[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 161 (Wednesday, November 13, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S7967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     MANUFACTURING JOBS FOR AMERICA

  Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I am here today to discuss the most 
important issue facing Hoosiers--and all Americans--and that is getting 
a good job.
  Good jobs allow us to provide for our loved ones, educate our 
children, and ultimately retire with dignity. Good jobs are also 
critical for strong communities and a vibrant economy. That is why I am 
proud to be part of the group of Senators working on Manufacturing Jobs 
for America. It is an effort to refocus the Senate on helping 
businesses create jobs and helping communities pursue economic 
development in the area of manufacturing.
  This effort is aimed at building bipartisan support for modernizing 
the manufacturing sector, increasing access to capital, strengthening 
our workforce, and creating the conditions necessary for American 
manufacturers to grow and create jobs.
  I have two bills as a part of this effort, the Skills Gap Strategy 
Act and the AMERICA Works Act. Both of them are focused on closing the 
skills gap. There are an estimated 600,000 manufacturing jobs that are 
unfilled across our country in part because employers cannot find 
workers with the skills they need to fill these open jobs.
  We need to match up unemployed or underemployed Americans with the 
training and education programs employers need so we can get more 
Americans into these good-paying, skilled jobs.
  Last month my friend, Senator Dean Heller, and I introduced the 
Skills Gap Strategy Act. This directs the Department of Labor to 
develop a goal-oriented strategy to address our skills gap challenges. 
In order for every Hoosier who wants a job to have a job, and for 
Indiana's economy to continue to grow, we must train Hoosiers for the 
jobs that are available right now.
  Our bill examines how we can better use existing resources to 
prioritize training and education programs and prepare our workforce to 
hit the ground running on day one.
  The Skills Gap Strategy Act requires the Department of Labor to 
provide recommendations on: increasing on-the-job training and 
apprenticeship opportunities, helping employers participate more in 
education and workforce training, and identifying and prioritizing in-
demand credentials in existing and emerging industries.
  When completing this report, we call on the Department to consider: 
specific labor barriers contributing to the skills gap; policies that 
have proven successful in key industries, regions, and countries where 
employers play a larger role in education and workforce training; and 
ways to better utilize Registered Apprenticeship and other workforce 
development programs.
  We are also asking the Department of Labor to develop plans with the 
Departments of Commerce and Education to align education with industry 
and enhance employer participation in K through 12 and career and 
technical education programs, to increase preapprenticeship and college 
credit courses in secondary schools, and to improve school-to-work 
transitions and connections.
  I am a strong believer in being fiscally responsible with Hoosier 
taxpayer dollars. That is why our bill asks the Department of Labor to 
focus on these solutions that use existing resources, existing 
programs, and existing personnel--not new programs or new spending.
  Closing the skills gap requires participation from individual 
workers, the education community, and employers. But we have the 
ability to help, and a specific plan should be in place to do just 
that.
  Also a part of the Manufacturing Jobs for America effort is another 
bill I am proud to support that focuses on closing the skills gap. 
Introduced by Senators Hagan, Heller, and myself, the AMERICA Works Act 
modifies existing Federal training programs so that they place a 
priority on programs and certifications that are recognized and 
demanded by industry.
  I have heard time after time from Hoosier business owners and 
educators and workers about the pressing need to close the skills gap 
and to get more people to work.
  To address this issue while not increasing Federal spending, the 
AMERICA Works Act modifies the Workforce Investment Act, Perkins Career 
and Technical Education, and Trade Adjustment Assistance to prioritize 
the credentials that employers need now.
  The improvements made in this bill benefit both workers and 
employers, as workers would know that the time they spend training is 
more likely to lead to employment in a good-paying job, and employers 
would know that it is more likely that the people they hire would have 
the training they need to get the job done on day one.
  The Department of Labor estimates there are nearly 4 million job 
openings in the United States, despite an unemployment rate that is 
still over 7 percent and despite millions of Americans looking for 
work. Now is the time to get to work on these jobs and match these 
people up with the job opportunities that are available out there. That 
is the most important thing we can be doing.
  When Americans are working, we are a stronger nation. The 
Manufacturing Jobs for America effort to pass bipartisan legislation 
that everyone can buy into that helps manufacturers and workers is one 
important way we can move the ball ahead.
  I yield back the remainder of my time.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MARKEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Heitkamp.) Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. MARKEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up 
to 10 minutes as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized.

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