"Make it in America" agenda includes SECTORS.

 
Congressional Leaders Advance “Make it in America” Agenda

NSC Applauds Inclusion of SECTORS Act, a Bi-Partisan Solution for
Training the Workforce Needed to Revitalize Manufacturing 

WASHINGTON, DC — Amidst continued high unemployment, Congressional leaders are advancing the “Make It In America” agenda, a set of bills focused on revitalizing American manufacturing and rebuilding the nation’s middle class. National Skills Coalition applauds lawmakers for their continued efforts to address the needs of the more than 13 million individuals who still remain unemployed, by encouraging critical investments in our nation’s manufacturing sector.

In particular, National Skills Coalition strongly supports the inclusion of the Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act (HR 1240) as part of the Make it in America agenda, which will be crucial to training the workforce needed to continue strengthening the manufacturing industry. Introduced earlier this year in the House and Senate, the SECTORS Act would support partnerships that allow businesses, unions, educators, and the public workforce system to develop and implement plans for addressing immediate skill shortages and developing skilled worker pipelines to support U.S. manufacturing.

“It is more important than ever to invest federal dollars in efficient, cost-effective strategies with proven results,” said Andy Van Kleunen, Executive Director for National Skills Coalition. “While some policymakers in Washington have turned their back on America’s workers and industries by calling for the elimination of federal workforce funding, these leaders have instead called for better, more effective approaches to training our workforce by championing solutions like the SECTORS Act. This bill will enable our education and training institutions to better meet the needs of regional manufacturers and provide pathways to good jobs for America’s workers.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) first authored the bipartisan SECTORS Act in 2008, with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) as the lead Senate sponsor and Patty Murray (D-WA) as a cosponsor. In 2009, the SECTORS Act was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Loebsack (D-IA) and Platts (R-PA). In July 2010, the bill passed the House with unanimous bi-partisan support.

#####

National Skills Coalition is a broad-based coalition of employers, unions, education and training providers, and public officials working toward a vision of an America that grows its economy by investing in its people so that every worker and every industry has the skills to compete and prosper.