House Subcommittee Hearing Pushes Reauthorization of WIOA and 'Stronger Workforce for America'

The House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development heard testimony emphasizing reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, or WIOA, and consideration of the bipartisan Stronger Workforce for America Act during a congressional hearing. Committee leaders, state officials and education and nonprofit witnesses outlined provisions they said would better align training with employer demand and expand services for youth, dislocated workers and adults.

Witnesses described why the reauthorization matters and what changes they want. "Too many WIOA participants finish training without securing a good job," said Stephen Morey, president and CEO of Strata Education Foundation. He urged improved outcomes data, including occupation, hourly pay and job location in quarterly wage records, to show whether training matches employer needs.

The bill discussed would require at least 50% of local adult and dislocated worker funding be used for skills development and expand individual training account (ITA) vouchers for displaced workers to a minimum of $5,000, witnesses said. "This provision puts employers in the driver's seat," Molly Dodge, senior vice president for workforce and careers at Ivy Tech Community College,…