Committee hears push for WIOA reauthorization, apprenticeships and career‑tech expansion to fill millions of openings
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Summary
Members and witnesses emphasized updating the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), increasing employer‑driven training and expanding apprenticeships and career and technical education to close a reported gap of millions of open jobs.
Committee members and witnesses urged Congress to finish work on Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act reauthorization and expand apprenticeships and career and technical education to address persistent employer skill shortages.
Why it matters: Lawmakers and business groups described a broad labor‑market mismatch: employers report millions of open jobs while many workers lack the skills employers demand. Members argued that WIOA reauthorization and targeted funding for hands‑on training can connect more jobseekers to employment and improve U.S. competitiveness.
Chairman Wahlberg and witnesses cited a national shortage of available workers. The chairman observed that “we have about 8,000,000 unfilled jobs in our country,” and witnesses described the pipeline problems employers face.
Johnny C. Taylor Jr., president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, said the “education to employment pipeline is leaky, it's broken, and it's busted,” and urged that workforce programs align training with employer needs, including retaining at least 50% of funds for training and leveraging employer expertise. Taylor and other witnesses recommended expanding registered apprenticeships and giving employers a larger role in shaping curriculum.
Members also highlighted successful local examples of high school career and technical education programs (agriscience and trade high school programs) and said earlier exposure to skills training can broaden opportunity and diversify career pathways. Several members stressed that funding and implementation design — including whether training is paid — matters for participation among low‑income students.
Ending: Members expressed bipartisan interest in reintroducing and finishing WIOA reform this Congress, and witnesses said employer‑driven training, apprenticeships and career‑technical options are central to closing the skills gap. The committee did not take formal votes at the hearing.