Local Support Highlights Need for This Jobs Bill

The local support for these reforms shows just how important they are.

• “If we are to ever rekindle the manufacturing power house we once had, our industry needs a well-trained workforce … I have positions available but cannot find enough well-trained people to fill the openings.” – Roger Hasler, President and CEO of Fairfield-based Machintek, Inc.
• “As our regional economy recovers and grows, workforce training is critically important to help job seekers attain the skills needed to qualify for in-demand occupations.  We estimate there are over 30,000 open positions in our region and yet we have over 130,000 people looking for work.  WIOA is an important step forward in aligning public training funds with employer needs, and helping people get back to work.” – Janice Urbanik, Executive Director of Cincinnati’s Partners for a Competitive Workforce
• “Business Leaders United (BLU) works with employers in Cincinnati and all over the country that continue to be challenged in finding qualified workers to fill open positions with their businesses.   Access to a skilled workforce is essential to growing their businesses and competing in the global economy.  BLU is pleased with the passage of WIOA, which will help target federal investments to training programs that effectively engage employers and provide jobseekers with the skills and credentials they look for when making hiring decisions. Business Leaders United commends the House—under Speaker Boehner’s leadership—for coming together in a bipartisan manner to pass this critical legislation that will help them in their efforts to develop the talent pipeline and close the skills gap.”  – Scott Ellsworth, Director of Business Leaders United, a national network of small and large employers participating in workforce partnerships