Washington, D.C. Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) celebrated the U.S. House of Representatives passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), H.R. 803, and released the following statement:
"Today's passage of WIOA is an important step forward in ensuring that local stakeholders are involved in shaping job training efforts and that more job seekers have access to job training programs that will prepare them for career opportunities in their local economies," said ABC vice president of government affairs Geoff Burr. "This much-needed legislation is a big win for the construction industry and all of the skilled trades, and we applaud the bipartisan and bicameral effort that made this possible."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the construction industry's need for workers will grow twice as fast as the average for all industries and that the industry will face a workforce shortage of 1.6 million workers by 2022. ABC believes that effective, targeted and accessible workforce training programs will be crucial in preparing new workers for careers in construction and has been a vocal supporter of WIOA.