Organizations who support strengthening – not eliminating – U.S. Workforce Development Efforts are organizing a Workforce Day of Action on March 24, 2011.  The purpose is to rally the support of citizens to contact their local Congress’ in-district offices with letters or calls of support.  The groups behind the Workforce Day of Action include:

• Association for Career and Technical Education
• The Corps Network
• International Association of Jewish Vocational Services
• Jobs for the Future
• National Association of Workforce Boards
• National Association of Workforce Development  Professionals
• National Council of La Raza
• National Skills Coalition
• The United States Conference of Mayors
• Wider Opportunities for Women
• Works Working for America
• Workforce Strategies Initiative at the Aspen Institute
• Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs

The groups developed the following bullet points of “Why”:

• Workforce development programs are an important part of the nation’s economic recovery and job creation effort- working with employers to train workers for existing and emerging high-demand jobs. If federal investments in these programs are eliminated, the impact will be devastating to our fragile economy as it is still slowly getting back on its feet.
• Nearly 14 million Americans remain unemployed as of February, with over 40 percent unemployed for 6 months and longer.
• Many are unable to return to their prior jobs because those occupations no longer exist; these workers and many others lack the skills and credentials needed for today’s 21^st-century economy.
• This past year, the U.S. Workforce Investment (WIA) system served over 8.4 million jobseekers; helped over 4.3 million get jobs; and placed hundreds of thousands into education and training to prepare them for new careers.
• WIA participation rates increased 234 percent over the past two years despite funding remaining stagnant at 2008 levels.
• Yet the House Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Appropriations bill, HR 1, zeroes out all funding for WIA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth state and local employment and training programs, a cut of over $3.6 billion for the coming  year (beginning this July).
• Other programs targeted for deep cuts or elimination include Perkins Career and Technical Education, YouthBuild, Job Corps, green jobs training, reintegration of ex-offenders, and Community Service Employment for Older Americans.
• If enacted, these cuts will result in:

o   Closing of 3000 One-Stop Centers and turning away millions of jobseekers in need of career guidance, training and employment services.

o   At a time when nearly one in five youth and young adults age 16- 24 are unemployed, more than 7,000 young people will lose access to services under YouthBuild: 10,000 more will lose access to services under Job Corps; and 276,000 youth will lose access to employment, education, training, and work experiences under WIA youth programs.

o   Over 14 million students enrolled in school-based career and technical education programs supported by Perkins will see services and opportunities cut or even eliminated, and program quality diminished.

o   As many as 50,000 low-income seniors will be denied part-time community-service jobs under the elimination of the CSEOA program.

o   And veterans who receive priority services under WIA will have to find other sites to get the help they need to successfully transition into civilian jobs.

Now is not he time to eliminate the nation’s primary system for getting people back to worik.

We stand united in support of adequate funding for these programs and oppose in the strongest possible terms, any cuts, much less the elimination of funding for workforce development and related programs in this and future appropriations measures.

[Download Flyer Here]

The California Workforce Association is doing a terrific job on monitoring H.R. 1 and the ending of Workforce Investment Act funding.  Excerpts from the latest update follows:

“Today, the House averted a government shutdown by approving a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) to provide funds to keep the government operating until March 18th. The CR reduces spending by $4 billion over the next two weeks; WIA funding is not impacted.

You can view a copy of the short-term CR at the House Rules Committee.

We expect the bill to be considered by the Senate tomorrow, where Marjority Leader Harry Reid has said Senate Democrats will vote to pass it. This two-week extension will give the Senate more time to consider H.R. 1, the full-fiscal year spending bill.

As you know, H.R. 1 aimed to cut over $100 billion in funding, which includes a complete elimination of funding for the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). H.R. 1 could be heard in the Senate as early as Friday.

Please continue your advocacy efforts and step up your media outreach over the next three weeks. Your voice is critical and we need all your support.”

As the California Workforce Association (CWA) continues to monitor and report on the progression of HR 1, the Mother Lode Workforce Investment Board will also continue to provide information to our local citizens on this website. You can expect to see resources, such as local statistics and data regarding the local Job Connections and Mother Lode Job Training.As we receive news and information, we will pass along through posts.  There is a new widget on the right sidebar with real-time updates on HR 1 from http://govtrack.us.

Recently added (2/22):

• Resource links to elected officials.
• US Congress Contacts – download in Word.
• Widget on right sidebar to track HR 1

[From California Workforce Association 2/17/11] The House Appropriations Committee introduced H.R. 1, the Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Resolution (CR). If passed, this bill would eliminate all funding, over $3.6 billion, for the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in Program Year 2011, and calls for a $175 million rescission of Prior Year funds. Beginning in July 1 of this year, these cuts would zero out all new funding for state and local programs under WIA. This proposed elimination of funding for WIA will bring an end to investment in the nation’s workforce development system just as workers and businesses are struggling to recover from one of the worst economic downturns in American history.

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