[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 26 (Thursday, February 16, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WEBB (for himself, Mr. Reed, and Mr. Brown of Ohio):
  S. 2117. A bill to increase access to adult education to provide for 
economic growth; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, today I am reintroducing the Adult Education 
and Economic Growth Act of 2012. This bill will address the critical 
needs in our workforce by investing in adult education, job training 
and other workforce programs needed to build a strong and competitive 
21st century workforce. I am pleased to be joined in this initiative by 
Senators Jack Reed and Sherrod Brown. An identical bill has been 
reintroduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Hinojosa.
  By almost any measure, our Nation faces a critical need to strengthen 
existing programs of adult education. Our current adult education 
system falls short in preparing our people to compete globally. In 
fact, fewer than 3 million of the 93 million people who could benefit 
from these services actually receive them.
  The U.S. labor market has changed dramatically with the advent of new 
technology and with the loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector. The 
need for well-trained and highly skilled workers has increased. At the 
same time, our adult education system, which should effectively prepare 
our low-skill workers to meet the demands of this shifting economy, has 
not kept pace with this changing workforce.
  Since 2002, the Federal Government has consistently decreased funding 
for adult education. In addition, the Nation's primary Federal resource 
for adult education, job training and employment services, the 
Workforce Investment Act, has not been reauthorized for more than 10 
years. Only about one in four adults with less than a high school 
education participates in any kind of further education or training.
  There are other signs pointing to the need for a better approach to 
adult education. Consider adult education enrollment rates. In 1998 
there were more than 4 million individuals enrolled in adult education 
programs. In 2007, enrollments had dropped to just 2 million. This is a 
40 percent drop from when the Workforce Investment Act was originally 
enacted in 1998.
  A growing number of U.S. skilled workers are facing retirement age 
and the growth in skilled labor force has stagnated. Addressing the 
looming skills shortage in many sectors and regions in the U.S., 
through reinvestment in our adult education system, will result in an 
educated and literate adult population.
  According to the Workforce Alliance, 80 percent of jobs in today's 
economy require some education beyond a high school degree. Yet there 
are 8 million adults in the workforce who have low literacy, limited 
English proficiency, or lack educational credentials beyond high 
school.
  With so many workers who are unemployed or underemployed, it is clear 
that we should invest in the training or re-training of U.S. workers to 
fill this growing gap.
  Our legislation begins the vital task of addressing these problems.
  Today, we are proposing a four-pronged approach to strengthen the 
Nation's workforce. First, we want to build ``on ramps'' for American 
workers who need new skills and a better education in order to improve 
their lives. Currently our adult education programs are operating in 
silos and it is critical that we improve the adult education system 
through partnerships with businesses and workforce development groups. 
Just as importantly, we want to encourage employers to help them, by 
offering tax credits to businesses that invest in their employees. This 
government has long provided employers with limited tax credits when 
they help their employees go to college or graduate school. It is basic 
logic and to the national good, that we should provide similar 
incentives for basic adult education.
  Second, we must modernize the delivery system of adult education by 
harnessing the increased use of technology in workforce skills training 
and adult education. The bill provides incentives to states and local 
service providers to increase their use of technology and distance 
learning in adult education. Many adult learners cannot afford the time 
or money to travel to a classroom and deploying technology will help 
meet this need.
  Third, our bill establishes stronger assessment and accountability 
measures.
  This bill authorizes a rather modest $500 million increase in funding 
to invigorate state and local adult education programs nationwide to 
increase the number of adults with a high school diploma. As a result, 
the bill will inevitably increase the number of high school graduates 
who go on to college, and update and expand the job skills of the U.S. 
workforce. All of this is relevant to my longstanding personal goal of 
promoting basic economic fairness in our society.
  Other provisions of the Adult Education and Economic Growth Act will 
improve workers' readiness to meet the demands of a global workforce by 
providing pathways to obtain basic skills, job training, and adult 
education.
  The act will provide workers with greater access to on-the-job 
training and adult education by encouraging public-private partnerships 
between government, business and labor.
  The act will improve access to correctional education programs to 
channel former offenders into productive endeavors and reduce 
recidivism.
  The act will encourage investment in lower skilled workers by 
providing employers with a tax credit if they invest in their 
employee's education. This tax credit is aimed at encouraging general 
and transferable skills development that may be in the long term 
interest of most employers but are not always so clearly rewarded by 
the market.
  This act focuses on addressing the unique needs of adults with 
limited basic skills, with no high school diploma, or with limited 
English proficiency. Those individuals who may have taken a different 
path earlier in life, and who now find themselves eager to go back to 
school and receive additional job training and skills, should be 
provided opportunities to get back on track.
  I encourage my colleagues to support this important endeavor. Our 
Nation's workforce and local communities will be stronger for it.
                                 ______