Congresswoman Gwen Moore Supports Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022

“It’s time to invest in our workers, invest in career services and education, and invest in our workforce. It’s time to fully fund workforce development programs, so we can unleash our country’s full potential and continue building a globally competitive economy and workforce.

WIOA reauthorization is an opportunity to improve these programs to better connect workers to good-paying jobs and helps employers access a skilled workforce. It’s a win-win.

I am pleased that this legislation will also formalize programs that serve our most vulnerable young people, such as foster youth, low-income youth, and young people with disabilities. The  summer and year-round jobs programs authorized in this bill will give these young people job training skills, while also providing financial literacy training and mentorship, helping them prepare for adulthood. As someone who at one time, would meet several of these categories as a low-income young person and a pregnant teenage mother, I know this assistance can change one’s life trajectory.

I am proud this legislation formally authorizes a program through the Department of Labor to help individuals involved in the justice system build family-supporting careers. People who have already served their time need and deserve support to start a new life for themselves, so they can work, take care of their families, and reintegrate into the community. With our criminal justice system disproportionately funneling people of color into prison, and coming from a state with the highest incarceration rate of Black people, many being Black men from Milwaukee County, I can tell you this resource could benefit many undeserved communities in my district.

And during this debate, I was pleased to cosponsor an amendment to target year-round job training and workforce programs to support opportunity for youth in communities disproportionately affected by gun violence to help them get the skills needed in in-demand occupations.

This WIOA reauthorization legislation will make long overdue investments in our workers while ensuring that as we expand opportunities in the job market, no community gets left behind.”

About the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 reauthorizes and strengthens our nation’s workforce development system. The legislation:

• Fully funds WIOA programs by authorizing roughly $80 billion over six years, which will allow the workforce system to train one million workers per year by 2028;
• Establishes a permanent Department of Labor program to help individuals released from incarceration transition back to employment and access sustainable career pathways;
• Expands summer and year-round jobs programs for youth;
• Strengthens the quality of the Job Corps program;
• Codifies partnerships between employers and community colleges to provide high-quality job training;
• Strengthens industry and sector partnerships to better meet the needs of both employers and job seekers; and
• Provides funding for innovative approaches to workforce development.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.