[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 123 (Thursday, July 20, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4117-S4118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. Portman):
  S. 1599. A bill to require the Secretary of Labor to award grants for 
promoting industry or sector partnerships to encourage industry growth 
and competitiveness and to improve worker training, retention, and 
advancement; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, the U.S. infrastructure system is in 
critical need of an upgrade. The American Society of Civil Engineers 
recently graded the U.S. system a D+ given its capacity, condition, 
funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety, 
resilience and innovation. Any investment to improve our Country's 
infrastructure system would create millions of new jobs, requiring 
millions of skilled workers to fill them.
  A recent study by the Center of Education and the Workforce at 
Georgetown University estimated that a $1 trillion infrastructure 
investment would create 11 million new jobs. Nearly half of these would 
require training

[[Page S4118]]

past the high school level. Even without a significant investment, 
though, infrastructure industries are already struggling to meet 
workforce demands. Workers in infrastructure industries are expected to 
retire at a 50% higher rate than the general workforce. And historic 
inequities that have limited women and people of color from accessing 
these jobs have further constrained the pipeline of potential workers. 
To ensure infrastructure investments benefit businesses, workers and 
the economy, the U.S. must invest in the creation of a diverse pipeline 
of workers with skills necessary to access in-demand opportunities.
  Industry and sector partnerships are a proven strategy for helping 
workers prepare for middle-skill jobs and helping businesses find 
skilled workers. Congress requires States and local areas to support 
the development of these partnerships under the Workforce Innovation 
and Opportunity Act (WIOA), but no dedicated funding has been provided 
for these activities. Work-based learning strategies, such as 
apprenticeships, are common pathways to skilled jobs in infrastructure 
industries. Many small and medium-sized businesses shy away from 
developing high-quality work-based learning programs, however, because 
of real or perceived costs associated with the strategy.
  This is why I am pleased to introduce with my colleague, Senator 
Portman, the Building U.S. Infrastructure by Leveraging Demands for 
Skills Act or BUILDS Act. The BUILDS Act creates a grant program that 
would support industry and sector partnerships working with local 
businesses, industry associations and organizations, labor 
organizations, State and local workforce boards, economic development 
agencies and other partners engaged in their communities to encourage 
industry growth, competitiveness and collaboration to improve worker 
training, retention and advancement in targeted infrastructure 
clusters.
  Specifically, the bipartisan BUILDS Act would leverage sector 
partnerships to engage businesses in work-based learning programs. 
Businesses and industries would be incentivized to work with the 
greater community to create on-the-job training programs to fill the 
jobs necessary to expand the Country's infrastructure system. 
Additionally, businesses and education providers would be connected to 
develop classroom curriculum to complement on-the-job learning. Workers 
on the other hand, would receive support services such as mentoring and 
career counseling to ensure that they are successful from the pre-
employment to placement in a full-time position.
  Our Country desperately needs improvements to critical infrastructure 
like our roads and bridges, however to do that work we must have a 
trained workforce that's ready to fill these good-paying jobs. Virginia 
businesses in the transportation, construction, energy, and information 
technology industries continue to tell me they have trouble finding job 
applicants with the necessary skills. This bill will help workers get 
the job training they need to be hired. I hope that my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle consider the BUILDS Act as a necessary 
component to any investment in our Nation's infrastructure.

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