Donnelly, Heller Applaud House Bipartisan Skills Gap Strategy Act

House Legislation is Companion to Donnelly-Heller Senate Bill

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Washington, D.C. – Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) today welcomed the introduction of the Skills Gap Strategy Act of 2014 in the House by Representatives Matt Cartwright (D-PA) and Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA). This legislation is identical to the legislation Donnelly and Heller introduced in the Senate in October 2013 that would help employers identify, train, and hire workers with the skills to fill existing job openings in Indiana, Nevada, and across the country. It is estimated that up to 600,000 middle-skilled and high-skilled manufacturing jobs are left unfilled due to an undertrained workforce.

Senator Donnelly said, “For every American who wants a job to have a job and for our economy to continue growing, we must train workers for the jobs that are available today. I am pleased Congressman Matt Cartwright (D-PA) and Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced the Skills Gap Strategy Act in the House, which is identical to my bipartisan legislation in the Senate with Senator Heller, because it would help close the skills gap. Many middle-skilled and high-skilled jobs are being left unfilled because employers cannot find workers with the skills they need. This legislation would require the Department of Labor to examine how we can more effectively use existing resources to prioritize training and education programs to better prepare America’s workforce.”

Senator Heller said, “Thank you to Representatives Cartwright and Fitzpatrick for their work to help close the skills gap. As the Silver State continues to struggle with high unemployment, Nevadans can’t afford to bypass opportunities when there are jobs that need to be filled. This bill will help address a fixable problem, and I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Donnelly as well as our colleagues in the House of Representatives to help those struggling to find work.”

Donnelly and Heller will continue working with their colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move the Skills Gap Strategy Act forward.

The Skills Gap Strategy Act would direct the Secretary of Labor to develop a strategy to help close the “skills gap” by increasing on-the-job training and apprenticeship opportunities. It would encourage the Department of Labor to develop plans in consultation with the Departments of Commerce and Education to increase employer participation in education and workforce training. Recognizing current budgetary constraints, the bill asks the Department of Labor to focus on solutions that utilize existing resources, programs, and personnel. Closing the skills gap must be an employer-driven effort, but the federal government can help.

Many middle-skilled and high-skilled jobs are being left unfilled because employers struggle to find workers with the skills needed. The Department of Labor estimates that there are approximately 4.2 million job openings in the U.S., despite a national unemployment rate of 6.7% and millions of Americans looking for work.

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