Smucker Questions Bureaucracy Hindering Federal Workforce Programs, Introduces Building Youth Workforce Skills Act
Washington—Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11), a member of the House Education & Workforce Committee, is pushing to expand access to federal workforce development programs funded through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
During a hearing of the Education & Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, Smucker questioned whether bureaucratic requirements under WIOA are preventing high quality training providers from participating.
Rep. Smucker shared that Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, an institution with a strong record of student success, has been unable to register as an eligible training provider under WIOA. Smucker asked witness Rya Conrad-Bradshaw, Vice President of Corporate Markets for the Cengage Group, a leading education technology company, if this was a common occurrence:
Smucker: “I spoke with a technical college in my district, Thaddeus Stevens, which is a
great school, who have said they have been unable to be added to the eligible training provider list (ETPL) because the process in their mind was simply too complicated to warrant doing it. And I’m wondering how you feel about the process? Do you think it accurately examines program quality, or is it like just making people jump through hoops? Do you think it works?”
Conrad-Bradshaw: “Thank you Representative Smucker for your question. And I would say that I think what your technical college is experiencing is relatively common…”
As Congress considers reauthorizing WIOA, Rep. Smucker is committed to advancing commonsense fixes like simplifying how workforce development organizations can join the eligible training providers list, ensuring that available funding supports skills development programs rather than administrative bloat and paying for program success.
Rep. Smucker is also introducing the Building Youth Workforce Skills Act alongside Rep. Nathaniel Moran (TX-1), to expand WIOA program offerings to school-aged children for additional career pathways to success.
“Expanding students’ access to skills training and workforce development programs will give the next generation of workers the opportunity to live their American Dreams. As students learn about pathways to a successful career, these critical programs will help students learn the skills to excel in in-demand and high-paying jobs. I thank Rep. Moran for introducing the Building Youth Workforce Skills Act. I’m proud to be an original co-sponsor and am committed to advocating for this bill to be signed into law,” said Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11).
Background Information on the Building Youth Workforce Skills Act:
Skills development in WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker programs is built on the concept of customer choice and is provided through a voucher called an “Individual Training Account” (ITA).An Individual Training Account is a voucher in which an individual can purchase training services from a provider on a state’s eligible training providers list. Under current law, only out-of-school youth are eligible to use ITAs. This bill allows local workforce boards the flexibility to use their previously allocated funds to provide in-school-youths with ITAs. This will create more opportunities for in-school youth who face barriers to have access to skills development programs. This bill does not increase current spending levels under WIOA but opens existing funding under the WIOA Youth Program to be used to upskill the next generation.
Currently, there are 16 states that have received a waiver from the Department of Labor that allows them to use ITA accounts for in-school-youth to receive training. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, “30 percent of in-school-youth enrolled in postsecondary training programs used ITAs to help fund their training.”
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