Brubaker Pushes for Passage of Workforce Development Legislation
HARRISBURG – Sen. Mike Brubaker (R-36) joined business representatives and legislative colleagues today to push for passage of legislation that would support the Commonwealth’s workforce development efforts by continuing the Industry Partnerships program.
The Industry Partnerships program, which was created in 2005, brings together employers, educators and workforce representatives to ensure that workers and job-seekers are receiving the training they need to keep pace with the growing demands of Pennsylvania businesses. The program allows a cluster of businesses and organizations within a single industry to collaborate to identify and address common workforce needs.
Senate Bill 1409, introduced by Brubaker, would amend Pennsylvania’s Workforce Development Act to codify the Industry Partnerships program within the Department of Labor and Industry.
“It is vital to ensure that our workers have the knowledge and skills they need to keep Pennsylvania businesses competitive in a global marketplace,” Brubaker said. “The Industry Partnerships program has been an overwhelming success in terms of identifying educational needs and training workers, and we should continue this program to ensure our workers have the tools they need to be competitive and marketable to employers for years to come.”
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, more than 6,300 businesses have taken part in more than 80 partnerships throughout the state, and more than 73,000 workers have received training through the program.
Brubaker noted that the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board has been very successful in bringing together agriculture educators, the agriculture community and agribusiness to address specific workforce needs in the industry, and similar Industry Partnerships could benefit the agriculture industry across the state.
“The Industry Partnerships program has proven to be a cost-effective and extremely beneficial tool for both employees and the business community. By working together, we can strategically target job-training programs to provide the specialized training that employees need for increasingly complex jobs and create a skilled work force that enables businesses to stay in Pennsylvania,” said Representative Marc Gergely (D-35), who introduced similar legislation in the House. “I urge the Senate to strengthen our economy and support workers and businesses by passing Senate Bill 1409 and sending this legislation to the House, where I will work with my colleagues to quickly secure passage.”
Brubaker was joined at a Capitol press conference today by Sen. Stewart Greenleaf (R-12) and Sen. LeAnna Washington (D-4) and several representatives of business advocacy groups, including the Pennsylvania Business Council, Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board, South Central Workforce Investment Board, Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania, Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and Ames True Temper.