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Washington, DC -- Today Congressman David Wu introduced an amendment with Congressman Rush Holt (NJ) that provides a solution to outsourcing and high unemployment by helping train individuals for employment in advanced manufacturing industries. The Advanced Manufacturing Education-to-Jobs Grants Act Amendment was offered to the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act (H.R. 4496).
"Nobody has to tell Oregonians how hard economic times are," said Congressman David Wu. "Since 2001, Oregon has lost over 50,000 jobs. The Holt-Wu Amendment offers an innovative, hands-on approach to education and training for the jobs of tomorrow."
The Holt-Wu amendment calls for the matching of individuals with the training and education they need to fill job opportunities in advanced manufacturing industries. The amendment requires that education and training be geared toward the needs of advanced manufacturing industries, and produces a workforce that has the skills to immediately fill jobs in the advanced manufacturing industries, reducing the need and desire to outsource American jobs.
The Holt-Wu amendment would provide competitive grants to states with high levels of unemployment in the manufacturing sector. States would then offer these grant funds on a competitive basis to local consortiums of K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, advanced manufacturing industries, and employer and labor organizations.
This consortium would conduct a needs assessment focused on the workforce needs of advanced manufacturing industries and the training necessary to fill those positions. The consortium would then provide the training to individuals seeking to work in the advanced manufacturing industry.
The Act would authorize $250 million for FY 2005 and necessary funding for the succeeding five years. |
