[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23048]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      BUILDING SKILLS FOR AMERICA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM SAWYER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 17, 2000

  Mr. SAWYER. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday September 20, 2000, more than 
300 students from across the country converged to support the Skills 
USA-VICA's ``Building Skills for America'' campaign.
  These students collected more than 200,000 signatures from business 
and industry in support of worker training. The enclosed letter, which 
was signed by forty members of Congress, recognizes the fine work of 
the students of Skills USA-VICA. I submit the following letter into the 
Congressional Record.

                                Congress of the United States,

                               Washington, DC, September 26, 2000.
     Skills USA-VICA,
     P.O. Box 3000,
     Leesburg, VA.
       Dear Students: The undersigned Members of Congress applaud 
     and congratulate your participation in the ``Building Skills 
     for America'' campaign.
       America is projected to have 50.6 million job openings 
     between now and 2006, most of which will require highly 
     developed skills. Unfortunately, employers across the country 
     are experiencing difficulty finding enough qualified, skilled 
     employees. This shortage is a threat to our strong economy 
     and hampers the ability of American businesses to compete 
     successfully.
       Our nation can do more to promote careers in skilled 
     occupations. Programs such as Skills USA-VICA's ``Building 
     Skills for America'' demonstrate the strong support for 
     vocational and technical education, as students were able to 
     collect more than 200,000 signatures from business and 
     industry that support worker training.
       The ``Building Skills for America'' campaign is also 
     important because it brings students together with the 
     business and industry that will be their future employers. 
     These partnerships provide students with the occupational and 
     professional experience they need to succeed in the 
     workplace, while at the same time increasing the pool from 
     which industry can draw capable employees.
       All of you who have participated in the ``Building Skills 
     for America'' campaign should be proud of your 
     accomplishment. We congratulate you for this impressive 
     achievement, and look forward to working with you to ensure 
     that we continue to build a strong and productive American 
     workforce.
           Sincerely,
         Tom Sawyer, John Peterson, and 43 other Members of 
           Congress.

           

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