House urged to restore workforce funding.

With Congress beginning the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 appropriations process, the House and Senate appropriations committees have asked lawmakers to submit “member requests” designating their funding priorities for the coming year. In response, National Skills Coalition and more than fifty other national organizations sent a joint letter to key House members – including leadership offices and members of the Appropriations and Education and the Workforce committees – urging them to include employment and training programs in their priority lists, with funding restored to at least FY 2010 levels. Similar letters will be sent to key Senate offices next week.

While the deadline for House member requests has now passed, there is still time for workforce advocates to call their Senators and ask them to include employment and training programs in their priority lists. Visit National Skills Coalition’s online advocacy center for contact information and talking points you can use to urge your Senators to stand up for continued investments in the skills of the U.S. workforce.