[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 79 (Tuesday, May 15, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H3964-H3967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     AMERICAN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North 
Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 30 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, we are here tonight to talk about a topic that 
is forefront on the minds of Americans of all ages. It is a topic at 
dinner tables across the country, and is finally becoming a leading 
national news story. We are here to talk about workforce development.
  The American workforce has undergone a radical transformation in 
recent years. Right now, there are 6.6 million unfilled jobs in this 
country in a phenomenon known as the skills gap. Those jobs are 
unfilled because too many Americans are unskilled, despite the fact 
that we have record-high numbers of people attending postsecondary 
education.
  At the Education and the Workforce Committee, workforce development 
is at the heart of what we do. All education is career education, and 
that means all education is workforce development.
  Education, as most of us know, and many of us have experienced, is 
the sure path out of poverty for millions of Americans. For all of us, 
it should give us the tools we need to cultivate the talents God has 
given us. Whether through a baccalaureate degree, a professional 
certificate, or any of the new and innovative stackable credentials, 
Americans look to the educational system for options.
  Mr. Speaker, I am joined here tonight by some of my colleagues from 
the Education and the Workforce Committee.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
  Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, as Ms. Foxx has said, we, right now, have 
the lowest unemployment in years. I think we are doing all we can to 
improve America's climate. Our taxes are lower. Our regulatory 
agencies, I think, are the most pro-freedom, pro-business we have had 
in years.
  But the biggest problem that I find again and again, as I go around 
my district--and I should point out that Wisconsin's Sixth 
Congressional District has more manufacturing jobs in it than any other 
district in the country--is that we can't find enough people to work. A 
little bit of that problem is due to the government competing with the 
private sector and providing people compensation for not working at 
all. But a lot of the problem is that our educational system has let 
America down in that they have turned their back on skills-based 
training.
  I think the number one thing holding back America's industry 
manufacturing sector right now is a lack of people with skills to do 
the job, not only manufacturing, but construction, as well. Again and 
again, we have a shortage of welders, we have a shortage of CNC 
operators, in construction, shortages all across the board.
  If you look at the people who are still working frequently into their 
fifties and sixties, what is the reason? The reason is this myth out 
there, perpetrated in part by the mainstream media, but, in part, by 
the educational establishment, that you should get a vague 4-year 
degree--a degree in communication arts, a degree in psychology, 
something like that--which, too often, is leading to a low-paid job and 
a high-paid college debt.
  If, instead, you would go to, let's say, a trade school--as I do in 
my district--you can have people who become apprentices and make money 
as they are earning. They can wind up making $70,000, or $80,000, or 
$90,000 before they are 25 years old, when some of their classmates are 
still ringing up the debt in the traditional college.
  The Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee, as we 
work through our bills, again and again is looking to fill this gap. We 
can no longer do this disservice to so many young people, encouraging 
them down an expensive path that does not lead to a well-paid job.
  The future of America depends on its construction and its 
manufacturing.

[[Page H3965]]

We cannot continue to be a great country if our factories do not get 
some of the best minds and hardest working people to do the work.
  So I encourage anyone out there listening--particularly, anyone 
advising young people, be they professional guidance counselors who 
have so often let people down, or parents, or grandparents, or other 
mentors--look into skills-based education. Carefully compare how much 
people who take this route are making compared to people who go to a 4-
year college. Look at how much debt they are ringing up compared to how 
much debt other people are ringing up.
  Mr. Speaker, together, we can work as hard as we can to solve 
America's skills gap, which is absolutely necessary if the United 
States continues to become the manufacturing center of the world.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Grothman for his comments. I agree 
with Mr. Grothman that this is an issue every American needs to be made 
more aware of. Many are.
  Every week, every day, I meet with people from my district and 
outside of my district who come in to see me who say that they have 
jobs in their companies, in their manufacturing plants, and in their 
restaurants that they cannot fill because they cannot find the people 
with the skills to fill those jobs. Everyone in this country has a 
stake in the future of our country, so we are hoping that everyone will 
wake up to the skills gap and see what part he or she can play in it.
  I know that members of the Education and the Workforce Committee have 
become very well aware of this from their own districts and from their 
own experiences, many of them as employers before they came to the 
United States Congress. One of the people that I know that is very 
attuned to the need in the workforce is our colleague, Mr. Ron Estes, 
from the great State of Kansas.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes).
  Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address one of the 
important drivers of our economy: The way we develop the workforce of 
tomorrow.
  Since the founding of our country, American workers have led the way 
in being the most productive and innovative in the world. However, 
technology and changing demands require that we identify new ways to 
maintain our competitive edge.
  After nearly 10 years of stagnant growth, our economy is, once again, 
booming, thanks to cutting taxes and cutting regulations. Yet today, 
our economy faces a new challenge. At this moment, there are a record 
6.6 million job openings in our country.
  While we currently have the lowest unemployment rate in 18 years, 
there are still millions of Americans looking for a job. However, every 
day, I hear from employers throughout Kansas, and our country, about 
their difficulty filling open jobs because our workforce does not have 
all the skills it needs.

  I believe this is because, for decades, politicians, educators, and 
even parents, have told students that the only way to succeed is to get 
a 4-year college degree. While a college degree is extremely important, 
some jobs are critical in requiring that. Today, we are seeing that 
many college students are graduating with crippling student loan debt 
and have trouble finding a job, while we have a shortage of skilled 
labor positions, such as welders, machinists, truck drivers, and people 
with other needed skills.
  Because of this, I believe we have no choice but to change the way we 
are developing our workforce. We need to empower students to have more 
opportunities to prepare for the careers they want, whether through 
technical schools, community colleges, or universities.
  Kansans have led the way with this by passing Kansas Senate bill S. 
155, which allows high school students to graduate with either, or 
both, a technical or college-ready certificate. Through this effort, I 
believe Kansans can serve as a model for this country on how we train 
our workforce.
  As a Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, I 
have been proud to work on several ways to do this, including amending 
the Prosper Act, which will reform higher education and student aid, to 
allow students to complete work studies as apprentices in the fields 
that they are studying.
  That amendment will help students to be more marketable once they 
finish their degrees, and builds on our need to support apprenticeship 
programs throughout the country. This also helps minimize outlandish 
student loan debt too many students and families are racking up.
  In addition to working on the Prosper Act, I have also proposed the 
HOPE Act, which will allow TANF assistance dollars to go toward a 
successful workforce development program, one which is called Jobs for 
America's Graduates, or JAG.
  Earlier this month, I met with some JAG students at Newton High 
School in Newton, Kansas, and heard about how the program has prepared 
them for their careers after high school. Allowing more TANF dollars to 
go toward this program can help many at-risk students and get more 
people off of assistance and on to successful lives.
  These are part of our overall goal of making sure every American can 
get the skills they need to fulfill their potential.

                              {time}  2030

  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Foxx and the Education and the 
Workforce Committee for their work towards this goal. Together, we can 
advance legislation which will maintain and grow America's leadership 
in our global economy.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Estes for being here tonight.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to brag a little on Kansas, also. I had the 
opportunity last year to visit in Congressman Estes' district and see 
firsthand the cooperation going on there among the different levels of 
education--the high schools, community colleges, State universities--
and working with business and industry, particularly the aerospace 
industry.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask Mr. Estes if he would like to add to his comments 
about the great program going on there because I, frankly, have gone 
all over the country and talked about that innovative program that is 
going on there.
  I yield to the gentleman.
  Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, that is right. We have an 
innovative aerostructure environment in Wichita. In fact, Wichita is 
known as the air capital of the world. We are always looking for 
skilled employees to fill those jobs, to help keep planes running, keep 
parts being produced through the process.
  Our businesses have worked with community colleges and partnered with 
Wichita State University and are partnering with high schools to help 
make sure that the skills are available so those employers can have the 
employees that they need to help keep their operations running.
  It has been a great transition we have made as we have gone through 
the baby boomers, who are now starting to retire and starting to leave 
the workforce. We need to make sure that we have enough skilled 
employees to replace them as they are retiring and make sure that we 
keep America's economy growing strong.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I think, again, the program that Mr. Estes has 
there in Wichita is a good role model. It is an indication, again, that 
we are sort of going back to the future.
  In the past, most of our education institutions paid attention to 
where the jobs were in this country and educated people to be prepared 
for the jobs. There are people who sometimes can be critical of us on 
the committee for saying that we spend too much time emphasizing people 
getting a job and perhaps not enough emphasizing a liberal education. 
Well, I am a huge fan of liberal education. My undergraduate degree is 
in English, but thank goodness I learned to type in high school because 
that typing skill is what helped me get through college as I worked my 
way through.
  All of us need skills. English majors of today need skills: computer 
skills, graphic skills. We don't want to diminish the role of liberal 
education. We want to just make sure that students have a clear 
understanding of what their choices are going to be when they enter a 
postsecondary institution and what they might expect when they exit 
that institution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), 
another

[[Page H3966]]

member of our committee who is very well versed in the issues related 
to workforce development and education, who has done yeoman's work on 
many issues related to the workforce and education.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Foxx for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman's emphasis on preparing 
people for the real world through educational experiences that expand 
not only their abilities, but also their dreams. A lot of times the 
best education takes place when a person is dreaming. I have seen a lot 
of things happen in Michigan as a result of people all of a sudden 
being caught with a sweet spot dream saying, ``Could I do that?'' and 
they have done it.
  Since coming to Congress, my top priority has been creating good-
paying jobs and growing a healthy economy in Michigan. We have had our 
challenges. We are delighted to see some very positive things taking 
place in Michigan, and specifically in my district. That is why every 
year we hold a large job fair at multiple places in my district. We had 
one just last week, in fact.
  Over the years, we have helped the hardworking men and women in our 
communities find employment, further their education, and pursue career 
advancement opportunities. That is a key: to let them know that they 
can advance; they are not stuck; you can always move on.
  When we did our first job fair back in 2011, the national 
unemployment rate was around 9 percent. Now it is down below 4 percent 
for the first time since 2000.
  As our economy continues to thrive, there are currently 6.6 million 
job openings waiting to be filled across the country, and businesses 
are anxious to hire workers with the right experience to fill them.
  I just met with six of those employers just before coming here, and 
their only concern is: How do we fill the jobs that we have to take on 
all the contracted projects in construction that we have?
  My colleagues and I on the Education and the Workforce Committee are 
working in a bipartisan way to help bridge the skills gap by expanding 
career and technical education.
  In today's economy, we need to celebrate the fact that not everyone 
follows the same path. That is a good thing. We need to move beyond the 
notion that a 4-year degree is the only way to climb the ladder of 
opportunity.
  In Michigan, we have a number of community colleges, career centers, 
and school districts leading the way in career and technical education. 
I think they have heard Chairwoman Foxx speak and they have gotten the 
point. We let it slide too long, and now we are picking up. These 
programs have helped numerous students thrive and develop a diverse and 
marketable skill set that prospective employers are seeking.
  The bipartisan legislation we passed in the House will strengthen CTE 
programs to help more students obtain the in-demand skills and jobs of 
the future. The House-passed bill will also remove unnecessary and 
duplicative licensing requirements that act as a barrier for workers 
trying to get their foot in the door.

  Coming from Michigan, we have a long and rich tradition of 
manufacturing, engineering, and other highly skilled fields. Our 
State's hardworking men and women are second to none.
  I am here tonight to say let's keep up the momentum. Let's continue 
to invest in building a talented and dynamic workforce and help prepare 
our people for a lifetime of success. And, oh, may I add, enjoyment in 
a sweet spot that they have found by being educated for the real-world 
jobs that make a difference.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for the opportunity to speak on 
this issue tonight.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Walberg for speaking on 
tonight's Special Order topic. I appreciate the comments that he has 
made, and I appreciate the leadership that he has brought to the 
Education and the Workforce Committee in so many ways.
  The gentleman's comments about being with employers tonight mirror 
the experiences that I have had where, again, every employer that comes 
to see me says: You know, we love the tax cut bill. It is allowing us 
to hire more people. The only problem is we can't find people with the 
skills to take those jobs. So what are we going to do?
  So this is an issue, again, that faces all of us. The Federal 
Government cannot solve this issue alone. It is going to take the local 
schools, K-12, as well as community colleges, as well as universities, 
as well as business and industry to come together to figure out ways to 
solve this problem.
  Of course, what we are doing with the career and technical education 
bill as well as with the PROSPER Act is to provide the framework for 
those people to do what needs to be done out there. We are taking the 
heavy hand of the Federal Government away and saying: We want you to 
make many, many decisions at the local level, colleges and universities 
to make decisions.
  I think we are on the right track. With the leadership of Mr. Walberg 
and other members of the committee, I think we are going to get there.
  Mr. WALBERG. Will the gentlewoman yield?
  Ms. FOXX. I yield to the gentleman from Michigan.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, on that very point, I think it is crucial 
to understand that, if we are going to get people educated for real-
world jobs, we are going to have to sometimes move the whole system out 
of its comfort zone, and that means higher education as well. It can't 
be assumed that that is the only game in town when, in fact, employers 
are looking for something in certain cases very different and very 
unique and very specific, custom made to fit those jobs.
  Then, as the gentlewoman knows better than probably any of us, these 
same employers will add to the benefit by adding additional training 
opportunities for these good employees to continue to upgrade their 
skills with more education. That is where we see higher education is 
going to have to compete and come to an understanding that it is a 
different world now and there are changes that have to take place if we 
are going to continue to succeed. I appreciate that point, and we need 
to get it done.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I again thank Mr. Walberg for being here 
tonight.
  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Thompson), another stellar member of the Education and the Workforce 
Committee, who in the past has led the way in the area of career and 
technical education in particular, but is well versed in education in 
all areas.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Foxx 
for yielding and for her leadership in the area of education, workforce 
development, career and technical education. It is greatly appreciated 
and a pleasure and honor to work with the gentlewoman.
  Mr. Speaker, every Member of this Chamber is familiar with the issue 
surrounding the skills gap. The American workforce currently faces a 
shortage of 6 million skilled workers. That number continues to grow at 
a rate faster than anybody could anticipate. We expected not to hit 6 
million job openings until the year 2020, and here we are, 6.5 million 
jobs open and available that need to be filled here in 2018.
  Employers from numerous different fields have weighed in on the 
issue, and the majority of employers agree that vacant positions remain 
unfilled because candidates lack many of the skills that they need for 
a given job.
  While soft skills, such as communications, creativity, collaboration, 
and critical thinking are important for many jobs requiring daily 
interaction and working as part of a team, hard skills, which are 
learned in a classroom or a skills-based course, have significantly 
contributed to the skills gap.

  As a senior member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce as 
well as co-chair of the Career and Technical Education Caucus, I 
believe that by modernizing the current Federal law and investing in 
skills-based education programs, we can begin to narrow the skills gap, 
put people back to work, and continue to grow this economy.
  The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act has not been 
updated in more than a decade. The law no longer reflects the realities 
and challenges facing students and workers today. Current policies 
restrict the

[[Page H3967]]

ability of State leaders to invest Federal resources and prioritize 
economic growth and local needs. It fails them in having the 
flexibility to be able to react to immediate workforce needs.
  In an effort to close the skills gap, my colleague Congressman Raja 
Krishnamoorthi and I introduced H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and 
Technical Education for the 21st Century Act.
  H.R. 2353 makes impactful changes to the law by giving authority back 
to the State and local leaders, who have a thorough understanding of 
the regional workforce; aligning career and technical education 
programs with high-skilled, lucrative, and in-demand jobs; and 
increasing transparency and accountability, while also assessing the 
success of skills-based education programs; and limiting the Department 
of Education's role in the CTE programs, empowering the State and the 
local leaders.
  Now, while this bipartisan legislation passed the House unanimously 
last year and still awaits action in the Senate, in a time when 
critical industries have vacant jobs but not enough qualified workers 
to fill them, it is imperative that we work to get this bill signed 
into law for the prosperity of our economy and for the future of our 
workforce.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for the opportunity to weigh in 
on this important topic.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Thompson for his time tonight. 
Again, I appreciate the work that he has done in this field session 
after session, and I appreciate the way he approaches his work on the 
Education and the Workforce Committee. We respect the gentleman 
greatly, and he is well respected by all of his colleagues here.
  Mr. Speaker, we are all pushing to get the bill passed out of the 
Senate and are very, very hopeful. In addition, we keep our fingers 
crossed.

                              {time}  2045

  We pray, we keep our fingers crossed, and we hope.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen), 
another one of the great members of the Education and the Workforce 
Committee.
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her work in 
organizing this Special Order this evening.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the importance of workforce 
development in America.
  Over the past 1\1/2\ years, this Congress has been working diligently 
to turn this economy around and get Americans across the country back 
to work.
  After passing the most comprehensive tax overhaul in 30 years and 
rolling back Obama-era rules and regulations, our economy is beginning 
to thrive, and the need for a developed and established workforce is 
more crucial right now than ever before.
  The simple fact is our workforce is aging and there are not enough 
people who currently have the skills to take the positions of retirees 
nor the thousands of private sector jobs being created every day in 
this new economy. And with over 6 million jobs available in this 
country as we speak, we have to ensure that our young people today are 
equipped for the job market of tomorrow.
  In fact, I enjoy meeting with young people and talking about this era 
in which, when they are educated, they have the greatest opportunity of 
any generation that I am aware of to find a job in an upward economy in 
just about every field that they desire.
  As someone who has worked in the construction industry for my entire 
career, I know firsthand how difficult it is to find skilled workers. 
And as a member of House Education and the Workforce Committee, this is 
why I was proud of supporting the Strengthening Career and Technical 
Education for the 21st Century Act and the PROSPER Act, both pieces of 
legislation that bridge the gap between the business community and our 
education efforts.
  Make no mistake, getting an education is essential, but it is equally 
important that our education efforts are aligned with the in-demand 
jobs in our communities.
  In order to cultivate a qualified workforce for the future, our 
education and business communities must work together so our kids and 
grandkids have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. As I 
said, I believe that opportunity is the best today that it has ever 
been.
  Back home in Georgia's 12th District, I have visited small business 
after small business. And one question I always ask is: What is your 
biggest challenge? And the answer to that question almost every single 
time is: Workers.
  As a business owner, the greatest joy in my life was creating jobs. I 
look back, and I look at the buildings we built in the construction 
industry, and we got pretty good at it. But I will tell you, the one 
thing, when I look back, and the greatest joy that I had in life, was 
giving folks a good job, allowing them the dignity and respect that 
they deserve, to empower them to fulfill their God-given right to 
provide for their families, to provide for their communities, and yes, 
provide for this Nation; an opportunity I believe should be available 
to all Americans.
  One of the top factors in where a business decides to locate is based 
on workforce, and with Georgia being named as the number one State to 
locate your business for the past 5 years in a row, our workforce needs 
in Georgia are growing each and every day.
  I will continue to work with my colleagues in this body on the House 
Education and the Workforce Committee to ensure that we have an 
available workforce equipped with the skills necessary to jump directly 
into that workforce.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to thank Chairwoman Foxx for her 
leadership work here and her work here this evening in bringing 
attention to this critical matter.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Allen. He and the other members of 
the committee who have been here tonight, as well as Members who serve 
on the committee, bring real-life experiences and help us better 
understand what it is that we need to be doing on the committee and in 
the Congress.
  Again, this skills gap is something that is of concern to all 
Americans and should be of concern to all Americans. The Education and 
the Workforce Committee is doing its best to present good legislation 
to pass here so that the Federal Government can again give the 
structure that is needed for business and industry to do what it needs 
to do.
  We are the greatest country in the world. We will continue to be the 
greatest country in the world as long as we respond to the needs of our 
culture and keep our country moving in the right direction.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues again and I yield back the balance 
of my time.

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