, and many more of them
have a physical or mental health disability, about 25 percent.
About 30 percent of them are already parents, so the need to
have and provide additional resources is really critical.
Ms. Bonamici. It gives them hope as well. I just want to--I
know I am out of time, just mention also the importance of
apprenticeships. I have 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.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. Now, I would like to recognize
my colleague from Pennsylvania, Mr. Thompson.
Mr. Thompson. Well, thank you, Chairman. Thanks to all of
our witnesses who are joining us today. I think we can all
agree WIOA needs to be modernized to better meet the needs of
today's workforce.
I was proud of the last reauthorization that we did, but we
do those periodically because it is important to keep them
fresh and focused on, you know, the current State of where we
are at, especially when it comes to you know, the need for
opportunity, and the need for qualified and trained employees.
As the co-chair of the bipartisan Career and Technical
Education Caucus, one of my priorities for this reauthorization
is better coordination between Perkins and WIOA. During the
last Perkins reauthorization, the primary Federal investment,
the CTE, this Committee focused heavily on ensuring that this
law and WIOA were thoughtfully aligned.
As a result, WIOA and Perkins have much in common,
including shared goals, such as preparing students and workers
for growing in demand and high skilled occupations, emphasizing
the importance of work based learning, and meaningful employer
engagement, and making use of aligned definition and
terminology to more closely connect State CTE and workforce
development systems.
One of the major features of what eventually became Perkins
V, were new planning elements for State CTE Perkins plans.
These included new requirements that brought components of
states WIOA plans were being incorporated within the Perkins
Plan to better ensure alignment.
With Perkins being reauthorized 4 years after the passage
of WIOA, ending WIOA reauthorization must include intentional
alignments with Perkins V to buildupon the success of that
legislation.
One way to achieve this would be to ensure State WIOA plans
include states wider strategic vision for CTE, as outlined in
Perkins. This question really is for all of our witnesses. Can
you each share your perspective on why this would be a helpful
policy change in future WIOA legislation?
Mr. Moore. 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 planned year link to be 4 years for both WIOA and
Perkins, that would help.
Then also to make a triad, or a through line of three
indicators of performance, particularly for Perkins, it would
align Perkins and WIOA, and that would be work-based learning,
secondary, postsecondary credentials of value, and dual and
concurrent enrollment, so that we are creating seamless career
pathways for particularly young people and adults who are in
adult education and CTE to have seamless career pathways.
Also, I would say that we are using the national career
cluster framework as the basis for our sectoral partnerships to
ensure that we have got a strong industry led sectoral
partnership that is codified in State law that then guides the
development of our regional and statewide in demand jobs.
Mr. Thompson. Ms. Dodge.
Ms. Dodge. What I would add, in Indiana employers are very
interested in the development of their workforce pipeline
starting with students in middle school, or even earlier, with
career awareness activities, plant tours, from being guest
speakers in classrooms, and that dovetails nicely into CTE
pathways that then they can 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 cannot only graduate with their
high school diploma, but also a college credential aligned to
the workforce.
Mr. Thompson. Very good.
Mr. Moret. Thank you, Representative Thompson. I would just
add I think the focus on work-based learning is a really
powerful focus, and I really applaud you for that. The aligned
terminology I think also is very positive. I think also one of
the challenges that we face today is that for WIOA
participants, for the vast majority of them in the U.S., we
actually do not know what their occupational outcomes are
today.
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 is
actually changing in the labor market, which would be critical
obviously for CTE as well. Thank you.
Mr. Thompson. Yes, Mr. Sainz.
Mr. Sainz. I would just mention in California the Governor
is currently going through a master plan for career and
education training, with the intent of having the alignment
between the Titles I, II, V, as we go down that list, as well
as with Perkins.
Mr. Thompson. Well, I will just say because I am out of
time, but I certainly would welcome any recommendations for
specific policy changes that we can incorporate into WIOA
reauthorization, the better end rate CTE and workforce
development systems, more generally to improve cross sector
collaboration. I am looking forward to your feedback in the
future. Thank you, Chairman.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. I would like to recognize my
colleague from California, Mr. DeSaulnier.
Mr. DeSaulnier. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks to all the
witnesses. Mr. Sainz, nice to see you. I want to first talk a
little bit well, about vulnerable populations that historically
have been challenging to get in the workforce, but we have been
successful at with bipartisan efforts.
Specifically, my predecessor in this seat, Mr. Miller up
here, he used to Chair this Committee when I was a County
Supervisor, and I am a former Juvenile Probation Officer, so
this is a passion to me. We did a number of programs with the
Presiding Judge of our judicial bench, who was Reagan's
administrator here in D.C. for juvenile justice.
We know these programs work. I was an advocate for a new
juvenile hall. The Presiding Judge, a Reagan appointee, kept
telling me it is not big enough. We built it. A few years ago,
I went back and did a tour, and it is only 30 percent full.
When I asked the probation chiefs, I said why is it so empty?
He said because all those programs worked. We got them into
academies, academies we started when I was in the legislature
with the Governor Schwarzenegger. These kids in the 2,000-
student high school, a couple of them, know that 25 to 50 kids
are getting apprenticeship standards because of deals we worked
out with the unions, and the nonaffiliated can participate in
this as well.
With companies like Chevron, because there is a large
refinery there. 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 is
not about ideology. This is about performance.
When we come together and work on these things
analytically, in this instance, at risk kids, those kids go out
and get over $100,000 a year being a welder and an electrician,
whatever in industrial places in the San Francisco Bay Area.
They are not in that juvenile hall, and they are not in the
criminal justice system, and they are not--they are making
$100,000 a year more, and contributing to society, raising a
family. That strikes me as very American and non-ideological.
Mr. Sainz. Thank you, Congressman. It is great to see you,
and for your long-time leadership on this issue. In California,
23 years ago, 24 years ago, there was a bill passed by your
former colleagues, Mr. Cardenas and Mr. Schiff.
The Crime Prevention Act, doing a Juvenile Justice Crime
Prevention Act of California, provided over 100 million dollars
specifically for juvenile justice involved kids. When I started
in the probation department myself, we had--juvenile hall had
over 3,000 individuals, and now there are less than 400 that
are concentrated in LA County.
That huge reduction was a direct result of direct
investments, not just by Workforce Investment Act dollars, but
by education dollars, by support services, but it was also by
local leadership that said that we cannot just lock people up.
The cost to lock an individual and a juvenile up is well over
$150,000 per year.
That is more than the investment that we make on a per
student education, and in workforce.
Mr. DeSaulnier. That is why the U.S. Supreme Court directed
us when I was Chair of the Budget Subcommittee on Corrections,
to take 25 percent of our adult population out of the prisons
because the living circumstances were so ridiculous. Can we
talk about another vulnerable population, the disabled
population, another place where we have had enormous bipartisan
success.
Since President Eisenhower started this, President Reagan
signed authorization, Gerald Ford signed and was very
supportive of the IDEA Program. Again, there is a population
where we gave them a public education and have been able to put
them in jobs that are appropriate for them that everybody
benefits from. Could you speak to that, the importance of a
workforce development all along the line?
Mr. Sainz. Correct. One of the populations that are hugely
vulnerable to the economic shifts is the disabled community.
For the opportunity youth population, it is upwards between 25
to 40 percent of that population have a disability, both a
physical disability, and/or a mental health disability that is
the hidden disability, so it is an education disability, and it
might be as I mentioned, a mental health disability.
Being able to have the programs that are addressing their
particular needs really calls for that integration of
resources. One of the partners in the workforce system is the
Department of Rehabilitation, and by connecting the Department
of Rehabilitation with the WIOA dollars, it really does make a
significant difference.
There is an organization in Northern California called
Pride Industries, so it is actually throughout the Southwest.
Mr. DeSaulnier. I know it well.
Mr. Sainz. Yes, so Pride Industries is a fantastic
organization that works specifically with this population to be
able to provide them with a career and living wage.
Mr. DeSaulnier. Thank you.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. Now I would like to recognize
the former Chair of the Full Committee, Dr. Foxx.
Mrs. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Burgess. Ms. 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?
Ms. Dodge. Thank you for that important question and thank
you for your leadership on this Committee. Community colleges,
our mission is really to--it is in our name, to serve our
communities. At Ivy Tech, over 90 percent of our graduates stay
in their local communities and stay in the State of Indiana.
We are a critical economic development driver for the State
of Indiana, as the state's community college. We also engage
industry in meaningful and deep ways, ensuring that we
understand the skills gaps that they are facing in hard to fill
entry level roles, and design both non-credit, and academic
programs that meet those goals.
Mrs. Foxx. As a followup, in your testimony you say that
``Indiana will need to upskill, or reskill, 82,000 learners
annually over the next 10 years,'' to fill jobs in growing
sectors. How would the division of funds--diversion of funds to
places like individual training accounts, and greater
flexibility of funds assist workforce development organizations
like community colleges?
Ms. Dodge. That is a wonderful question. I am excited about
provisions in the bill that provide flexibility in terms of how
training funds can be used. In Indiana, we know that there is
this tsunami of need related to upskilling and reskilling. We
also know that 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 WIOA for that purpose.
Mrs. Foxx. 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 for worker education programs like worker retention.
Mr. Moore, how would these changes create a more focused
system of accountability for WIOA dollars, and how will
improvements in data collection and transparency impact
workforce development initiatives in the state?
Mr. Moore. Thank you, Dr. Foxx. Your leadership has been
crucial on WIOA, so thank you. It is important that we
recognize that employers are in need of thousands of open jobs
that go unfilled in Alabama and nationally. WIOA 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.
By aligning the performance indicators with the needs of
our economy, and the jobs that are actually in demand, that
could give us insights about how we braid and blend other
funding mechanisms like Elementary and Secondary Education Act,
and Perkins CTE, so that we can create the full complement of
appropriate funding mechanisms.
Making WIOA employment first really drives the focus of
employers and training providers on labor market alignment.
Mrs. Foxx. Thank you. Dr. Moret, 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 experience?
Mr. Moret. Thank you, Dr. Foxx. First, I would say the more
that the workforce programs can be responsive to real labor
markets demand and employers, particularly for high demand,
higher wage jobs. Really both individual participants and
employers will win. You will have more of those critical jobs
being filled, and more people getting jobs with excellent
wages.
One of the challenges right now in enabling that to happen
is that everyone involved does not have really the information
that they need to be able to make well informed decisions. That
includes training providers, it includes individual
participants, employers, policymakers and workforce boards.
That is really because we do not currently track
occupational outcomes of participants, and without that kind of
information, particularly without understanding both the
outcomes from an occupational perspective, but also the primary
work location, it is very difficult to be able to understand
what those supply demand gaps are, and how to be responsive to
them.
Mrs. Foxx. Thank you all very much. Mr. Chairman, I yield
back.
Chairman Owens. Okay. Thank you. I would now like to
recognize my colleague from Guam, Moylan.
Mr. Moylan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member. I
would 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.
It is critical that our workforce has the tools needed to
fill these positions. Robust jobs, training models, and
education assistance, are not only important for Guam's
economy, infrastructure and healthcare assistance, but the
United States national security as well. We must work together
to modernize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act,
WIOA, to reflect the needs of today's job markets.
We 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 better outcomes for our workers,
businesses, and American taxpayer.
A strong workforce is the backbone of a strong nation. Mr.
Moret, 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 contained data gaps for the U.S.
territories. Can you please elaborate on the difficulties for
accurate data collection in certain areas like the territories,
which often suffered greater gaps than more populous areas?
Mr. Moret. Thank you, Representative Moylan. I appreciate
the question. At Strada, it may help to understand that our
primary focus has been on the 50 states and D.C., so we have
not done really in depth analysis of the territories. I would
say that my understanding is that Guam does not participate in
the U.S. unemployment assurance system that the states do, and
therefore, some of the recommendations that I made earlier are
not immediately applicable to Guam.
What I would offer is two thoughts. One is my understanding
is Guam actually can participate in the WDQI grants that I
talked about earlier, which could help to strengthen the data
infrastructure there to help inform the kind of decisions that
need to be made by everyone involved.
Second, Representative Moylan, we would be happy to
followup with your office, and offer to reach out to build a
relationship with the leaders in your State and your territory,
excuse me.
Mr. Moylan. Thank you, that is excellent, and we will do
that. 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 helped develop in Louisiana and Virginia, directly improve
economic mobility?
What are you seeing in terms of long-term sustainability
for these models?
Mr. Moret. Thank you very much, Representative Moylan.
Probably the two main programs I think you have in mind are the
LED Fast Start Program and the Virginia Talent Accelerator
Program. 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 has happened in America over the
last 20 years is that talent considerations have really become
the dominant drivers of corporate site selection decisions.
Those programs are really created and have been highly
effective at helping provide a comprehensive, customized, fast,
high-quality solutions, both to recruit employees, and to fully
train those employees in a job specific way.
Collectively, they have helped create tens of thousands of
good jobs, collectively between those two states. Those are
sustainable programs, the way they are structured now. They are
largely modeled after a program in Georgia called Quick Start
that has been around for quite some time, decades.
I think in terms of mobility, the other real opportunity to
that states have is to better understand what their high
demand, high wage jobs are that are going unfilled, and how
they can better meet those talent needs.
The data improvements that I have talked about earlier,
including enhanced wage records supported by the WDQI grants
would help that greatly, as would state's investing in some
form of a dedicated team at the State level to really produce
insights based on that data that can be utilized by everyone in
the system.
Mr. Moylan. Thank you very much. Mr. Moore, just a real
quick question for you. I see that the State can set money
aside to create a critical industry skilled fund. The money 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 can improve the workforce system?
Mr. Moore. Thank you, sir. This will allow Alabama and
other states to make sure that we are not doing random acts of
workforce development, and that there is skin in the game for
employers and State, and the Federal Government. What I mean by
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 a critical industry and sectoral partnership fund we
can lead with the demand, identify the number of jobs that are
needed, the labor markets in that area, and then create a
customized and bespoke program that is funded with this braided
set of funding.
Mr. Moylan. I appreciate that and have run out of time.
Thank you, panel. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. I would like to now recognize my
colleague from Pennsylvania, Ms. Lee.
Ms. Lee. Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Opportunity Youth
Program and Young Adult Reentry Partnership are a lifeline to
thousands of young people across the country. It is critical
that we support and expand these programs as we begin the
process of reauthorizing the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act through this Congress.
In my district, 3 percent of all youth, ages 16 to 19 are
identified opportunity youth, meaning they are not in school.
They are not employed. These young people are at higher risk
for persistent unemployment and low income into adulthood. They
experience disproportionate mental and physical health
challenges and are more likely to encounter the justice system.
Thanks to WIOA's Opportunity Youth Funding, programs like
Pittsburgh's Partner for Work help to set these young people up
for a brighter future. Partner for Work serves around 770 WIOA
youth participants annually by assisting them with job
training, career services, and individualized employment
counseling.
As a result, nearly 70 percent of the opportunity youth
that Partner for Work serves enter postsecondary education or
employment after leaving the program. The Opportunity Youth
Program is often described as a school. It is a prison pipeline
disrupter.
School to prison pipeline systematically funnels kids into
the juvenile justice system through zero tolerance discipline
policies, even for minor violations of school rules, overuse of
suspensions and expulsions, excessive school policing and
arresting students in school.
Oftentimes opportunity youth become out of school and
unemployed because they have fallen into this pipeline. The
opportunity youth gives them an opportunity to get reconnected
with work and school programs before they wind up in the
criminal legal system.
Mr. Sainz, how does the opportunity youth program disrupt
the school to prison pipeline?
Mr. Sainz. Thank you. Pittsburgh has one of the greatest
programs around the country, and very strong, strong community
leadership at the local level. How it disrupts really on three
areas. No. 1, it provides them the support they need to stay in
school.
The chronic absenteeism is one of the greatest indicators
of someone who is going to be an opportunity youth out of
school. Second, it provides the work opportunities, and the
subsidized support for them to actually have work opportunities
is the best thing that a young person can have.
Without WIOA, oftentimes they will not have that
opportunity to do that. Third, it provides hope. I think what
we wanted to see for our young people is to have a hope for
their future. Many times, the young people that are in 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.
That is what WIOA does to restore, is that hope for the
young person that they can have a decent living. They can make
or have economic mobility. They could see themselves in a
different position from where they started.
Ms. Lee. Thank you. I do not want to limit us here. I know
that is just one program that we are particularly proud of in
Pittsburgh, but are there any other programs through WIOA that
you think we should invest in to continue to disrupt the school
to prison pipeline?
Mr. Sainz. The REO Program, which you know, formerly
authorized through ASWA, 20 percent of the dollars that has
come in to the youth, for youth specifically, and then to me
that is really critical because it is identifying the dollars
specifically for the young people that have gone into the
criminal justice system.
The youth apprenticeship, which is something new. 65
million dollars nationally is not a lot of resources to be
blunt, on a national basis. I think it sets the precedent for
youth apprenticeship that young people could earn and learn. It
means that they are not taking out student loans.
They are not having to compete in a 4-year degree for their
future, but they could actually be hired by the employer, they
are working, and they are learning at the same time. I think
establishing this program under ASWA gives a huge foundation
for growth, and for apprenticeships as a model.
Ms. Lee. Thank you. We know all these programs, they are
important, and as you say, still too many young people are
still falling through the cracks, and they do wind up in the
criminal justice system. When they do, we must meet them with
active and impactful reentry employment programs.
When Pittsburgh's Partner for Work obtained a temporary
grant to provide reentry employment services to citizens
returning from incarceration, 67 percent of the returning
citizens they served obtained employment within 6 months of
leaving that program. As you mentioned in your testimony, A
Stronger Workforce for America Act would codify these reentry
grants, and 20 percent of the funding would be dedicated to
serving youth transitioning out of the justice system.
Codifying effective employment reentry programs like
Partner for Work will allow them to continue to expand these
vital programs. I just want to end with saying black and brown
and low-income and disabled students are disproportionately
pushed into this pipeline. There is no single one opportunity
for justice impacted youth, but this is a start.
We have to be sure to reauthorize WIOA this Congress. Thank
you, and I yield back.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. I would like to recognize my
colleague from Indiana, Mr. Messmer.
Mr. Messmer. Thank you, Chairman Owens, for allowing me to
wave in, even though I do not sit on this Subcommittee. I am
honored to be here today for this hearing covering WIOA. I am
also honored to have a fellow Hosier, Molly Dodge, from Ivy
Tech as a witness on this panel.
Ivy Tech is Indiana's largest, postsecondary institution,
and the largest singularly accredited state-wide community
college system in America. They do a lot of great work in
Indiana, and in my district, and it is great to have their
achievements highlighted in front of this Committee.
Ms. Dodge, one of the goals of A Stronger Workforce for
America Act is to build better connections between the
workforce system and employers. In your written statement you
talked about Ivy Tech's 2-year degree program.
You mentioned that preliminary research suggests that
students sponsored by an employer, like this program does, are
more likely to complete a degree certificate, or degree
program, than other Ivy Tech students who aren't enrolled in
the program. Why is this direct connection to an employer so
important?
Ms. Dodge. Thank you, Representative Messmer, and thank you
for your support as a State Congressman, and also here in D.C.
We are very proud of our 2-year degree program at Ivy Tech
Community College.
What started out with one employer, actually in your
district, has now grown into a state-wide program encompassing
340 employers who are actively partnering with Ivy Tech
Community College to leverage their tuition benefit to upskill,
or reskill their incumbent workforce into hard to fill or new
jobs.
This program has actually demonstrated success for a couple
of reasons. No. 1, because the employer is actively engaged in
choosing the program offerings that they are 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 a new opportunity.
Second, because the employer is so engaged, they often
provide wraparound support, and other supports, and go above
and beyond to ensure a student is successful in their
education.
Mr. Messmer. Well, and I appreciate Dr. Ellspermann's
leadership on that program. How does Ivy Tech measure the
success of its workforce programs, particularly in terms of
graduate earnings and employment?
Ms. Dodge. This is where I will highlight President
Ellspermann's leadership at Ivy Tech Community College. Our
strategic plan, higher education at the speed of life has four
metrics, three of which should come as no surprise, its
enrollment, retention and completion.
Under Dr. Ellspermann's leadership we have added a fourth,
which is the percentage of our graduates earning above
Indiana's median wage 3 years after graduation. What this
metric does is ensures that our career link departments across
the State who are providing career counseling, work-based
learning, and job placement, as well as our academic partners
at the college, are aligning our programs and services to labor
market needs.
It is ensuring that we are routinely checking those
programs. We are measuring our wage data with the help of the
Indiana Department of Workforce Development, and we are
reporting on that, ensuring that learners know the return on
investment of coming to Ivy Tech.
Mr. Messmer. Well, it is a good way to make sure that the
degrees you are offering are relevant, and that is great. Mr.
Moore, can you highlight what State workforce development
boards can do under current WIOA authorized programs for
apprenticeships?
Mr. Moore. Yes, sir. Thank you for that question.
Registered apprenticeship is the gold standard of work-based
learning. What we can do is to better integrate State
apprenticeship agencies into the public workforce system.
Alabama was the first State to create a State apprenticeship
agency in 25 years, back in 2019.
Subsequently, more than ten additional states have joined
us. That allows us to provide additional staffing that is State
funded, and capacity to make sure that we are given a
concierge's treatment for employers and individuals to serve as
the venues and mediating institutions to help connect those
individuals to the opportunity with employers.
Mr. Messmer. What are the roadblocks for guaranteeing
success for either newly registered programs or established
programs?
Mr. Moore. Most of it is the paperwork and needing to have
help with somebody to be able to help with compliance issues.
Employer does not have time to fill out 150 pages of documents.
Sometimes the incentives can be so small, even if they are
State funded, and have to go through that burden.
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, but more retention among the apprentices in that
employer's program.
Mr. Messmer. Excellent. Dr. Moret, median earnings are
already tracked within the workforce. Why is it important to
track and have a better understanding of hourly wage earnings?
Mr. Moret. Thank you, Representative Messmer. That is a
great question. While median earnings do provide a good sense
of what a typical completer might earn in the labor market, it
is also not uncommon that the outcomes actually vary quite
dramatically, in fact, very much by the type of occupation that
someone gets.
For example, you could have a WIOA funded training program
with a median wage that was attractive, but really where half
the participants had really excellent skilled jobs connected to
their training with upward mobility. The other half are working
in lower wage, kind of more retail jobs that do not really have
much of a career trajectory associated with them.
While the median wage might look okay, it is really masking
this sort of divided outcomes. This is one of the reasons among
many that we think it is critical to enhance wage records, so
that employers, and everyone else involved can better
understand outcomes, and be able to make better informed
choices.
Mr. Messmer. Okay. Thank you. I yield back.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. I want to thank all of our
witnesses for the insights. It is a very important topic. I
want to recognize my colleague, Mr. DeSaulnier, to finish up
and have a closing statement.
Mr. DeSaulnier. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank
the witnesses as well. This is terrific, and it is really an
opportunity for us to work together on measurements, and
getting people employed, and measuring 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, or bipartisan.
I would like to have unanimous request--I have a unanimous
request, Mr. Chairman, that a report from the Federal Reserve
Bank of San Francisco entitled, ``Did the $600 Employment
Supplement Discourage Work'', which finds just in part that the
$600 UI benefit supplemented in the CARES Act had little or no
affect on the willingness of unemployed people to search for
work, or accept job offers, and it goes on from there.
I would like to have it entered into the record.
Chairman Owens. No objection.
[The information of Mr. DeSaulnier follows:]
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Mr. DeSaulnier. Again, thank you all. Last Congress, as I
referred to, we worked together to reach an excellent
bipartisan agreement to strengthen our workforce system, to
help America's employers and workers.
This agreement entitled A Stronger Workforce for America
Act updated the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, WIOA,
to increase skills development, strengthen the connection
between employers and the workforce system, and put more
Americans on a pathway to success in the workforce.
Unfortunately, a combination of factors, including rampant
misinformation on social media, caused our agreement not to
become law as we had all hoped. I am pleased that today's
conversation had allowed 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 it into law.
Doing so would be good for our workers, good for
businesses, and good for the U.S. economy. Thanks again, Mr.
Chairman, for convening the important hearing, and I yield back
my time.
Chairman Owens. Thank you. I want to just say I, too, agree
with the bipartisan way we have approached this. I am actually
looking forward to having this hearing the last couple days
because I knew it would be bipartisan, and it is probably one
of the more important national security conversations we are
going to have.
How to prepare our generation, this next generation, for an
explosion we are going to have over the coming years. I will
say this, Ms. Sainz, you said something about the hope and that
is really what the obligation we have to give the folks who are
looking for a way to essentially their dreams.
What I appreciate is the innovation, the innovators like
yourself, that the years you spent in your occupation to be
able to sit here as experts to tell us how we can better be
innovative in our ways of doing this. Just know we have a
legislative body that wants this to work.
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 that hope is a big piece of it. We
look forward to working with you.
My ask, and I say this as often as I can, you are the
innovators. 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. We ask you to be proactive, reach
out to us, let us know. This is a very important legislative
piece that we need to put through.
We came so close again, we are going to make sure it
happens as we get into this next time. I want to thank my
colleagues for this bipartisan approach. We are going to make
sure we work together to get this done and thank you again for
the insight and expertise you have given us today. With that, I
would like to thank the witnesses again for taking this time to
testify for the Subcommittee.
Without objections, there being no further business, the
Subcommittee now stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:24 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]
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