DelBene Asks Community Colleges to Detail the Skills Gap in the American Work Force

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) co-chair of the House Democratic Caucus New Economy Task Force, asked community colleges to detail how they are addressing the skills gap in the American work force with the goal of gleaning new information that will help guide policy discussions on the issue in Congress.

DelBene asked community colleges to provide information on the skills being taught in educational institutions and how federal policy could help remedy the disparities between the skills workers currently have and the skills sought by companies for the jobs of tomorrow.

"We have seen many changes in the way the world works and these changes have created great opportunities and painful disruptions. Our collective goal is to make sure workers have the tools they need to take advantage of the opportunities and to overcome the disruptions," DelBene said. "To ensure workers gain the skills needed to succeed in these new and changing jobs we need strong programs and STEM education -- or as I like to say STEAM, because the arts and creative thinking are just as important as we build innovative, lifelong learners. I look forward to hearing from our educators on the ground about ways they think we can address this important issue."

Despite 6.8 million Americans currently seeking jobs in the United States, a recent survey by the National Federation of Independent Business found 45 percent of small business owners said they were unable to find qualified applicants to fill job openings.

"The skills gap leaves us unable to adequately address one aspect of America's unemployment problem. Discovering more about how our educational institutions are specifically training students to enter the work force will help House Democrats prepare our future workers for their future careers," said House Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley (D-NY). "With the leadership of Rep. DelBene, I'm confident in House Democrats' ability to develop policies that will help give students and workers the opportunities to gain the skillsets needed for the future."

With a rapidly changing economy and new challenges facing American workers, the New Economy Task Force will take a forward-leaning approach to job growth, looking at rapidly advancing technology, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and ensuring workers are trained for the jobs of tomorrow.

The New Economy Task Force is one of five Democratic Caucus Jobs for America Task Forces, all focused on creating opportunities for growth, boosting hardworking families and giving every worker the opportunity to achieve the American dream by developing legislation focused on investing in key industries. The effort was launched by House Democratic Caucus in September.

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