[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4702]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               THE STATESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, JOB FAIR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, last week it was my pleasure to attend a job 
fair at Mitchell Community College in Statesville, North Carolina. The 
job fair was cohosted by the Statesville Chamber of Commerce; and both 
Mitchell Community College president Dr. Tim Brewer and Chamber 
president David Bradley and their staffs are to be commended for making 
this important event happen and making these job opportunities 
available to jobseekers in the local community.
  As a former community college president, I am aware of the important 
role these institutions play in providing workers with the opportunity 
to improve their skills in order to meet the demands of employers.
  Mitchell Community College and the Statesville Chamber of Commerce 
both played large roles in ensuring that Statesville remains a dynamic 
economic center within the Fifth District of North Carolina.
  More than 40 companies were represented at last week's job fair. 
About 500 jobs were available, spanning a broad range of skills, 
abilities, and compensation levels. The organizers offered a resume 
workshop to help applicants make a first good impression.
  I would like to take a few minutes to recognize just a few of those 
who helped make this event a success and who spend every day making the 
economy and community of Statesville run.
  Gina Shumaker is a graduate of the Mitchell Community College Back to 
Work program, and now she is giving back to her work with Workforce 
Carolina. Gina spends every day matching jobseekers with opportunities. 
She was at the job fair looking to fill 197 positions, and I commend 
her efforts to help individuals get back on their feet.
  Goodyear; I also had the opportunity to talk with Joe Wegmiller, who 
is the plant manager for the Goodyear manufacturing plant in 
Statesville. This facility has been manufacturing tire molds in 
Statesville since 1995. I have had the opportunity to tour the 
facility, and it is a key employer in the Fifth District.
  Doosan; Doosan Portable Power specializes in making generators, air 
compressors, and other light construction equipment. This company is 
headquartered in Statesville and brings more than 100 years of 
manufacturing experience to bear on the task of providing quality 
equipment for construction and other industrial uses. We are proud that 
they call Statesville home and grateful for the opportunities they 
provide to members of our community.
  ASMO in North Carolina employs more than 350 people in Statesville. 
This company produces blower motors, power seat motors, power window 
motors, electric power steering motors, and other assemblies for auto 
manufacturers.
  Mr. Speaker, at last week's job fair, a common refrain among 
employers is that they have had a hard time finding individuals with 
the skills needed to fill available positions. This reminded me of H.R. 
803, the SKILLS Act. This bill would reform and reorganize our broken 
Federal workforce development system.
  There is bipartisan agreement that the current Federal workforce 
development programs are not meeting the needs of America's jobseekers, 
many of whom were in attendance at the Statesville job fair last week.
  In his 2012 State of the Union address, the President asked that 
these programs be reformed, and Republicans in the House went to work 
and passed the SKILLS Act, which would streamline 35 ineffective and 
duplicative programs, including 26 identified as being ineffective in a 
2011 GAO report.
  The SKILLS Act empowers job creators, such as Goodyear, Doosan, ASMO, 
and many others that were looking to hire in Statesville last week. The 
SKILLS Act would allow local businesses to help steer workforce 
development resources toward fields that are in demand right now. This 
bill passed the House over a year ago. I call on our colleagues over in 
the Senate to act on this vital piece of legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, this House will maintain its focus on creating an 
environment conducive to economic growth and job creation. We have 
passed more than 30 pieces of legislation designed to decrease the 
bureaucracy, increase opportunity, and restore vitality to our economy. 
Unfortunately, the majority of this legislation is languishing in the 
Senate. The employers, jobseekers, and community members I spoke with 
last week in Statesville want to move forward with their businesses and 
lives. There are House-passed bills that will help solve some of the 
problems they are facing. The Senate and the President need to act to 
turn these bills into law.

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