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Floor Speech

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, we need to revitalize our Nation's defense and maritime industrial bases, and we need to develop the workforce to achieve this goal. Job Corps and registered apprenticeship programs have the track record and capacity to support this effort. Yet current law limits the ability of the Department of Defense and key entities in the defense and maritime industrial bases to invest in partnerships with these programs. To address this challenge, I am introducing the bipartisan Job Corps Shipbuilding-Defense Industrial Base Pipeline Act with Senator Collins. Our bill will formalize and strengthen the partnership between Job Corps, registered apprenticeship programs, and the defense industrial base. I am grateful to Representative Joe Courtney for leading the bipartisan effort in the House.

Over the next decade, the submarine industrial base will need an estimated 100,000 skilled workers to build the submarines critical to our national defense. In the next year, Electric Boat, a key contractor in this effort, plans to hire 5,000 workers in the skilled trades, including 3,000 in Rhode Island. Our Job Corps centers have been important partners in filling the workforce pipeline, but with additional resources and flexibilities, they could do even more.

The Job Corps Shipbuilding-Defense Industrial Base Pipeline Act would promote greater alignment between our armed services, defense industrial base, Job Corps, and registered apprenticeship programs to prepare young workers to contribute to our national defense. It would extend eligibility for the Navy Shipbuilding Workforce Development Special Incentive to Job Corps and registered apprenticeship programs, and it would enable Job Corps centers to receive grants from the Department of Defense and other sources to fund training curriculum. It would also provide Job Corps centers with the flexibility to make staffing and professional development decisions, enter into agreements with local partners, and engage stakeholders, while acting within existing budgets.

Additionally, the Job Corps Shipbuilding-Defense Industrial Base Pipeline Act would provide new avenues for participation in Job Corps and registered apprenticeship programs. Our bill would require the Secretary of Defense to ensure military recruits who are ineligible for enlistment be made aware of opportunities to enroll in the Job Corps and registered apprenticeship programs to prepare them for enlistment or learn skills that are in high demand in the defense industrial Use. It would also streamline Job Corps' enrollment for interested servicemembers in preseparation counseling.

The Job Corps Shipbuilding-Defense Industrial Base Pipeline Act is a win-win-win piece of legislation. Our national security will be strengthened by providing more skilled workers to address critical defense sector needs; young people will get life-changing career opportunities that will put them on a path to economic security and personal success; and the taxpayer will benefit from greater government efficiency in leveraging existing programs to address national priorities. I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this legislation.

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