[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 29, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S1935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BROWN of Ohio (for himself and Ms. Snowe):
  S. 665. A bill to promote industry growth and competitiveness and to 
improve worker training, retention, and advancement, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the Selecting 
Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success, SECTORS, Act, which 
Senator Sherrod Brown and I are introducing. This legislation would 
amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish an industry or 
sector partnership grant program administered by the Department of 
Labor.
  The SECTORS Act provides grants to industry clusters--interrelated 
group of businesses, service providers, and associated institutions--in 
order to establish and expand sector partnerships. By providing 
financial assistance to these partnerships, this legislation would 
create customized workforce training solutions for specific industries 
at a regional level. A sector approach is beneficial because it can 
focus on the dual goals of promoting the long-term competitiveness of 
industries and advancing employment opportunities for workers, thereby 
encouraging economic growth. Existing sector partnerships have long 
been recognized as key strategic elements within some of the most 
successful economic development initiatives throughout the country. 
Unfortunately, current federal policy does not provide sufficient 
support for these critical ventures.
  As Co-Chair of the bipartisan Senate Task Force on Manufacturing, one 
of my key goals is to ensure that manufacturers have access to a 
capable workforce. Unfortunately, manufacturers across the country have 
raised significant concerns about whether the next generation of 
workers is being trained to meet the needs of an increasingly high-tech 
workplace.
  In fact, in my home State of Maine, the manufacturing sector has shed 
an alarming 26,200 jobs in the past ten years, or 1/3 of the State's 
manufacturing employment. And since the beginning of 1990, our state 
has lost 43,000 jobs. It is therefore critical that we as a Nation 
provide unemployed manufacturing workers the training needed to excel 
as our manufacturing sector becomes increasingly technical. This 
legislation provides a crucial link between establishing worker 
training programs and fostering new employment opportunities for those 
who have been affected by the manufacturing industry's decline. By 
promoting this innovative partnership, we will take a crucial step 
toward rejuvenating our economy.
  Throughout the country, sector partnerships are being used to promote 
the long-term competitiveness of industries and to advance employment 
opportunities. For example, the State of Maine has created the North 
Star Alliance Initiative. The Alliance has brought together Maine's 
boat builders, the University of Maine's Advanced Engineered Wood 
Composites Centers, Maine's marine and composite trade association, 
economic development groups, and investment organizations for the 
purpose of advancing workforce training.
  Our Nation's capacity to innovate is a key reason why our economy, 
despite difficult times, remains the envy of the world. Ideas by 
innovative Americans across the spectrums of professions and industries 
have paid enormous dividends, improving the lives of millions 
throughout the world. We must continue to encourage all avenues for 
advancing our nation's economic well-being if America is to compete at 
the vanguard of innovation. The SECTORS Act will help align America's 
workforce with the needs of our Nation's employers to promote a robust 
and growing economy.
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