Sec. 2. Findings

274 words·~1 min read·/bill/116/s/1911/is/section-2

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Congress finds the following: In 1962, Congress authorized the first substantial Federal job training programs in the postwar period, to retrain workers displaced because of technological change. For nearly 60 years, Federal workforce development programs have emphasized targeted education and job training and reemployment activities, service coordination and delivery, and a demand-driven approach that is responsive to consumer choice for participants and to the labor needs of local employers.

Now the 21st century economy demands systems that equip workers to be able to think critically and creatively, solve complex problems, make evidence-based decisions, adapt to evolving technologies, and work collaboratively. Increasing 21st century skills development is linked to improving employment prospects and work success. Removal of structural barriers to employment prospects and work success, such as implicit bias, hiring discrimination, transportation gaps, and housing insecurity, requires raising employer responsibility and job standards and improving connections for individuals with barriers to employment.

Sector partnerships bring together employers, education and training providers, labor organizations and joint labor-management partnerships, local workforce boards, and other stakeholders to collaborate to identify local needs and align training and education opportunities with local employment demand, including through the use of career pathways for workers. Building on the functions of entities in the workforce development system, including aggregating data and acting as catalysts to promote careers with good pay, will contribute to fostering inclusive economic growth.

This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, will remove barriers to inclusive economic growth by allowing workers to access training opportunities through eligible providers of training services, including community colleges and registered apprenticeship programs, and by providing supportive services, including child care and transportation.