House Passes Bill to Improve Job Training
Legislation approved by the House last week would strengthen and improve the nation’s primary job-training program, according to NAHB. “Passage of H.R. 27, the ‘Job Training Improvement Act of 2005,’ would reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which is key to our industry’s efforts to provide young workers with the training and support they need to begin careers in our high-growth industry,” said NAHB President David Wilson. The WIA provides vocational training for about 200,000 people annually. The legislation, which cleared the House on a 224-200 vote, builds upon reforms made in the WIA that were implemented in 1998. Sponsored by Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.), the measure would consolidate scores of programs into a single $3 billion block grant that would reduce unnecessary rules and regulations, increase flexibility and reduce administrative costs, fund partnerships between community colleges and employers in high-demand industries and provide states and localities greater discretion over how to disburse the funds. “Residential construction, which continually faces a shortage of skilled workers, is expected to need to fill over one million new jobs in the next decade,” said Wilson. “NAHB believes that the federal government’s investment in WIA, and the opportunities it provides for private sector interests like the Home Builders Institute, NAHB's workforce development arm, to partner through such programs as Job Corps, helps train our nation’s workforce while addressing the needs of job seekers and employers.” The House and Senate passed similar job-training measures in the 108th Congress, but were unable to reconcile their differences. Similar legislation is currently pending in the Senate. To read the House-passed bill, click here and enter H.R. 27 in the box at the upper left. | 
