“I also applaud President Obama, and Secretaries Duncan and Solis for launching a new user-friendly website to help Americans understand and take advantages of these various student aid benefits. Their proactive leadership will open up new opportunities that will empower students and workers to become part our nation’s recovery.  I look forward to working with them to continue making college more affordable and getting our economy back on track.”

Currently, jobless Americans who receive unemployment benefits cannot keep those benefits if they go to college and receive federal financial aid. President Obama’s proposal will allow these workers to maintain those benefits if they enroll in college. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Congress increased the Pell Grant scholarship to $5,350 for the 2009-2010 school year – an increase of more than $600 its current level.

Under current law, financial aid offers are allowed to use unemployment benefits as proof that a family’s job status has changed, even if their financial aid forms list an old income level, and adjust their student aid award package accordingly.

For more information, visit www.opportunity.gov. 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law in February, set aside $50 billion in grants and tax incentives to promote energy efficiency and the renewable energy sector. Congress also approved the Green Jobs Act in 2007, a $500 million program to help train American workers for jobs in the renewable energy and energy-efficiency industries.

“Effective implementation of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act energy efficiency measures is essential to our plans,” said Robin Roy, vice president of Serious Materials, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of green building materials. “It will allow us to expand operations and hire up far more rapidly than would be possible with out it.”

With millions of Americans out of work in the manufacturing and construction industries, future sustainable job creation is dependent on the development of good-paying jobs in emerging industries, witnesses told the subcommittee.

"The emergence of a green economy will lead to a new generation of jobs, as well as the eventual transformation of traditional occupations across many industry sectors” said Kathy Krepcio, executive director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.

A number of private groups are already working to bring businesses, environmental groups, labor, and government resources to the table to develop strategies to spur green sector jobs.

“Our energy, climate, and economic crises also present tremendous opportunities,” said Jerome Ringo, president of the clean energy group Apollo Alliance. “We believe our nation can and must achieve a triple bottom line: energy security, climate stability, and broadly shared economic prosperity.”

One element of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is to encourage energy efficiency and job creation through the greening of schools, government buildings and other large office complexes. Advocates say that these investments will not only pay off through lower energy consumption, but have the potential to create millions of jobs for engineers, construction workers, and other well paying trades.

“There are millions of commercial, educational, medical and other very large buildings across our country that are energy and water hogs,” said Jill Sherman of the green building development company Gerding Edlen. “Buildings that are needlessly wasting energy and desperate need retrofitting; and this is where we believe the current opportunity lies.”

“Last week, the President signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to save or create 3.5 million jobs,” said U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, (D-TX), chair of the subcommittee. “Yet from our last hearing, we know that an estimated 80 – 90 million adults – about half of our workforce – lack the basic education and skills to qualify for the jobs that will be created. We won’t be able to bridge that gap unless we improve our nation’s job training and workforce development programs.”

President Obama’s economic recovery plan invests $5 billion in job training programs to help get Americans back to work. The Workforce Investment Act was enacted in 1998 to expand access to job training, job placement and professional development opportunities for workers. As witnesses explained today, the law expired in 2003, making it long overdue for updates that will address workers’ as the economy begins to rebound.

 “Current economic conditions not withstanding, America’s supply of adequately skilled workers does not meet its demand,” said Kevin Smith, executive director, New York Literacy, Inc.  “It is essential to consider what skills are available versus those needed to support and sustain national, state and local economic development strategies.  As the nation succeeds in building an economic recovery, including job creation, the skills gap will impede progress.”

“With the unprecedented demands on workers for higher levels of education and new, cutting-edge skill sets, quick access to training and education is essential,” Sandi Vito, acting secretary, Pennsylvania, Department of Labor and Industry, agreed today. “Both employed and unemployed workers must have training opportunities throughout the span of their work life in order to get good jobs, advance in their careers and stay competitive.”

Several witnesses also discussed the need for improved coordination at the local, state, and national level to meet the growing need for a well-trained, 21st century American workforce.

“The Department’s work in partnership with the States has produced significant accomplishments and helped many learners achieve their education and employment goals” said Cheryl Keenan, the director of Division of Adult Education and Literacy.  “Many challenges still exist, particularly in the job market, where the “bar” for literacy skills that are required for family-supporting employment is constantly being raised.”

To view all of the testimonies from today’s hearing, click here.