The Critical Industry Skills Act modifies federal workforce development programs to help states prepare workers for in-demand jobs in growing industries. The bill allows state governors to set aside up to 10 percent of workforce funding to establish critical industry skills programs, requiring them to match federal dollars with state or other federal money. States must create either a Critical Industry Skills Fund that makes performance-based payments to employers and training providers, or an Industry and Sector Partnership Fund that grants money to employer partnerships, particularly those including community colleges, to develop career pathways and training programs for job seekers and current workers. These grants can fund apprenticeships, competency-based assessments, and integrated education with work-based learning, with federal cost-sharing ranging from 40 to 90 percent depending on employer size and administrative costs capped at 10 percent. The bill also requires the Department of Labor to study program results within four years to determine which industries states target and what outcomes their training programs achieve.
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.