To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to provide training services linked to employment demand through skills training grants, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · June 5, 2024
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
The 21st Century SKILLS Act amends federal workforce development law to create a new "skills training grant" program that gives workers direct funding to pay for job training. Under this legislation, eligible workers—including dislocated workers, low-income individuals, and employed workers earning up to 100 percent of state median income—can receive grants ranging from $6,000 to $10,000 (adjusted annually for inflation) to attend training programs at community colleges, apprenticeships, and other approved training providers. The grants also cover supportive services like childcare, transportation, and exam fees needed to complete training. The bill establishes performance requirements for training providers, creates a new online portal on the CareerOneStop website to help workers find and request grants, and mandates new federal appropriations to fund these training services without reducing other workforce development spending. The legislation prioritizes access for public assistance recipients, low-income individuals, and those with basic skills deficiencies, and requires local workforce boards to work with training providers to improve transparency on program outcomes and costs.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.