Workforce Policy

Floor Speech

WORKFORCE POLICY -- (Senate - September 30, 2008)

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I rise to thank Senator Murray. As chairman of the HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, she works hard and effectively to protect workers and to champion skills development and employment services to help adults and dislocated workers and at-risk youth succeed in this highly competitive economy. I am proud to serve on this subcommittee. I thank Senator Murray for her leadership in introducting the Promoting Innovations to 21st Century Careers Act that will help young adults transition from high school to postsecondary education, including registered apprenticeship, and to the high skill jobs of the future. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation.

Mrs. MURRAY. I thank the Senator. I appreciate the Senator's work on skills-training issues, and I am proud to cosponsor his legislation entitled, "Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success--SECTORS--Act.'' Partnerships organized by industry sectors are an effective strategy to connect workers with thriving industries such as health care, emerging and transitioning industries like the energy industry, and manufacturing, which are vital to both the Ohio and Washington State economies. The strategies of both Promoting Innovations to 21st Century Careers Act and SECTORS Act are effective because they bring together the key stakeholders, including business, labor organizations, education at various levels, workforce boards, economic development entities, and other community organizations.

Mr. BROWN. I thank the Senator for highlighting local workforce boards as a key stakeholder in sector partnerships. It has been brought to my attention that we can further clarify that the SECTORS Act specifies the connection to local workforce boards. It is the intent for this legislation to acknowledge our local Ohio workforce boards and other regional and local workforce boards as key stakeholders in any industry sector strategy, something that is important to champions of good workforce policy.

Mrs. MURRAY. I thank the Senator for clarifying that point. The SECTORS Act models itself after many successful industry sector partnerships in our home States of Washington and Ohio, and elsewhere, such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. I look forward to continuing to work with the Senator to develop innovative workforce policies and programs that help our workers and communities stay competitive in this knowledge-based, technology-advanced, global economy.

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