President's Jobs Council Calls for Better Worker Certification Process, Addressed by Donnelly's Bill

Press Release

Today, the leaders of the President's Jobs and Competitiveness Council, General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt and American Express CEO Ken Chenault, wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal with the group's recommendations for accelerating job growth and competitiveness. The first recommendation they listed was "Train workers for today's open jobs" and they noted that there are still open jobs because "employers can't find workers with the advanced manufacturing skills they need." Read the full column here.

Congressman Joe Donnelly introduced legislation this spring that would address this issue, The American Manufacturing Efficiency and Retraining Investment Collaboration Achievement (AMERICA) Works Act, H.R. 1325. Donnelly's bill would better equip skilled workers to successfully connect with the employers who need them by creating a national registry of skill credentials and re-direct existing worker training resources to prioritize programs that lead to the credentials listed on the registry.

"I'm pleased that the President's Jobs and Competitiveness Council has noted the importance of matching employers with qualified workers who have in-demand skills," said Donnelly. "With the creation of a national registry of skill credentials, we can make life a little easier for Americans who are trained and ready to work, for example, on advanced pieces of machinery. My legislation would ensure that there is one, reliable resource for industry-recognized, nationally-portable credentials. I'll continue to push for support of my bill in the House because while we still have a lot of work to do to make sure that there is a job for every Hoosier, this will help skilled job-seekers more efficiently market their skills and find the employers who need them."

The AMERICA Works Act is endorsed by the National Association of Manufacturers and currently has bipartisan support from 10 other Members of Congress. The Blue Dog Coalition has endorsed Donnelly's bill and his bill was included in House Democratic Minority Whip Steny Hoyer's "Make It In America" manufacturing agenda. To learn more about The AMERICA Works Act, click here.

In March 2011, Congressman Donnelly hosted a summit on the future of manufacturing in Indiana where he heard from employers, workers, and researchers from around the state as to what is working well and what we need to improve in order to continue to lead in this field. At this event, Donnelly heard from employers and employees alike that we need to improve the current system of connecting skilled workers with the manufacturers that need them. After receiving their feedback, he introduced The AMERICA Works Act to assist in this effort.

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