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Washington, D.C. -- For the second year in a row, Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) and Rep. David Wu (D-OR) today offered an amendment to the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act (H.R. 366) in an effort to stem the tide of the outsourcing of American manufacturing jobs.
“As jobs go overseas and plants close, American workers need the proper education and training to give them the skills to work in advanced manufacturing industries and earn a decent wage,” said Holt. “Congress must provide workers with the ability to adapt to a rapidly changing economy, and passage of this amendment would be a real step in the right direction.”
"Nobody has to tell Oregonians about hard economic times," said Congressman David Wu. "Today Oregon has an unemployment rate that is still well above the national average. The Holt-Wu Amendment offers an innovative, hands-on approach to education and training that draws from the strength of each community and creates a commitment to developing and keeping local jobs."
The Holt-Wu amendment would establish a federal fund for local programs that seek to give American manufacturing workers additional skills and educational training. These funds would be used to provide competitive grants to states with high levels of unemployment in the manufacturing sector. States would then offer grants on a competitive basis to local consortiums of K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, advanced manufacturing industries, and employer and labor organizations. Each grant recipient would conduct a needs analysis of their local workforce, and provide training to individuals seeking to work in advanced manufacturing vocations. A similar amendment was defeated last year on a party line vote.
“Advanced manufacturing allows American workers and their employers to compete in the global economy by integrating advanced technology into industry to more efficiently and effectively produce goods,” said Holt. “These jobs will stay in America only if the workforce has the skills, science, engineering and training necessary to fill these positions.”
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