American Workforce Development

Floor Speech

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Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her work in organizing this Special Order this evening.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the importance of workforce development in America.

Over the past 1\1/2\ years, this Congress has been working diligently to turn this economy around and get Americans across the country back to work.

After passing the most comprehensive tax overhaul in 30 years and rolling back Obama-era rules and regulations, our economy is beginning to thrive, and the need for a developed and established workforce is more crucial right now than ever before.

The simple fact is our workforce is aging and there are not enough people who currently have the skills to take the positions of retirees nor the thousands of private sector jobs being created every day in this new economy. And with over 6 million jobs available in this country as we speak, we have to ensure that our young people today are equipped for the job market of tomorrow.

In fact, I enjoy meeting with young people and talking about this era in which, when they are educated, they have the greatest opportunity of any generation that I am aware of to find a job in an upward economy in just about every field that they desire.

As someone who has worked in the construction industry for my entire career, I know firsthand how difficult it is to find skilled workers. And as a member of House Education and the Workforce Committee, this is why I was proud of supporting the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act and the PROSPER Act, both pieces of legislation that bridge the gap between the business community and our education efforts.

Make no mistake, getting an education is essential, but it is equally important that our education efforts are aligned with the in-demand jobs in our communities.

In order to cultivate a qualified workforce for the future, our education and business communities must work together so our kids and grandkids have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. As I said, I believe that opportunity is the best today that it has ever been.

Back home in Georgia's 12th District, I have visited small business after small business. And one question I always ask is: What is your biggest challenge? And the answer to that question almost every single time is: Workers.

As a business owner, the greatest joy in my life was creating jobs. I look back, and I look at the buildings we built in the construction industry, and we got pretty good at it. But I will tell you, the one thing, when I look back, and the greatest joy that I had in life, was giving folks a good job, allowing them the dignity and respect that they deserve, to empower them to fulfill their God-given right to provide for their families, to provide for their communities, and yes, provide for this Nation; an opportunity I believe should be available to all Americans.

One of the top factors in where a business decides to locate is based on workforce, and with Georgia being named as the number one State to locate your business for the past 5 years in a row, our workforce needs in Georgia are growing each and every day.

I will continue to work with my colleagues in this body on the House Education and the Workforce Committee to ensure that we have an available workforce equipped with the skills necessary to jump directly into that workforce.

Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to thank Chairwoman Foxx for her leadership work here and her work here this evening in bringing attention to this critical matter.

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