We can't cut the skills gap by cutting skills training.
Spotlight
The Skills Gap in Your State
For most states, and the nation as a whole, the skills gap is in the middle – that is, jobs that require training beyond high school but not a four-year degree. This is precisely the type of training supported by our nation’s workforce development system. Click here to learn more about your state’s skills gap.
When Congress does a good job, it’s easier for people to get a good job.
Skills Gap is Putting the Brakes on Recovery
- Over the last year, national and local papers have been filled with stories of employers who are ready to hire but cannot find workers with the technical skills they need.
- A 2011 report found more than half of business leaders, and 67 percent of small business leaders, face a challenge recruiting employees with the right education and training.
The Federal Workforce System is Stretched Beyond Capacity
Despite record demand, federal funding for key federal training programs under the Departments of Labor and Education declined by almost 20 percent (adjusted for inflation) between 2002 and 2012. While some have claimed the federal workforce system is duplicative, this has been discredited as a gross overstatement of the evidence.
Voters Want Congress to Invest in Workforce Training
- According to a December 2011 NPR/Kaiser Family poll of the long-term unemployed, when asked what government might do to help, job placement and job training topped the list with 71 and 70 percent respectively indicating these services would be extremely or very helpful.
- According to a National Journal and Allstate poll, three-quarters of Americans believe that closing the skills gap is extremely or very important to economic recovery.
Leading Economists Have Called on Congress to Invest in Workforce Training
In December, nationally recognized economists who are experts on workforce training wrote a letter to Appropriators urging them to take into account the data and evidence showing the value of workforce development services, particularly in a difficult job environment.
Congress must invest in and improve our nation’s workforce system. Learn how.
