RSS Feed Archive: December-July 2010.

Congress set to vote on short-term CR Tuesday.
December 20, 2010
Congress is expected to vote Tuesday on a continuing resolution that will extend discretionary funding for most federal programs at current FY 2010 spending levels through March 4, 2011. 

Campaigns elevate skills in elections, transitions.
December 16, 2010
Over the past six months, NSC’s state Skills2Compete campaign partners have used gubernatorial races and transitions as a platform to position skills as central to debates about job creation and the economy. 

House approves long-term CR.
December 9, 2010
The House voted 212-206 to pass a continuing resolution that would extend all federal discretionary funding, including funding for job training and education programs, through the end of Fiscal Year 2011. The measure now goes to the Senate, which is expected to substitute its own spending bill. 

President announces UI/tax deal.
December 8, 2010
On December 6, President Obama announced the outlines of a compromise with congressional Republicans that would extend the Bush-era income tax cuts for two years in exchange for extensions of federal unemployment insurance benefits and a range of other tax breaks. 

Senate schedules Saturday vote on taxes, UI.
December 3, 2010
The Senate is planning to hold a procedural vote Saturday morning on a measure that would extend middle-class tax cuts and provide a one-year extension of expanded unemployment insurance (UI) benefits that expired November 30. It is not expected to receive the sixty votes necessary to advance. 

House passes TANF block grant extension.
December 1, 2010
On November 30, the House voted 256-152 to approve legislation that, among other things, would extend the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program at current funding levels through September 30, 2011. The bill was passed by the Senate on November 19, and now heads to President Obama for his signature.

Senate approves TANF block grant extension.
November 22, 2010
On November 19, the Senate unanimously approved legislation (HR 4783) that would extend the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program at current funding levels through the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2011.

House rejects temporary UI extension.
November 19, 2010
On November 18, the House of Representatives rejected a bill that would have provided a three-month extension of emergency unemployment insurance (UI) benefits set to expire on November 30.

NSC brings employers to DC to talk SECTORS.
November 18, 2010
On November 16-17, National Skills Coalition, working with partner organizations, brought a delegation of 17 employers in manufacturing, health care, construction, and clean energy to Washington to meet with policymakers to discuss skill gaps in their industries, how sector partnerships can help fill those gaps, and why the SECTORS Act is a political winner with strong bipartisan support.

Making the business case for business.
November 18, 2010
On November 17, NSC Executive Director Andy Van Kleunen participated in National Journal's Policy Summit, Making the Business Case for Business: Why Should Business Be Invested in Increasing Educational Attainment?

Big picture policies for a working Connecticut.
November 12, 2010
Campaign for a Working Connecticut and National Skills Coalition held a webinar on November 9 with workforce stakeholders from around Connecticut to begin thinking about big picture policy ideas for their state

State workforce data grants announced.
November 10, 2010
On November 8, the U.S. Department of Labor announced more than $12 million in grants to thirteen state workforce agencies to support the development or expansion of statewide longitudinal workforce data systems.

NSC announces two new audio updates.
November 5, 2010
With election season (mostly) behind us and 2010 rapidly coming to close, now is the time to assess the status of state and federal workforce policy and begin preparing for what comes next. Join us for our two upcoming Audio Updates where we will discuss the shift from state level election-cycle advocacy to shaping agendas and look back at federal workforce policy in 2010.

New student aid rules released.
November 1, 2010
On October 28, the U.S. Department of Education announced a set of final regulations designed to crack down on misleading recruitment and marketing practices at for-profit colleges and address a range of other issues associated with federal student loan and grant programs.  

NELP releases UI fact sheet
October 20, 2010
The National Employment Law Project (NELP) has issued a new one-page fact sheet on key unemployment insurance extensions that are set to expire November 30.

Community college grant FAQ released.
October 12, 2010
DOL has released a fact sheet providing preliminary details on the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant program, which will provide $500 million per year over the next four years to help eligible institutions of higher education expand training capacity for dislocated workers and other jobseekers. 

Skills2Compete-Indiana launches new campaign.
October 7, 2010
Skills2Compete-Indiana launched today with the release of Indiana’s Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs. Campaign calls on state leaders to embrace a strong vision to guide an economic and education strategy that would allow all Hoosier residents to improve their skills and secure Indiana’s place in a 21st-century economy. 

NSC weighs in on community college summit.
October 5, 2010
NSC releases recommendations for policies that will help community colleges fulfill their crucial role in building a skilled workforce.

New resource for advocates.
October 1, 2010
NSC has developed a new advocacy toolkit for our members who want to respond to erroneous assertions in the media and elsewhere that skills aren’t an integral part of a successful recovery strategy. 

GAO report on education, employment data.
September 28, 2010
On September 27, the Government Accountability Office issued a new report detailing state efforts to collect employment-related information for postsecondary graduates. 

BLS releases “green jobs” definition.
September 27, 2010
On September 21, BLS released the official definition of “green jobs” that they will use as part of two planned surveys next year to identify the number of current and projected green jobs in the U.S. economy. 

New “extenders” bill introduced in Senate.
September 16, 2010
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, released a draft of a new “extenders” bill that includes a range of investments in federal job training and employment programs.

NSC comments on “Gainful Employment” rules.
September 13, 2010
NSC submitted comments to the Department of Education on a recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would establish new requirements for occupational training and other postsecondary programs to participate in federally-funded student aid programs.

TANF Emergency Contingency Fund update.
September 8, 2010
Authorization for the popular TANF Emergency Contingency Fund – originally authorized under the Recovery Act – is set to expire on September 30. It is unclear if current efforts to extend the program will succeed.  

NNSP releases 2010 “Sector Snapshot”.
September 2, 2010
National Network of Sector Partners new report - Sector Snapshot: A Profile of Sector Initiatives, 2010 - provides survey results from nearly 200 organizations operating sectoral programs and offers important insights about the current landscape of industry-focused workforce development programs 

NNSP releases new business brief.
August 12, 2010
Groundbreaking research by the National Network for Sector Partners shows the business benefits of investing in lower-wage workers. Download their new brief - From Hidden Costs to High Returns: Unlocking the Potential of the Lower-Wage Workforce.

Brian Lehrer Show - Job training: Is it worth it?
August 10, 2010
On August 9, Sheila Maguire, NSC Board Member and Senior Vice President of Program Effectiveness at Public/Private Ventures, was featured on the Brian Lehrer Show in a segment on job training.

House passes state-aid bill.
August 10, 2010
On August 10, the House voted 247-161 to approve the Senate-passed state-aid bill that will provide $16.1 billion in federal Medicaid assistance to the states and another $10 billion to states to prevent layoffs of teachers and other public employees.

House to vote on Senate-passed state-aid bill.
August 9, 2010
Having adjourned for the August recess, the House will temporarily reconvene this week to vote on a state-aid bill that would provide $16.1 billion in federal Medicaid assistance and another $10 billion to the states to prevent layoffs of teachers and other public employees.

Midwest Governors support SECTORS Act.
August 6, 2010
On August 5, the Midwestern Governors Association (MGA) released a statement applauding the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success Act (SECTORS Act). 

Senate Committee moves FY11 funding bill.
August 4, 2010
On July 27, the Senate appropriations committee approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 spending bill for programs administered by the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies (Labor-H).

New "gainful employment" regulations proposed.
July 27, 2010
On July 23, the U.S. Department of Education announced a set of proposed regulations that would define the term “gainful employment” as used under the Higher Education Act. 

Congress clears UI extension.
July 22, 2010
On July 22, the House voted 272-152 to pass a bill extending federal expanded unemployment insurance programs through the end of November.

Senate advances unemployment extension.
July 20, 2010
On July 20, after four failed previous attempts, the Senate finally voted to advance legislation to extend federal expanded unemployment insurance benefits for out-of-work Americans through November 2010. The $34 billion measure now goes to the House, which is expected to pass it easily on Wednesday. 

House passes SECTORS Act.
July 19, 2010
Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the SECTORS Act on a unanimous voice vote demonstrating that investing in the skills of America's workers and industries is an issue that cuts across party lines.

S2C-Massachusetts launches campaign.
July 14, 2010
Business, labor, and education leaders launched the Skills2Compete-Massachusetts campaign today with the release of Massachusetts’ Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs.

Guiding states on workforce data proposals.
July 12, 2010
Researchers affiliated with the Joyce Foundation’s Shifting Gears Initiative have released a paper with specific suggestions to states that are developing proposals for funding under USDOL’s $12.2 million Workforce Data Quality Initiative.

June congressional wrap-up.
July 8, 2010
Congress adjourned for the July recess without extending the federal expanded unemployment insurance program despite the fact the unemployment rate continues to hover near ten percent. DOL estimates that more than 3.2 million individuals will lose their benefits if Congress does not complete the extension by the end of July.

View June - January 2010