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| Wilson Effort Promotes Job Training |
March 17, 2004 |
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Lawmaker Cosponsoring Bill to Train Closed Captioning Professionals
Albuquerque – Congresswoman Heather Wilson is working for new job training and small business opportunities for closed captioning professionals in New Mexico.
Wilson, a member of the House Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee, is co-sponsoring the Training for Realtime Writers Act of 2003 (H.R. 970).
Realtime writers provide captioning of television broadcasts for 28 million hearing-impaired Americans. The demand for qualified realtime writers is expected to continue growing through 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. In a closely related field, court reporters have a median income of more than $40,000 nationwide. Many of them are self-employed or small business owners who work by contract. Many work from home, and most are in professional office settings.
“Even most large states have no more than two college programs that provide this important training. New Mexico has two, both in Albuquerque, which would be eligible to apply for these grants,” Wilson said. “I’m pleased that this important legislation has momentum and bipartisan support in Congress.”
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 mandates that all broadcasts be fully captioned by 2006. Currently, there is a shortage of professionals who are trained to provide this important service.
“Small and independent businesses are the engine that drives this economy, creating eight of every 10 new jobs,” Wilson said. “Realtime writing is another career option. It’s also an important way of helping millions of Americans receive news, emergency announcements, entertainment and sports, and helping hard-of-hearing people participate more fully in day-to-day events.”
The bill would make competitive grants available to promote training and placement, including those who have completed training for court reporting. By completing this training, many court reporters can expand their small businesses or array of services.
Educational grants would be limited to two years and a maximum of $1.5 million. A total of $20 million in grants would be authorized over two years. The legislation has the support of the National Court Reporters Association and the National Verbatim Reporters Association.
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