New Employment Legislation Consolidates Job Training Programs

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, has introduced the Streamlining Workforce Development Programs Act (H.R. 3610).

The legislation consolidates 33 of the 47 job training programs identified in a 2011 report by the Government Accountability Office. H.R. 3610 will offer greater clarity to local workforce leaders, provide better accountability, and foster an out-come driven job training system.

Specifically,  the bill consolidates redundant federal job training programs, reduces administrative inefficiencies, increases accountability, and fosters a dynamic, outcome-driven workforce development system that more effectively serves job seekers and employers.

The Streamlining Workforce Development Programs Act consolidates 33 of the 47 programs identified by the GAO into four flexible Workforce Investment Funds:

o The Workforce Investment Fund – provides job training services to adults, unemployed workers, and youth seeking employment;

o The State Youth Workforce Investment Fund – serves the nation’s disadvantaged youth, with a focus on school completion;

o The Veterans Workforce Investment Fund – delivers employment and training services to America’s veterans; and

o The Targeted Populations Workforce Investment Fund – continues assistance to special populations, including Native Americans and seasonal farm workers.

The Streamlining Workforce Development Programs Act requires state and local leaders to set “common performance measures” for all employment and job training programs to help eliminate waste and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent appropriately. The bill also requires an independent evaluation of U.S. Department of Labor programs every five years.

The bill also allows states to submit one statewide workforce development plan to the federal government for all job training and related programs, providing administrative flexibility and ending the era of overly burdensome paperwork requirements.

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