House Manufacturing Caucus

Dear Colleague:

As Co-Chairs of the House Manufacturing Caucus, we encourage you and your staff to attend an important briefing sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) concerning the importance of understanding and solving the skills gap issue. The briefing will take place Tuesday, July 24 at 2:00pm in the Senate Visitor Center Room 202. It will focus on a 2011 study conducted by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte, which found that despite historic levels of high unemployment, manufacturers in America have been unable to fill as many as 600,000 skilled positions because they are unable to find workers with the needed competencies.

The America Works Act, introduced in the Senate by Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) and in the House by Representatives Joe Donnelly (D-IN) andTodd Platts (R-PA), strengthens federal training programs by directing the use of existing funds in the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Perkins to prioritize nationally portable, industry-recognized certifications to focus on developing skills in demand by the private sector. Such certifications are grounded in the skills manufacturers identify as necessary in the workplace. This solution empowers workers to know they are being trained in marketable skills, enables employers to know they are hiring someone who will succeed in their job, and streamlines federal resources toward programs that work.

Manufacturers impacted by the skills gap issue will participate in Tuesday’s briefing and will be available to answer your questions.  To RSVP, please contact the NAM’s Julianna Nunnenkamp jnunnenkamp@nam.org.

Sincerely,  

Donald Manzullo Tim Ryan
Member of Congress Member of Congress