[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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