Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) visited the new Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) Advanced Technology Training Center.  Portman toured the facility, spent time with Cleveland Municipal School District high school students enrolled in a robotics lab which earns them college credits, and visited the welding center to observe a training session for Ford employees.

In addition, Portman participated in a roundtable discussion on Tri-C workforce development programs.  He was joined by representatives of local employers, including Alcoa and Ford, and over a dozen students.  Improving worker retraining is one of Portman’s top priorities.  In September 2012, Portman introduced the bipartisan Careers Through Responsive, Efficient, and Effective Retraining (CAREER) Act with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO).

“As unemployment remains consistently too high for comfort and thousands of people are giving up hope and leaving the workforce altogether, we should be doing everything we can to ensure that tomorrow's workforce is equipped today with the skills they need to acquire jobs,” Portman said.  “By working closely with Ohio’s colleges and career tech centers, employers, and students, our bill takes several commonsense steps to prepare workers to compete in a global economy.  These measures will help connect the unemployed with good jobs and more effectively leverage taxpayer dollars.”

“Tri-C and other community colleges across America are uniquely positioned to provide high-skill training and credentials to current and prospective workers," said Susan Muha, Vice President of the Workforce and Economic Development Division at Tri-C. "The bipartisan CAREER Act will help ensure that the workforce is equipped today with industry recognized credentials that are relevant in a rapidly changing workplace.  We hope to see the CAREER Act passed into law so that Tri-C and other community colleges have the federal support we need to keep America competitive."