by Laura Walling, Senior Director of Government Relations, Goodwill Industries International
Congressional leaders continue to discuss the components of a forthcoming reconciliation bill that will include components of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan that won’t be covered by the bipartisan infrastructure framework. The COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of Americans out of the workforce and demonstrated the importance of providing quality training to help workers and businesses succeed in the modern economy. The American Jobs Plan proposed a $100 billion investment over the next ten years in workforce training programs and other services to connect workers with good-paying jobs and provide businesses a new pipeline of talented employees. This type of investment is critical to preparing the workforce needed to improve the nation’s infrastructure.
A skilled workforce is a necessary prerequisite for building and modernizing the physical and digital infrastructure which serves as the foundation for the wider American economy. The system to reskill, upskill, and train workers to build and improve upon this foundation is already in place. Local Goodwill® organizations around the country are proud to play a role in the workforce development system, operating American Job Centers and career centers that prepare job seekers for in-demand careers by guiding and supporting them in learning new skills, earning credentials, creating resumes and preparing for interviews.
In 2020, local Goodwill organizations connected more than 126,000 people in the United States and Canada with jobs through career services programs. That equates to more than 300 people finding employment every day. That same year, more than 20 million people accessed Goodwill services through Goodwill.org, including training, mentoring and online learning.
By enacting President Biden’s proposed $100 billion investment in workforce development, this system can reach even more Americans and help them find rewarding careers.
Join us in our outreach to lawmakers and help ensure that robust federal funding for workforce development is prioritized in the upcoming reconciliation package. Click here to take action via GII’s Legislative Action Center and contact your members of Congress today.
Action Alert
Header: Invest in Workforce Development
As a supporter of the local Goodwill organization serving your constituents I am writing to request that you include at least $100 billion in dedicated funding for workforce development, over the next decade, as part of any infrastructure legislation or reconciliation bill Congress considers this year.
A skilled workforce is a necessary prerequisite for building and modernizing the physical and digital infrastructure which serves as the foundation for the wider American economy. The system to reskill, upskill, and train workers to build and improve upon this foundation is already in place. Local Goodwill organizations around the country are proud to play a role in the workforce development system, operating American Job Centers and career centers that prepare job seekers for in-demand careers by guiding and supporting them in learning new skills, earning credentials, creating resumes and preparing for interviews.
In 2020, local Goodwill organizations connected more than 126,000 people in the United States and Canada with jobs through career services programs. That equates to more than 300 people finding employment every day. That same year, more than 20 million people accessed Goodwill services through Goodwill.org, including training, mentoring and online learning.
By making robust investments in workforce development, this system can reach even more Americans and help them find rewarding careers.
Specifically, we are calling for at least $100 billion in new spending for workforce development programs, including:
- adult workforce training and dislocated worker programs;
- career and technical education and registered apprenticeships;
- youth career pipeline programs and re-entry employment opportunities; and
- the full spectrum of training and career pathway supportive services, including income support, counseling and case management.
We further support spending specifically for building more effective partnerships between training providers and employers, including:
- subsidizing on-the-job training; and
- co-creating curricula with employers in in-demand industries, sectors and occupations.
These investments are crucial to both the post-COVID economic recovery and the long-term economic investments that are the focus of the reconciliation package. For the country to fully recover, we need to invest in job training as well as job creation.
