After consulting directly with Maine Workforce Investment Boards, Congressman Mike Michaud sent the leaders of the House Education and Workforce Committee a letter today urging them to reauthorize and improve the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). WIA is the law that governs some major federal programs that provide job search, education, and training activities for those seeking to gain or improve their employment prospects.

"Workforce training programs are critical to helping those who have lost their jobs get the training they need to find new work," said Michaud. "Making our workforce as competitive as it can be is especially important for Maine given the significant decline of manufacturing employment we've seen in the last 20 years."

In Michaud's letter to the committee, he urged them to take up reauthorizing legislation that promotes sector-specific training, prioritizes industry-recognized credentials, and supports a career pathways approach to workforce development.

"After hearing directly from those on the ground in Maine that manage these programs, I'm convinced that there are significant steps that can be taken to improve our state and national worker training efforts," said Michaud. "Reauthorizing and passing targeted improvements to these programs could boost long-term employment and overall industry competitiveness. It would also better connect hiring employers and qualified job-seekers; something that many Maine businesses have told me is needed."

The full text of the letter.

December 1, 2011

Dear Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Miller:

As the national unemployment rate continues to hover at nine percent, it is imperative that Congress pursue policies that will help put Americans back to work quickly and in good-paying jobs.It is also important to improve our worker training programs as part of national efforts to make America's workforce as competitive as possible. Reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) is one such policy that will help the unemployed and underemployed get the skills they need and employers find the workers they seek. I urge your committee to markup WIA reauthorizing legislation that promotes sector-specific training, prioritizes industry-recognized credentials, and supports a career pathways approach to workforce development.

WIA's training and job-search services are critical for states that have seen a decline of specific sectors, namely manufacturing, and need to retrain workers in other fields. In Maine, in addition to this long-term economic shift, the recession took its toll on the state's workforce, reducing the number of employed residents by 23,900 between 2008 and 2009. Unfortunately those who are out of work do not have the skill sets that hiring businesses need. According to the state's 2010 Workforce Investment Act annual report , between 1990 and 2009, the number of production workers fell 44% as overall employment in the manufacturing sector declined significantly. Yet even though job postings have increased, the state's unemployment rate has remained largely unchanged. Reauthorization of an improved WIA program will help to address this disparity and get Mainers the qualifications required for available jobs.

Prioritizing and funding sector-specific training under WIA would promote industry competitiveness and enhance worker training and career advancement. Maine's Tri-County Workforce Investment Board (WIB) pursued two sector-based training programs with great success. One program focused on the construction industry and enrolled 109 individuals. Of those participants, over 80% of current graduates have found a job in the trade, enrolled in a higher education 2 year degree, become an apprentice, or joined a union. Their second sector-specific program was in partnership with Eastern Maine Community College and focused on the health care sector. Of the 20 students enrolled, 75% completed the program and more than 85% of the graduates are working in the health care field. Formally recognizing and funding sector-based training in WIA reauthorizing legislation will give the Tri-County WIB and others across the country the resources needed to build upon the proven success of sector-specific training.

Promoting industry-recognized credentials is another way to ensure that WIA's services lead to tangible training that will improve worker and industry competitiveness. The disparity between qualifications demanded by employers and the skill sets held by workers looking for jobs is a widespread concern among Maine's manufacturers. In a recent survey of Maine manufacturers completed by my office, 56% of the respondents indicated that it was either difficult or very difficult to find skilled and qualified candidates for their vacancies. By including industry-recognized credentials in performance measures and incentivizing collaboration between WIBs, community colleges, and specific sectors, WIA reauthorization legislation will help employers find qualified workers and help workers obtain the skills they need for long-term careers.

Incorporating career pathways is another way to improve WIA services. Career pathways strategies coordinate adult education, job training, and higher education programs and permit individuals to pursue additional training or education even after they have found a job. WIA's current "sequence of service" requirement, however, is geared toward short-term job placement. In states like Maine that have experienced large employment declines in certain sectors, short-term job placement will not resolve larger workforce issues and will not promote economic development and competitiveness. Removing this sequence of service standard and promoting career pathways strategies will open up opportunities for workers to obtain training, even after they have found a job, and make them better qualified employees. In addition, adjusting performance measures to encourage obtaining industry-recognized credentials and other portable degrees will support state and local efforts to develop career pathways strategies that maximize WIA resources and coordinate with other federal worker training programs.

WIA's worker training and job search services are critical to Maine, and not just as a result of the economic downturn. In addition to the increased unemployment as a result of the recession, the state's dramatic decline in manufacturing employment has caused tens of thousands of skilled workers to lose jobs for which they were highly qualified and to seek positions for which they are not. By reauthorizing and improving the program to promote long-term employment and industry competitiveness, WIA's services will better bridge the gap between hiring employers and job-seekers in Maine. In doing so, an updated WIA reauthorization will support efforts to make the American workforce competitive in the 21st century's global economy.

Thank you for your consideration of these recommendations. I look forward to working with you to improve our workforce training programs.

Sincerely,

MIKE MICHAUD
Member of Congress