FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 29, 2019
CONTACT :
Howard W Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP
President, MotorDoc® LLC
Motordoc.com
Chair, SMRP Government Relations Cyber and Infrastructure
SMRP (Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals) SMRP.org WENT TO CONGRESS TO ADVOCATE FOR INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN SKILLS TRAINING
SMRP urged lawmakers to align workforce development policies with the needs of industry.
Washington, DC – 13 members of SMRP joined more than 75 business leaders from about 25 states in Washington D.C. November 21, 2019, to speak with members of Congress and their staff – urging them to invest in skills training to expand economic opportunities for working families, help meet the workforce needs of local business and industry, and make our country more competitive in a 21st century global economy.
Some of the policy solutions SMRP advocated for include:
- Reauthorizing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) – with a focus on supporting industry partnerships and providing greater access to industry-recognized, postsecondary credentials – to help businesses develop talent pipelines of skilled workers to meet future demand and promote industry growth and competitiveness.
- Modernizing the higher education system by making Pell grants available for high-quality, short-term training programs that lead to in-demand jobs while also investing in support services – like childcare, career counseling, transportation assistance – to help workers succeed in those programs.
- Expanding work-based learning opportunities by investing in industry partnerships to support businesses who don’t have the resources to develop work-based learning programs.
“These are the kinds of common sense, bipartisan solutions that we need to see from Washington,” said Howard W Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP, “Our workers are our greatest asset and we as a business invest in them each and every day. But we can’t do it alone. We need policymakers to advance solutions that complement the work we are already doing to support working families and meet the workforce needs of our region.”
Nearly two- thirds of small and mid-sized business leaders across the country say it’s difficult to find and hire skilled workers, according to a recent poll by Business Leaders United for Workforce Partnerships (BLU). And 79 percent of business leaders support new, public investments in skills training.
“We can’t compete in a 21st century global economy without a robust workforce development policy agenda that is in alignment with the needs of industry,” said Howard W Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP, “Increasing public investment in skills training is good for workers, businesses, and our economy.”
###