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INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO MEETING THE 

WORKFORCE NEEDS OF SMALL BUSINESSES 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS 

UNITED STATES 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

HEARING HELD 

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 

Small Business Committee Document Number 112–032 

Available via the GPO Website: www.fdsys.gov 


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(II) 

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS 

SAM GRAVES, Missouri, Chairman 

ROSCOE BARTLETT, Maryland 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

STEVE KING, Iowa 

MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado 

MICK MULVANEY, South Carolina 

SCOTT TIPTON, Colorado 

JEFF LANDRY, Louisiana 

JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER, Washington 

ALLEN WEST, Florida 

RENEE ELLMERS, North Carolina 

JOE WALSH, Illinois 

LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania 

RICHARD HANNA, New York 

ROBERT T. SCHILLING, Illinois 

NYDIA VELA ́ ZQUEZ, New York, Ranking Member 

KURT SCHRADER, Oregon 

MARK CRITZ, Pennsylvania 

YVETTE CLARKE, New York 

JUDY CHU, California 

DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island 

CEDRIC RICHMOND, Louisiana 

JANICE HAHN, California 

GARY PETERS, Michigan 

BILL OWENS, New York 

BILL KEATING, Massachusetts 

LORI SALLEY, Staff Director 

PAUL SASS, Deputy Staff Director 

BARRY PINELES, Chief Counsel 

Michael Day, Minority Staff Director 


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C O N T E N T S 

OPENING STATEMENTS

Page 

Graves, Hon. Sam .................................................................................................... 1 

Vela ́zquez, Hon. Nydia ............................................................................................ 2 

WITNESSES 

Ms. Jennifer McNelly, Senior Vice President, The Manufacturing Institute, 

Washington, DC ................................................................................................... 3 

Dr. Robert Scott Ralls, President, The North Carolina Community College 

System, Raleigh, NC ............................................................................................ 5 

Mr. Scott Watkins, CEO, Modern Tech Squad, Bonifay, FL ................................ 8 

Mr. Roger Tadajewski, Executive Director, National Coalition of Certification 

Centers, Kenosha, WI .......................................................................................... 10 

APPENDIX 

Prepared Statements: 

Ms. Jennifer McNelly, Senior Vice President, The Manufacturing Institute, Washington, DC ................................................................................... 22 

Dr. Robert Scott Ralls, President, The North Carolina Community College 

System, Raleigh, NC ..................................................................................... 26 

Mr. Scott Watkins, CEO, Modern Tech Squad, Bonifay, FL ........................ 31 

Mr. Roger Tadajewski, Executive Director, National Coalition of Certification Centers, Kenosha, WI ........................................................................ 35 

Questions for the Record: 

Congressman Owens Questions for Ms. Jennifer McNelly ........................... 38 

Congressman Owens Questions for Dr. Robert Scott Ralls .......................... 39 

Congressman Owens Questions for Mr. Roger Tadajewski .......................... 40 

Answers for the Record: 

Ms. Jennifer McNelly, Senior Vice President, The Manufacturing Institute, Washington, DC ................................................................................... 41 

Dr. Robert Scott Ralls, President, The North Carolina Community College 

System, Raleigh, NC ..................................................................................... 43 

Mr. Roger Tadajewski, Executive Director, National Coalition of Certification Centers, Kenosha, WI ........................................................................ 45 

Additional Materials for the Record: 

Rep. Joe Donnelly Statement for the Record ................................................. 46 

CompTIA Statement for the Record ................................................................ 48 


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INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO MEETING THE 

WORKFORCE NEEDS OF SMALL BUSINESSES 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS, Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 1:07 p.m., in room 2360, 

Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Sam Graves (chairman of the 

Committee) presiding. 

Present: Representatives Graves, Chabot, King, Coffman, Tipton, 

West, Ellmers, Vela ́zquez, Clarke, Cicilline, and Owens. 

Chairman GRAVES. Good afternoon, everybody. I call the hearing 

to order. 

I thank everyone for joining us. I also want to thank our witnesses for appearing today. I look forward to hearing your testimony. 

The purpose of today’s hearing is to examine the workforce needs 

of small businesses and the newer, more innovative programs that 

are being created to meet those needs. 

The domestic economy has experienced profound changes in the 

last generation. Advances in technology have made it possible for 

firms across the industry to increase the efficiencies of their workforce. Most agree that the future health and competitiveness of the 

domestic economy is dependent on continued innovation. These 

technological advances have also increased businesses’ needs for 

workers who can understand and operate complex machinery and 

processes. 

While the economy remains mired in recession and more than 14 

million of our citizens remain out of work, a number of firms, including small businesses, report difficulty finding new workers 

with the requisite skills and knowledge for entry level positions. 

According to a recent survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, more than 33 percent of small firms report vacancies that remain unfilled because of a lack of qualified candidates. 

The situation is becoming so acute that some are beginning to 

question whether the skills gap is a contributing factor, along with 

the future budget, tax, and regulatory uncertainty, to weak economic growth and further job creation. 

When firms can’t fill a job opening in a recession, it is clear that 

there is a problem. The United States spends hundreds of billions 

of dollars a year on education and workforce training programs, yet 

the current system is in many ways too complex and is failing to 

meet the needs of businesses and the students it educates. This is 


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leading some to question whether the alternative paths to education and training can fill these programs. 

As in the past, the private sector is moving into the void and 

helping move forward with its own solutions to meet the workforce 

needs. Unfortunately, most small businesses don’t have the resources or expertise to develop their own workforce training programs and their ability to influence the direction of existing workforce training programs can be limited. 

Proponents of industry led credentialing programs claim they 

help small businesses compensate for these limitations by providing students and workers with a broad base of occupational 

knowledge and skills necessary for entry level and more advanced 

jobs. 

The Committee is going to hear from four witnesses that are intimately involved in these efforts. I appreciate again their participation in this hearing. I know some of you traveled a ways, and I appreciate that as well. 

I now turn to Ranking Member Vela ́zquez for her opening statement. 

Ms. VELA ́ ZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

As our Nation strives to regain its economic momentum, it is 

critical that companies of all sizes have access to the skilled workforce they need to succeed. In fact, in the next decade, nearly twothirds of all job vacancies will require some postsecondary education, and this will only increase as the pace of technological 

change accelerates. 

For small businesses, a technically proficient workforce is particularly essential, as they create 70 percent of all new jobs. While 

this demand for skilled workers is increasing, educational attainment has, unfortunately, begun to fall. For the first time in American history, today’s young adults risk having lower educational attainment rates than their parents. 

Although more than 70 percent of high school graduates enroll 

in advanced education, barely half complete their bachelor’s degree 

within 6 years and less than one-third earn their associates degree 

within 3 years. And despite progress in improving high school graduation rates in the last decade, one-fourth of all public high school 

students and nearly 40 percent of minorities will fail to graduate 

with their class. As a result, many employers find that graduates 

are ill-prepared in both technical education and basic skills such as 

oral and written communication and critical thinking. 

For businesses, this reality has dire consequences. If we are unable to meet the demand for trained workers, our economy will be 

less able to compete globally. The manufacturing sector in particular faces challenging obstacles due to this deficiency. A recent 

report found that roughly 80 percent of American manufacturers 

were unable to fill their vacancies with qualified laborers, and 

many foresee increased shortages ahead. 

For workers, this trend also has important ramifications. While 

demand for higher skilled labor is rising, many traditional lower 

skill jobs have been permanently lost during the economic downturn. The jobs that will replace them will be very difficult and require increasing amounts of skill and training. 


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The Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce found 

that, of an estimated 47 million jobs that will be created by 2018, 

two-thirds of them will require workers with at least some college 

education. As a result, it is increasingly important not only for 

businesses but also the labor market and the economy overall to 

address this skills gap. 

Targeted postsecondary education such as skill certification systems can assist small firms secure qualified employees to help 

them grow. Novel partnerships among industry, educators, and policymakers are also playing a role by preparing the workforce and 

incentivizing school completion. Such direct career pathways between students and employers are vital. If proven successful, these 

efforts may be duplicated in regions and States throughout the 

country. 

Efforts such as these that we will discuss here today are critical 

to our economic recovery. By preparing America’s workforce to compete in the global marketplace, firms will be better positioned to 

succeed, paving the way towards stronger growth. Prudent investment in training and education will also reduce the unemployment 

rate, leading to higher consumer confidence and demand. This is 

exactly what our Nation needs now as we look to turn the corner, 

create more jobs, and ensure that America’s small businesses are 

prepared to move our economy forward. 

With that, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the 

witnesses for being here today. 

Thank you. I yield back. 

Chairman GRAVES. We are going to have a series of votes coming 

up here before long, so are going to try to get through our opening 

statements as soon as possible and recess and come back. But in 

no way do I want you—you have each 5 minutes, but don’t rush 

yourself as a result of that. Because we definitely want to hear 

what everybody has to say. Unfortunately, Nydia and I don’t make 

the schedule. They won’t listen to us. 

STATEMENTS OF JENNIFER MCNELLY, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, THE MANUFACTURING INSTITUTE, WASHINGTON, 

D.C.; ROBERT SCOTT RALLS, PRESIDENT, THE NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM, RALEIGH, NORTH 

CAROLINA; SCOTT WATKINS, CEO, MODERN TECH SQUAD, 

BONIFAY, FLORIDA; AND ROGER TADAJEWSKI, EXECUTIVE 

DIRECTOR, NATIONAL COALITION OF CERTIFICATION CENTERS, KENOSHA, WISCONSIN 

Chairman GRAVES. Our first witness is Jennifer McNelly, who is 

the Senior Vice President of the Manufacturing Institute that is 

headquartered right here in Washington, D.C. 

In her capacity as Senior Vice President, Mrs. McNelly has been 

responsible for developing the NAM-Endorsed Skills Certification 

System which will be the subject of her testimony today. We appreciate you being here. 

STATEMENT OF JENNIFER MCNELLY 

Ms. MCNELLY. Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Vela ́zquez, 

and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to 

testify today. 


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I am Jennifer McNelly, Senior Vice President of the Manufacturing Institute, a 501(c)(3) affiliate of the National Association of 

Manufacturers. Our mission is to support the Nation’s manufacturers. 

For a generation now, the common perception has been that 

manufacturing in America is dying. But the facts show differently. 

The United States is the world’s largest manufacturing economy, 

producing 21 percent of global manufactured products; manufacturing supports an estimated 18.6 million jobs, one in six private 

sector jobs; manufacturing employees earn above the national average in salaries and benefits; and 93 percent of U.S. manufacturers 

employ less than 100 workers. 

While manufacturing remains an important economic force in 

this Nation, it faces serious challenges: a significant increase in the 

structural costs; an absence of a coherent, coordinated national 

trade policy; the lack of an innovation strategy. And while these 

and other issues play out in the front pages of the newspapers, 

there is another challenge, one that threatens not only manufacturing but also companies in every sector: the deteriorating condition of our Nation’s workforce. In our most recent skills gap survey 

just completed last week, 82 percent of our manufacturers reported 

a moderate-to-serious shortage in skilled production labor. 

We have created an education system that is almost completely 

separate from the economy at large. Traditionally, it was the job 

of schools to educate children and companies to train their employees. Jobs for individuals with almost any education level were plentiful because companies would spend time and resources to turn 

them into productive employees. We don’t have that luxury today. 

The only way to address this monumental challenge is to align education, economic development, workforce, and business agendas. 

As representatives of the manufacturing industry, we have found 

a solution that meets the needs of our businesses while working 

within the existing secondary and postsecondary structures. Our 

solution, the NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification 

System, certifies individuals have the basic skills to work in any 

sector of the manufacturing economy. 

We joined with leading certification organizations in 2009 to create a system of nationally portable, industry recognized credentials. 

We were also pleased to have the President of the United States 

highlight our efforts a few months ago. 

Our system takes certification to the next level by organizing it, 

aligning it, and translating those credentials into corresponding 

education programs that are integrated into high schools and community and technical colleges across the Nation. And while on the 

face of it skill certifications may not seem transformational, it is in 

fact reforming education. 

Our system is integrated into four credit programs of study, so 

even if a student only takes a few classes but gains an industry 

credential and enters the workforce they have a pathway back into 

education for additional training and to advance to a degree. The 

system creates on and off ramps, allowing individuals to earn and 

learn as they progress in their careers. 

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They need to focus efforts on training individuals for skills in demand of industry. That is why the NAM supports H.R. 1325, the 

America Works Act. 

From an employer perspective, nationally portable, industry recognized credentials integrated into degree programs of study transforms their human resource approach. It nearly guarantees a level 

of quality in potential hires that does not exist today. It greatly reduces risk, a risk that is most significant to our small employers. 

Skill certifications enables small employers to improve their hiring 

practices by giving confidence that their employees can meet an industry standard. 

Mr. Chairman, for too many years anything that looked and 

sounded like skills development was not considered education. A 

wall was built by parties on both sides. And we are breaking down 

that wall today. The result will be more students in school, more 

individuals gaining the skills they need to build careers, and more 

employers finding the workers they need to hire. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify. We look forward to 

working with you. 

Chairman GRAVES. Ms. Vela ́zquez. 

Ms. VELA ́ ZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

It is my pleasure to welcome Dr. R. Scott Ralls. He is the seventh 

president of the North Carolina Community College System. With 

58 colleges serving approximately 900,000 students each year, the 

North Carolina Community College is one of the largest systems of 

higher education in the United States. It is internationally recognized for its programs to foster economic and workforce development. 

Prior to his current position, Dr. Ralls served as the president of 

Craven Community College during a time when the college 

achieved record enrollment growth. 

Welcome. 

STATEMENT OF ROBERT SCOTT RALLS 

Mr. RALLS. Thank you. 

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Vela ́zquez, members of the 

Committee, it is an honor to be with you today. 

My name is Scott Ralls. I am president of the North Carolina 

Community College System. I represent a system that serves one 

out of every eight adults in the State of North Carolina. 

Our system originated as an innovation to foster Statewide economic prosperity through workforce development. In the 1950s, 

North Carolina was one of the poorest States in the country on a 

per capita basis. We were limited to textiles, tobacco, and furniture 

production. During that time of economic challenge, Governor Luther Hodges proposed two education innovations to foster economic 

diversification and widely shared prosperity, innovations that were 

initially met with skepticism. 

One was the creation of a research park in the middle of a pine 

forest between three notable universities, what is now known as 

Research Triangle Park, the hub of one of the fastest-growing technology economies in the United States. 

The other innovation was a system of industrial education centers located around the State. These centers were created for the 


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sole purpose of training North Carolinians for jobs they had not 

previously performed, and they subsequently promoted the location 

and development of businesses not previously in existence in our 

State. 

Our current system of community colleges in North Carolina, 

today the most comprehensive in the Nation, emerged from this innovation, as did a mantra frequently heard in our State that education is economic development. 

Over the last half-century, a variety of workforce development innovations have occurred through our system. They have helped lift 

our State to a better economic place, but they are also better equipping our citizens and our communities to deal with what are now 

very challenging economic times for North Carolinians and for individuals across the United States. 

We were the first State in the Nation to pioneer customized job 

training as an economic development incentive. Our customized 

training programs have grown over the last 50 years in sophistication. We have reached 251 companies last year, trained 20,000 individuals. 

Frequently, we are noted for the big companies we are working 

with: Spirit Aerosystems in the east, Novartis, the biopharmaceutical company in Research Triangle, or Siemens in Charlotte. 

But in recent years our focus has turned not only to companies creating jobs but also companies that are making significant technology and productivity enhancements that sustain jobs. Increasingly, our bread and butter has become our State’s smaller manufacturers and export-oriented companies, as an example, companies 

such as Motion Sensors, a small family owned business in the 

coastal northeastern corner of our State. It turned to one of our colleges to provide the training and support necessary to gain AS9100 certification; and through this coveted quality management 

certification for aerospace they gained in October, they now are increasing their sales. 

Our experience in North Carolina is that the road to recovery we 

believe in our State is running right through the middle of the 

community college system, and we think we have data to confirm 

this claim. Since the recession began 3 years ago, our enrollment 

has surged by 28 percent. Consequently, our system faces significant simultaneous challenges, providing meaningful workforce development opportunities in an economic environment with significantly less job opportunity and meeting head-on the challenge of a 

surge in students who queue up in our registration lines. 

Significantly increasing student success and program completion 

rates is our primary strategic focus. Achieving these goals in an environment of both exploding demand and declining budgets offers 

a whole new level of challenges, and these challenges are presenting opportunities for innovation like never before. 

A greater focus on industry certifications and licensures is part 

of the answer, because they help us address the simultaneous challenges of workforce opportunity and program efficiency. 

First, industry defined certifications means something. When our 

students gain industry recognized credentials along the way to an 

associates degree or diploma, they enter into an ever-challenging 


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job market with more industry defined firepower to go with their 

education credentials. 

Industry certifications also help us to address the efficiency challenge. When employers collaborate to clearly define their skills targets, as the National Association of Manufacturers certification 

model does, it provides us a clear target to focus our efforts and 

a framework to work across multiple degrees and training programs. 

That is what is happening in North Carolina right now. Faculty 

members across multiple colleges are redesigning curriculum 

standards in over 80 different degree programs using the NAM-endorsed system as a model. Building on a foundation of core academic and personal effectiveness competencies that cut across industries and multiple degrees, we can layer or stack core technical 

workforce competencies and industry certifications. The bottom 

line, we can be even more responsive to industry and more efficient 

in our operations, which we need as well. 

What we are also doing in North Carolina is we are working 

across our programs, ways in which degree programs work with 

non-degree, federally funded programs with State-funded programs, and we are looking for innovations across program areas. 

One of those areas has been an effort called Jobs Now where we 

have combined industry certification, career readiness certification, 

workforce skills where students can gain those skills in 6 months 

or less in core areas of need. In the last 2 years, 20,000 North 

Carolinians have participated in that program and gained over 

17,000 certifications. 

Real quickly, I would like to just share a story about a student 

that I met last year, one of the program participants in Jobs Now 

that I met while touring one of our mountain colleges. 

At a makeshift outdoor pipe-fitting training lab, a most unlikely 

looking college student named Tim Price stopped me to say thanks, 

and that is the thanks that I want to pass on to you today for your 

support of our Federally funded programs. A big, burly mountain 

of a man, all layered in his work clothes, Tim wanted to say thank 

you because, as he said with an emotion in his voice, for the first 

time in several years both he and his family were feeling economic 

hope. 

Years earlier, Tim had been one of many victims of the furniture 

company layoffs in our State, and his immediate family had faced 

several medical challenges that would have been difficult for someone of any economic circumstances. 

A couple of months ago, I called back to Isothermal Community 

College to check on Tim; and I was delighted to learn that he had 

recently been employed as a pipe fitter with one of North Carolina’s energy companies making $16.40 an hour with medical coverage for his family. 

Tim’s story illustrates something that I have heard one of our 

greatest champions, Melinda Gates, has been known to say, that 

the line between poverty and middle class today runs through our 

Nation’s community colleges. I believe that. And I also believe it is 

why our mission and our focus as community colleges, our focus on 

innovation and workforce development, has never been more important for our citizens, our communities, our State and our Nation. 


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Thank you. 

Chairman GRAVES. Thank you, Mr. Ralls. 

Our next witness is Scott Watkins. He is the CEO of Modern 

Tech Squad in Bonifay, Florida. Mr. Watkins is part of a three-family member small business operation that provides computer IT 

services to local businesses. He is testifying on behalf of the Computer Technology Industry Association. Welcome. 

STATEMENT OF SCOTT WATKINS 

Mr. WATKINS. Good afternoon, Chairman Graves and Ranking 

Member Vela ́zquez and distinguished members of the Committee. 

As mentioned, my name is Scott Watkins. I appear here on behalf of my company, Modern Tech Squad, and as a member of the 

Computing Technology Industry Association, also known as 

CompTIA. My company is the only CompTIA Authorized Service 

Center for computers, networks, and service support in the Florida 

panhandle. 

I want to thank Chairman Graves and members of the Committee for holding this hearing on the value of the industry led 

portable skills credentials. This is an extremely important issue for 

both my company and for countless other small businesses across 

the Nation. 

Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. As 

I am sure you are aware, there are an estimated 30,000,000 small 

businesses in the United States which employ over half of all private sector employees. An even more important statistic for this 

hearing, though, is the fact that small businesses hire 40 percent 

of all high-tech workers in the United States. 

On behalf of my company, Modern Tech Squad and CompTIA, I 

would like to share with you our perspective about the importance 

of credentials in the IT industry. 

CompTIA is a nonprofit trade association representing over 2,000 

corporate members and 1,000 business partners in the IT industry. 

Many of its members are like me, small businesses that provide IT 

services to others. CompTIA is also the leading global provider of 

vendor-neutral IT workforce certifications. The CompTIA Authorized Service Center credential validates an organization’s level of 

technical certifications, resulting in competitive differentiation and 

customer confidence. As I mentioned previously, Modern Tech 

Squad is a CompTIA Authorized Service Center. 

First a brief word about CompTIA certification and why our company values these certifications as an important market 

differentiator. 

The success of the personal computer led the computer service 

and repair industries to commission CompTIA to create its vendorneutral CompTIA A+ certification examination program back in 

1992. Today, three-quarters of a million people hold the CompTIA 

A+ certification. The continuing success of the certification demonstrates an ongoing need to provide a means of validating skills 

across a wide spectrum of computer hardware and software. 

Following on the success of A+, CompTIA developed and introduced the CompTIA Network+ and the CompTIA Security+ certifications. Each of these certifications is industry driven, validating 


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technical skills and abilities both for the individuals working in the 

IT field and for the people who hire and train these. 

By securing and validating core skills and knowledge, both job 

seekers and established professionals can progress to more complex 

and specialized credentials, such as vendor-specific hardware and 

software training. 

These certifications have played an important role in our company, Modern Tech Squad. Together with my father and my brother, we founded Modern Tech Squad about 3 years ago. Typical services that we offer provide computer-based diagnostics, repairs, network server support, break-fix work, and remote IT support. 

At the time that we started the company, my father was a general contractor and my brother Matt worked with him in the construction field. You may remember about 3 years ago as the economy hit bottom in the housing industry and things were pretty 

tough. 

I had, on the other hand, been an IT manager at a local hospital 

and had suggested the three of us start Modern Tech Squad. The 

availability of industry recognized vendor-neutral certifications 

through CompTIA made our business possible. With a new-found 

passion and a good deal of study from both my father and brother, 

they were able to transition from construction to the high-tech field 

of IT. 

It also interesting to note that the first time I went to take the 

CompTIA A+ exam, I actually failed the exam. My years of being 

an IT professional gave me a false sense of security in my knowledge about computers. The adage you only know what you know, 

that was a hard lesson that I had to learn. It opened my eyes for 

the need for certifications. I needed to learn more about computers 

and IT-specific areas, and I believe firmly that that has made me 

a better technician and a better value to our customers. 

Many of our customers, over half of them in fact, are small businesses just like us. These small businesses depend on IT services 

but are too small to have a dedicated IT department. We have 

heard horror stories of small businesses hiring an IT person to 

come in and provide a solution, claiming to know what the solution 

would be, only to realize that that was not the case. 

A small business simply cannot afford to spend their hard-earned 

money on solutions that do not work. With a CompTIA certification, I know that the customer will have the peace of mind that 

their hard-earned money is being well spent on someone who is 

trained properly and who provides the right solutions the first 

time. 

CompTIA’s credentials also allowed us to chart a successful business plan. There are over 3,800 registered IT-based service companies in the State of Florida. In our rural part of Florida in the panhandle, there are 11 such companies just in our area alone offering 

the same services that we offer. 

We felt that a great way to differentiate ourselves was to highlight the fact that we are CompTIA certified. Our strategy was 

dead on. In only 3 short years, we have not only held steady but 

we have grown to now 10 employees; and nothing seems to be in 

the way for growing more. 


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CompTIA certifications are just the beginning for us, though. The 

concept of stackable credentials is essential to provide an even 

higher level of service to our customers. My brother Matt and I are 

currently studying for the Microsoft Certified Professional IT Certification, and many of our employees are also pursuing IT credentials in additional IT fields. We see a lot of opportunity for expanding our business based on stacking these vendor-specific certifications on top of the CompTIA certifications that we already hold. 

In conclusion, here is the bottom line. Industry certifications are 

a necessity. They give companies like ours, no matter where we are 

located, a chance to meet customer needs and consumer needs, 

grow our business, and branch out into various additional professional opportunities as technology evolves. Our success proves this, 

and it is our hope that others can learn from our success. 

I want to thank the Committee again for the opportunity to 

share my story with you and encourage you to support the broad 

dissemination of stackable and portable industry credentials. 

Chairman GRAVES. Our final witness is Mr. Scott Tadajewski. 

Mr. Tadajewski is the Executive Director of the National Coalition 

of Certification Centers in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he has been 

involved in establishing and implementing industry led workforce 

skills certification systems in public education. 

I appreciate you being here. Thank you. 

STATEMENT OF ROGER TADAJEWSKI 

Mr. TADAJEWSKI. Good afternoon, Chairman Graves and Ranking 

Member Vela ́zquez and members of the Committee. Thank you for 

this opportunity to appear here today and discuss this important 

issue of how we can work with small businesses on innovation approaches that can help with their workforce development. 

I am the Executive Director of the National Coalition of Certification Centers. I am here today on behalf of Gateway Technical 

College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, who is also a founding member of 

the National Coalition of Certification Centers. 

NC3 is an outgrowth of the relationship between Gateway Technical College and Snap-On Tool Corporation. This year, Gateway 

Technical College is celebrating its 100 years of service to the 

greater southeast region of Wisconsin. Gateway Technical College 

has been part of many business cycles over the last 100 years and 

has always responded with innovative approaches to meet the 

workplace needs of both small business and national industries, 

and today is doing the same. 

Our current business cycle is and has been very challenging. 

Gateway Technical believes that working with business and industry to understand new and emerging technologies and their impact 

on the local and national workforce issues is critically important. 

For example, the transportation industry, the aviation/aerospace 

industry, energy industries, and manufacturing as well are bringing new technologies to the marketplace that impact supply chain, 

manufacturing processes, commercial, and retail service industries, 

many of them in the small-to-medium business arena. The impact 

today for both the workforce and the business owner is not only 

what do you know but what can you do, and what can you do and 


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how can you use technology to improve productivity, process, and 

cost in a competitive marketplace. 

Opportunities exist for small business owners to engage with colleges nationally to develop technical training for the emerging 

workforce, the instructors that teach it, and for small businesses. 

Additionally, these efforts will have a positive cascading effect 

down to high schools and middle schools, which is equally as well 

critically important as when we think about our eighth graders out 

there today, within eight semesters they will be graduating from 

high school, and where will they be? 

This, in combination with congressional efforts that focus on increasing community college training for new and transitioning 

workforce, provide even greater opportunities. Many college presidents are proactive, as you have heard today, to this need, but they 

cannot do it alone. What do I do, how do I do it, and who can help 

me with it are some of the questions that are being asked out 

there, not only by the college presidents but by small business owners. 

This is part of what NC3 International Coalition of Certification 

Centers, driven by college presidents, small business owners, and 

industry, are doing. The ability today and in the future to provide 

guidance and engage in collaborative efforts with small business 

are key to developing sustainable workforce development systems. 

Some key recommendations today: 

Support initiatives that provide better long-range planning for 

employers and employee needs. Many Federal programs, some of 

what we have heard talked about today, address the need for 

issues. However, there still exists a skills gap out there. Training 

for today’s required skills has been mentioned in the opening statements. We have diagnostic equipment, we have manufacturing 

equipment that are on high level. Some of the research that we 

have done finds that some of this technology, even with the very 

best professions out there, are only using 20 percent of the capability. 

One of the things we have been focusing on is working with colleges and college instructors to be able to show and so that they 

become power uses of this technology and therefore that can cascade and transcend into the students, the emerging workforce, and, 

most importantly, our laid-off workers out there that are in transition right now. 

Support and encourage colleges to align academic requirements 

with technology application requirements. Small business owners 

need both to stay in business and compete. 

Support and recognize investment efforts that small businesses 

do make with local community colleges. 

Entrepreneurship partnerships with community colleges and 

small businesses are equally important. Ideas today will turn into 

market leadership in 3 years, and that also creates job growth in 

new areas. 

One example that we are working with right now today is with 

compressed natural gas and market leaders as well as small companies. We are all familiar with our good old gas stations. Well, 

one of the things that we are installing across this country is compressed natural gas fueling service stations. That is a whole new 


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marketplace, a whole new set of job skill sets, some historical, some 

legacy, but with some new ones in there that are creating a whole 

new work effort. 

Fifth, support for Carl Perkins type funding for education. When 

we think about this, our small business owners are investing in 

their local community colleges. Local community colleges take 

State and local dollars and invest in buildings, hire staff, and core 

equipment needs. 

The use of funds like Perkins funding and other Federal dollars 

to buy advanced technical equipment that the local business owners are using and be able to train the emerging workforce, the incumbent workforce, and especially the transitioning workforce on 

how to use that equipment and how to be able to go into the job 

site and be able to put that into productive, proficient use immediately are all key to what we have heard today on industry recognized certifications, stackable credentials, and a process that leads 

to sustainability in that. 

Because the technology that we have today is going to continue 

to change. It has to change for us to remain competitive. So a sustainable workforce plan like this is what NC3 is doing and working 

with other associations as well to help drive this model to address 

it. 

Thank you. 

Chairman GRAVES. They have called two votes. So it is actually 

not going to take that long. So we are going to take a real short 

recess and go take care of those. Then we will be right back to ask 

questions. 

We will recess for, I am going to say, approximately 20 minutes, 

maybe 30 minutes. 

[Recess.] 

Chairman GRAVES. We will call this hearing back to order and 

start right away with questions. And I have one, a fairly simple 

one; and it is for everybody out there; and then I will move on. 

But, Ms. McNelly, you mentioned that training programs have 

had a low priority in public education. And my question is, are we 

placing too much emphasis in high schools or in our public schools 

on preparing those students for 4-year college or 4-year continuing 

education program and not paying enough attention, you know, to 

those students who aren’t bound necessarily for college? 

I guess that is the question; and I will start with you, Ms. 

McNelly. 

Ms. MCNELLY. That is a great question. 

I think as a Nation culturally we have a sense that every young 

person wants to go to college. What we haven’t done in fact is define what real college is with labor market value. And statistically 

we all recognize that not every young person is going to go and 

achieve a 4-year degree. In fact, our dropout rates are astounding 

on the completion side. We incentivize counselors to benchmark 

students towards 4-year degrees, and parents equally play a role. 

And I think we have a long way to go in helping parents understand that industry based credentials that could be achieved in 

high school and in postsecondary education are important tools 

that in turn allow somebody to have good, family sustaining wages 


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but also a lifelong career that would allow them to enter back into 

the education system when possible for them. 

Chairman GRAVES. Dr. Ralls. 

Mr. RALLS. I believe the short answer is yes. 

You can look at data in our State. I think recent studies have 

shown that the biggest skill gap is between those jobs that require 

above high school but less than 4 years of college. So I think there 

is that issue. 

And I think everybody is in support of technical and vocational 

education. The challenge is priorities, as some say. Everybody is in 

favor of vocational education, just for other people’s children. So it 

can be a real challenge. 

But I also think the longer answer is it is not that easy. It is not 

so much either/or, and too often within education we look at these 

either/or scenarios. It is not either industry certification or a degree. It is really both. And it doesn’t have to be either 4-year college or technical certification or technical degree. When degrees 

combine applied skill with the rigor of, say, an engineering stem, 

those are the best opportunities for students, when students can 

take applied skills and move to a 4-year program. 

And what we see more and more in community colleges is we are 

becoming a new form of graduate school. Students gain 4-year degrees and come to community colleges as somewhat of a finishing 

school. Twenty-five percent of our nursing students already have 

degrees before they enter into our programs. So it is not as easy 

as either/or, and too often I think we create these either/or scenarios. 

Chairman GRAVES. Mr. Watkins. 

Mr. WATKINS. I think Dr. Ralls really nailed most of those points 

on the head. You really can’t downplay the benefits that you get 

from college. Knowledge and skills that are earned in college are 

vital for any potential worker. But I think it is the combination of 

that with the credentials that make the workers able to be the 

most viable asset to small businesses in our case. I think that 

is—— 

Mr. TADAJEWSKI. You know, everything that has been said is 

right on. I think what I would add to that is a lot of—especially 

for small business employers, whether they are coming out with a 

4-year degree or coming out of high school, two things. A lot of students simply can’t go on to 4 years right away even if they want 

to strive to that because financially they need some money. And if 

they don’t have skill sets that only allow them to go work at Taco 

Bell or some place with minimum—they are never going to get the 

4-year education. So providing some of these skill sets that allows 

them to get some jobs that are at small businesses, that want to 

develop them and involve that young person is critical. 

I think the other part of this is that—what has been mentioned 

already—is a lot of 4-year students that are coming out of colleges 

realize they have a lot of tremendous knowledge, they know a lot 

of things, but in today’s marketplace—especially in this market 

that we are in now and coming out of this—is going to require 

what can you do. Can you actually put some things into practice? 

Although it may be entry level but can you take that tremendous 

knowledge you have and help us in the productivity side and bring 


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those ideas and put them to work in manufacturing processes, especially in the supply chain, which is a big part of what we are 

here today because our small businesses are key in that supply 

chain. 

Chairman GRAVES. Thank you. 

Ranking Member Vela ́zquez. 

Ms. VELA ́ ZQUEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Dr. Ralls, I would like to ask my first question to you, but I will 

want to hear the comments from the other witnesses. 

The success of efforts to tie workforce and economic development 

will depend in part been upon how quickly they can respond to 

rapid changes in technology and industrial processes. We know 

that the marketplace is constantly changing. So how can we build 

successful partnerships between educators, industry, government 

that do not just adapt training programs once but instead remain 

engaged to the constant changing demands of the marketplace? 

Mr. RALLS. I think you have probably hit on one of our greatest 

challenges. I think the beauty of the certification process that we 

have been talking about is community college. Our role with education, I think we are probably the closest of all educational institutions in terms of working with employers. That is just the nature 

of who we are. And in that regard, our role is to hit targets. If we 

have to define the target and then hit it, that is a long period of 

time. That is why we are working with certifications, working 

across multiple employers in similar areas with industry associations helps us in dealing with that issue of constant change. Because, as the employers help to define the constant change, we can 

keep our focus on the training programs and hitting the targets. 

A real challenge for community colleges now, we were talking 

about at the break, is the simultaneous challenges of the increase 

in demand. As I mentioned, in North Carolina we have a 28 percent increase since the recession started. The budget challenges 

that we like everyone else is facing, but then the real necessity to 

constantly be innovating in areas—for instance, energy efficiency. 

We have to move energy efficiency ideas into HVAC programs and 

into automotive programs. 

So a real challenge for us is to be able to fly the plane and redesign the plane and insert new parts in the plane all at the same 

time. And that is where we struggle. That is where programs like 

the Perkins funding and others play an important role in helping 

us to have some of that resource to be able to do that. 

Ms. VELA ́ ZQUEZ. Yes, Ms.—— 

Ms. MCNELLY. If I may. One additional aspect to certifications 

that benefits particularly small businesses is the ability to assess 

a set of knowledge. So that if technology has in fact training, you 

are not going to go back and retrain them on basic health and safety if they have been certified in it. You are going to get them to 

what is actually that 20 percent change in technology. So in working through our Nation’s community colleges, which we really think 

are on the front lines of redeveloping our Nation’s workforce, it 

gives them the opportunity to then customize and specialize what 

I refer to as that 20 percent difference. 

When 80 percent of the core has remained the same but 20 percent has changed, there is still a 20 percent barrier to employment. 


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Grounding in industry based credentials allows individuals to step 

out of what they already know and really train and accelerate back 

into employment with that difference, and I think that helps with 

giving good guidance as Scott and his team are trying to hit the 

target. 

Ms. VELA ́ ZQUEZ. Yes. 

Mr. WATKINS. Just a quick point to add to that. Coming from the 

small business sector and also from the IT field, it is interesting 

that we actually provide services for local health care and education systems. And I think the biggest thing in the IT field especially, since it is a vastly growing market, is getting it from the 

consumer to the people providing the services to the people training the program. Streamlining those targets and needs to each individual thing, I think that is going to be one of the key factors. 

Mr. TADAJEWSKI. One of the things that we are working with 

NC3 is we have centers of excellence around this country. If you 

look at the middle part of the United States—Wichita, Oklahoma, 

where I am from—there is a lot of aviation. The same out in Seattle, North Carolina. But we also have community colleges across 

the country that have a lot of small businesses that support those 

industries. So this is one example to where, when we develop some 

curriculum, training materials, knowledge, how do we work with 

small businesses in these areas. 

One of the things NC3 is doing is to make sure we share that 

with these small businesses and other colleges around the country 

so that they don’t have to reinvent the wheel. So whether it is certifications—certifications is one part of it. But to sustain it, how do 

you help your instructor become a power user? How do you integrate that model in there without having to restart over? Because, 

again, that small business owner has been mentioned. It has a lot 

of work to do, and they need to be able to walk into that college 

president’s office and say, let us get this implemented. 

Ms. VELA ́ ZQUEZ. And, Dr. Ralls, we heard how many—the numbers are increasing in terms of people that lost their jobs and they 

are going for training programs. Do you have any metrics that 

measures success in terms of not the numbers getting to the program but in terms of job placement and job retention? 

Mr. RALLS. Well, our primary focus within our system now is student success. While we see huge numbers in terms of our registration lines, what we believe is we need to have those large numbers 

in our graduation lines, whether they be through a certification or 

2-year degree or moving on to a university. So that is something 

we are working closely towards. 

But, obviously, for community colleges, in a world where the job 

opportunities are not as great, everyone is facing the challenge of 

students completing programs and concern about what they move 

into. But I do think we find opportunities for success, and I will 

give you an example. 

Two years ago, as I mentioned in North Carolina earlier, we 

pulled together to design very quickly, pulling together existing 

programs that we already had into a new form of program. We 

called it Jobs Now. It was a way in which we took existing things 

that we had and said let us provide a 6-month opportunity where 

students can gain a recognized industry certification, career readiVerDate Mar 15 2010 08:09 Jan 23, 2013 Jkt 077563 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\A563.XXX A563

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ness certification, which is part of the NAM system, as well as employability skills; and we want to design that all within 6 months. 

Then we did research. Before the recession, what were the jobs, 

where the gaps were, what could you do that in. And we gave the 

opportunity to the colleges, too, to define what is the most important opportunities that you think coming out of the recession will 

be there. 

Now, what we found is that colleges—if you looked at the types 

of programs they were putting together, the five most popular— 

three were health care, they were nursing assistant, phlebotomy; 

the other two were welding and heating and air conditioning programs, but a new way of delivering. And what we found is that 

with the Workforce Investment Act students who were funded 

through the Workforce Investment Act—and this has only been 

within 2 years that this program has been in existence—54 percent 

of those who participated are already employed. We would certainly 

like for that to be 100 percent. But in that environment, with a 

program that has only been in existence in 2 years and rethinking 

that, we think that is pretty good. And I think the focus was how 

do you accelerate and how do you target to where you think the 

jobs will be, tying the economic goals with the workforce development goals. 

Ms. VELA ́ ZQUEZ. Do you have any comments on that? 

Ms. MCNELLY. Just one enhancement. I was with a group of community college presidents yesterday. These are self-organized college presidents that represent auto communities in transition, and 

it was Missouri and Wisconsin and Ohio. The entire focus was on 

industry based credentials and how you, in fact, take that acceleration market and apply it. There were a number of presentations 

that as I sat and listened where they were starting to track metrics 

associated with both not just traditional academic metrics that 

Scott and his team are accountable for legislatively but equally in 

certifications and in job placements. 

One of the presidents, Dr. Bryan Albrecht from Gateway Technical College, talked about a boot camp model that they have in 

Wisconsin. I think he said his placement was north of 90 percent 

of the individuals that went through the boot camp, and it is because the boot camp was run like a business would be run and you 

had to show up on time and you had to be engaged. 

So there are, in fact, metrics that colleges are starting to look to 

that accelerate student success and hard-to-serve individuals who 

have been unemployed for extended periods of time back into the 

workforce grounded in industry based credentials. 

Ms. VELA ́ ZQUEZ. Thank you. 

Mr. WEST. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and, also, Ms. Ranking 

member. 

I kind of want to dovetail off what Ranking Member Vela ́zquez 

just asked. Do we see any metric that is out there that sees a correlation between the atrophy of skill sets with the length of time 

on unemployment? Has anyone been looking at that? 

Ms. MCNELLY. I will say to the best of my knowledge it hasn’t 

been codified in research. I asked a research question to our Department of Education representatives yesterday in this forum on 

the automotive community, just seeing that there have been signifiVerDate Mar 15 2010 08:09 Jan 23, 2013 Jkt 077563 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\A563.XXX A563

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cant Federal investments in job training and retraining. And it 

gives us an opportunity to start to look at that longitudinally, but, 

to the best of my knowledge, they are not tracking them yet. But 

I do think the opportunity exists, and there certainly is a willingness to get to a more integrated participant support mechanism 

that allows for that to happen. 

Mr. WEST. Mr. Watkins, a question for you. In the IT field—my 

youngest daughter just started high school, and the things that she 

can do with a computer is unconscionable, especially for someone 

like myself. So when I think about certification programs, I mean, 

is it possible we can start getting—especially in the IT field—some 

of these certification programs down even into the high school level 

where we can start developing that talent even earlier instead of 

waiting later? 

I would like to get your thoughts on that. 

Mr. WATKINS. First, I would like to say that I have an 18-month 

old daughter and I got her a little net book and she seems to have 

outstanding—adept at using that. But interesting that you ask 

that. 

Michael Pinella, he is the local IT director for Holmes County 

School Systems, and that is something they are already working toward, in particular CompTIA, the certifications that they have at 

a high school level that gives a great foundation if they want to go 

directly into the workforce after high school or if they want to use 

that as a foundation for going to college. It is something that I 

think is extremely important, and I think that that is a very good 

thing to do. 

Mr. RALLS. I would echo. A good example of that is the Cisco programs. Cisco academies will have regional academies and you will 

have high-school-based academies that are cooperating with community colleges and moving onto the universities with CC&A and 

CC&P. 

And another thing about certifications that I think helps in this 

process is it is based on competency. It is not based on seat time. 

So if a student gets a certification in high school and a CC&A, 

there is no reason they have to get a CC&A when they get to college. And so we can be more efficient about education in that regard because we have trust in the standards that are out there. In 

these cases, standards that are defined by industry. 

Ms. MCNELLY. We actually have an example in San Antonio, 

Texas, with a career academy high school that is training individuals. They happen to support the aviation and aerospace industry 

and workforce, and we had the opportunity bring one of the young 

women to Washington. And not only did she come, she is a firstgeneration college goer now. She has graduated from high school. 

But she graduated from high school with industry certification and 

college credit. And it was 36 college credit hours that she walked 

into that community college with. 

Not only that, she is employed with an employer who in fact is 

helping to support her postsecondary education. And this in a family environment that didn’t necessarily have an opportunity to understand the importance of postsecondary education, and she will 

be the first college graduate. 


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And industry based certifications linked to employment, a number of our employers all invest in continuing education for their 

employees; and having that link and that opportunity really helps 

create and strengthen the future for those that traditionally have 

not had access. 

Mr. TADAJEWSKI. If I could add to that. One of the things that 

we are working on is, if you think about, especially in our sixth, 

seventh, and eighth grade areas, we know we lose a lot of kids in 

math. Okay? For the math teacher today, they try to introduce 

them to—with the use of calculators, algebraic equations, and those 

type of things. 

One of the things we are doing—or going to be doing is through 

our community college—because this is part of their feeder system 

as well—is to bring an electric multimeter, a digital multimeter 

into those classrooms. Why? A multimeter is really just another 

calculator, except it gives you an actual measurement and gives 

you actual relevancy that every small business owner can participate, come in, and team teach—a lot of things to integrate that, to 

bring those certifications in, as well as keep those young people in 

school. 

So there are things like that that are applied. You can apply that 

to torque, all kind of things that impact manufacturing, small businesses, computers, assemblies, all those type of things. So, yes, it 

is absolutely important if we are going to change the dropout rate. 

Mr. WEST. And I think you just hit on the critical aspect. We 

have to make education, even in high school, relevant. It is not just 

teaching the theory. Now we need to talk about the practical application thereof with the local private sector so that we can start 

growing that talent that can go into that private sector. And every 

kid does not have to go to college, but they can have a certain skill 

set. They can be a contributing member to their community. 

Thank you very much. I yield back. 

Chairman GRAVES. Ms. Clarke. 

Ms. CLARKE. Thank you, Chairman Graves and Ranking Member 

Vela ́zquez; and I would like to thank our panelists for their testimony today. 

I would like to make it clear from the outset that I agree with 

many of the points that you have raised, that our Nation’s educational systems need to be reformed to reflect the realities of a 

21st century economy, and appreciate the valuable services that 

you provide to that end. Our national systems simply must keep 

pace with technological innovation or we will find ourselves in an 

even worse workforce readiness situation than we are in now. 

We used to live in an America where an individual with just a 

high school diploma and a healthy work ethic could get a good middle-class job that could sustain a family. These families formed the 

backbone of our Nation’s middle class. However, this is increasingly 

no longer the case due in large part but not—absolutely not limited 

to inevitable advances in technology. 

So, that being said, what I am having an issue with is the basic 

macroeconomic situation. Our consumer-spending-based economy 

finds itself in a vicious cycle where the overall lack of jobs feeds 

into an anemic consumer spending which in turn perpetuates our 

bleak job situation. For every heartening story like that of Tim 


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Price which Dr. Ralls shared with us, there are tragically many 

more stories of individuals who are now saddled with debt from attending universities, trade schools, and other job training programs 

with the hope of improving their prospects yet continue to find 

themselves unemployed. Tax rates are at a historic low and interest rates are effectively zero, yet our economy did not add any jobs 

in the month of August. So my question to the panel is, what would 

be your suggestion to stimulate our stagnant economy? 

Ms. MCNELLY. I don’t know that I have a silver bullet, but I do 

know that education is the pathway out for a nation. Because fundamentally we, as a nation, are doing more with less. We have the 

highest productivity rates that we have ever had. And what I do 

know in a manufacturing environment with big technology is that 

ultimately innovation is a human process. And in order for innovation to occur, though it may happen in a lab in the research triangle—and I have the greatest respect for those innovations—it 

truly is the frontline staff that day in and day out notice, if I just 

make this slight change, the entire process moves. 

I do think that having a strong foundational workforce in this 

country is critical to our long-term economic success so innovation 

can happen and we can grow jobs within small and medium manufacturers today. 

And I don’t have the complete answer to people pursue careers. 

I think that is a right-sizing of our education system. And part of 

why we selected industry based credentials as the benchmark for 

academic success was because it changed the conversation from an 

academic conversation to an industry employment conversation. 

And those standards are updated through the rigor of third parties 

on a regular basis. So they are never out of date more than 3 years; 

and, you know, that is pretty current in an education environment. 

Ms. CLARKE. So then let me add to the mix as the rest of you 

sort of think through how you would address my comment. 

Because the reality is that we have a lot of educated folks who 

have been graduating over the past 5 years who have all of the 

skill and ability yet they find themselves in this economy where 

hiring is not taking place, right? Highly skilled from every one of 

our top-notch universities down to any training programs that may 

exist. If the companies aren’t hiring and these individuals are 

skilled, what is it? What is the mix? What is happening? So I will 

shut up so that—because my time is running out. 

Mr. WATKINS. You mentioned the phrase the self-feeding anemic 

situation where students are leaving college, they are in debt, jobless, how do you fix that situation. I think Roger here mentioned 

earlier how it is important for—as Mr. West had mentioned, the 

importance of high school students acquiring credentials so that 

when they leave high school they can have the ability to at least 

enter the job workforce and begin working and paying for the 

school as they go or even if they leave school to have some sort of 

credentials that they could use to enter the workforce. It gives 

them more power over what they are needing. 

Mr. TADAJEWSKI. I would like to add to that as, again, like Jennifer mentioned, I don’t have the silver bullet here. But I can tell 

you from my experience with small business, medium businesses, 

that right now, when and if they start to hire and when they do 


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hire, it is going to be a very evolving process, meaning the very 

first people hired might have to be wearing 25 hats, just like a lot 

of people are wearing now today. And having some of these skill 

certifications that are multiple, transitional, transformational 

across different processes, sometimes maybe even different divisions within a company, are going to be critically important. 

Because, as the economy does grow, people come into that process, and whether they have a 4-year degree, a 2-year degree, or a 

set of stackable portable credentials, as I mentioned earlier in my 

testimony, is what can you do. And as a business grows and you 

may be assembling one piece for 6 months, but then they may need 

to move you into another position that helps with quality control 

or whatever it might be. 

So those stackable credentials, whether it is in the IT industry, 

the automotive industry, the manufacturing, especially in the supply chain are going to be critical so that the transitioning workforce 

that is laid off right now can find a way into this and start to see 

some pieces in there. 

I think for small business as well, working with our technical 

community colleges across the country—and we heard from Dr. 

Ralls—is when they walk into these colleges today, they have to 

see today and the future. And that takes investment from what I 

mentioned before to the three legs and Federal dollars to help with 

some of this advanced technology. Whether it is rapid prototyping 

systems, five access mills, automotive diagnostic equipment, whatever that might be, it is going to take some investment. So when 

small business owners come into that community college and they 

see today and they see the future, they are knowing this is where 

I can get workforce development and become productive. 

Mr. RALLS. I also don’t have the silver bullet. I personally believe 

there are no easy answers. I think we are through with the easy 

answers. 

And I know that education is certainly no guarantee of a job. 

And as an educator, I cannot guarantee anybody a job. If we do our 

jobs well as educators and in the roles we play, then hopefully everyone who walks through our doors has a much better shot at a 

job as a result of that, and that is the best we can do. And I think 

that is very important. 

I think in that context, too, it is important that we value all 

types of work and we value all types of colleges. Sometimes you 

hear the question, I don’t know that everybody should go to college. 

I believe everybody should go to college, but I am including our 

community colleges as colleges. Now, that doesn’t mean everybody 

has to get a 4-year degree, but everyone needs to go beyond high 

school. For that reason, I believe everybody should go to college. 

But we have to think about what college is and what college 

means, and even as an educator I have to rethink that as well. I 

will give you an example. 

Last year, I visited every one of our 58 colleges to talk about student success. I have been on this kick. We have to have more college completion. I visited a welding program in the far mountain 

area of our State, and the welding instructor walked in with a 

stack of pay stubs. He said, I know you have been on this completion kick; and I have got to tell you up front, only 6 percent of our 


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students in this welding program complete their program. And the 

reason is right here, because they are all getting paid with jobs. 

Now, they weren’t all working in the region. They were working all 

around the world. But they were not completing their programs. 

We have to step back I think sometimes and think about education broadly. We have to think about community colleges in the 

mix of higher education, which sometimes doesn’t happen. And we 

have to think of the value of all work and how it plays into job opportunities, and sometimes when we get into our credentialism in 

different ways that doesn’t happen. So I think that is important. 

Ms. CLARKE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman GRAVES. I would like to thank all of you for appearing 

here today. You have obviously given us a lot of insight into the 

private sector and some of the job training opportunities that are 

out there. But it is very insightful. 

I would ask unanimous consent that all members have 5 legislative days to submit statements and supporting materials for the 

record. 

Without objection, that is so ordered. 

And, with that, again we appreciate you all. Some of you came 

in a long ways, and we very much appreciate it. Sorry for the vote 

interruption. 

This hearing is adjourned. [Whereupon, at 2:39 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 


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Testimony 

of Jennifer McNelly 

Senior Vice President 

The Manufacturing Institute 

before the House Committee on Small Business 

on Innovative Approaches to Meet the Workforce Needs of Small Business 

September 8, 2011 
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COMMENTS OF THE MANUFACTURING INSTITUTE 

BEFORE THE 

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS 

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 

Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Velazquez and members of the Committee, thank 

you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of the Manufacturing Institute at this Small Business 

Committee hearing on Innovative Approaches to Meet the Workforce Needs of Small Business. 

My name is Jennifer McNelly, and I am the Senior Vice President for the Manufacturing 

Institute. We are the non-profit affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), and 

our mission is to support the nation's manufacturers through solutions and services focused on 

education, workforce development and innovation acceleration. 

For a generation now, the common perception has been that U.S. manufacturing is 

dying. So it comes as a shock to most people when you point out the actual facts: 

• The United States is the world's largest manufacturing economy, producing 21 

percent of global manufactured products; 

• Manufacturing supports an estimated 18.6 million jobs in the U.S.-about one in six 

private-sector jobs; 

• In 2009, the average U.S. manufacturing worker earned $74,447 annually, including 

pay and benefits. The average non-manufacturing worker earned $63,122 annually; 

• Over 93 percent of all U.S. manufacturing firms employ less than 100 workers. 

While manufacturing remains an important economic force in regions across the country, it now 

confronts some serious challenges, including: 

• A significant increase in the structural costs facing the industry, caused by both 

worldwide demand for energy and raw materials and government pOlicies on health 

care and tax rates; 

• The absence of a coherent and coordinated national trade policy; and 

• The lack of a national innovation strategy. 

While these and other issues play out on the front pages of newspapers and websites, there is 

another challenge looming in the background, one that threatens not only manufacturers, but 

also companies in every sector of the economy: the deteriorating condition of our workforce 

and, in particular, the next generation workforce. In our most recent Skills Gap survey just 
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completed last week, incredibly, 82% of manufacturers report a moderate-to-serious shortage in 

skilled production labor. 

The U.S. is betting its entire economic future on our ability to produce leading-edge products. 

Whether it's in IT, biotech, aerospace, construction ... it doesn't matter. We'll be the ones to 

constantly create new and better things. This future promises to be bright, but only if we have 

the workforce capable of pushing that leading-edge. And right now, that doesn't look like a very 

good bet. 

Let's start with a labor force of around 150 million people. Nationwide, our school dropout rate is 

over 30 percent. So now we're working with only 70 percent of the labor force. Of those, roughly 

two-thirds go on to college, which means that 30 million people are settling for nothing more 

than a high-school degree. In a country that requires excellence to maintain its economic 

position, over 50 percent of the labor force isn't even trying to gain the skills that excellence 

demands. 

We have created an education system that is almost completely separate from the economy at 

large. Traditionally, it was the job of schools to educate children and create responsible citizens, 

and it was the job of companies to train employees. Jobs for individuals with almost any 

education level were plentiful because companies would spend the time and resources to turn 

them into productive employees. Today, companies, especially smaller businesses with fewer 

training and HR resources, cannot afford the lUxury of time-intensive training programs for their 

workers. They need employees who have the knowledge and skills to contribute right away. 

The only way to address this monumental challenge is to align education, economic 

development, workforce and business agendas so they work in concert to develop the talent 

necessary for business success in the global economy. 

As representatives of the manufacturing industry, we think we've found a solution that fits the 

needs of our businesses while working within the existing secondary and postsecondary 

education structure. 

Our solution, called the NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System, is grounded 

in a competency model developed by manufacturers to identify and document the basic set of 

skills required to work in any sector in the manufacturing industry. 

We joined with several other leading industry groups last year to create a system of nationally 

portable, industry-recognized credentials based on that competency model. These credentialsand the training required to obtain them-certify that an individual possesses those basic skills. 

We were also pleased to have the President of the United States highlight our system just a few 

months ago. 

Our system can be envisioned as a pyramid of skills certifications, with an initial focus on the 

skills required for all entry-level jobs, identified as critical by the manufacturers themselves. 

Where our system takes the next step, though, is by organizing, aligning and translating those 

stackable credentials into corresponding educational courses that can be integrated into highschool and community-college degree programs of study. So, an individual can see that if he or 

she takes the following classes, he or she will have the skills to earn a nationally-portable, 

industry-recognized certification and be qualified to work in the following jobs at the following 

salaries. 

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While on its face, the idea of a skills certification system may not seem transformational, it is in 

fact reforming education. For too long, any programs that were "career and technical" or 

"company-specific" were pushed off into the non-credit side of academic institutions, making a 

loud and clear statement of the value that colleges and universities placed on those programs. 

Our system is integrated into the for-credit side of colleges, so even if students take only three 

or four courses, achieve a certification and head into the workforce, they have "banked" those 

credits. When they return to achieve the next level certification, they will be working toward a 

degree as well. The achievement of degrees still holds meaning, both in the workplace and in 

society, and the education and skills that an individual obtains should be rewarded with 

advancement in education and in the economy. 

This also creates more on and off ramps in education, which facilitates individuals' ability to 

obtain schooling when their professional career requires it and also positions them to earn while 

they learn, applying what they learn in class at night on the job the next day. 

In addition to private-sector alignments, we need to look at federal workforce training 

opportunities that often do not address the skills that are in demand by employers. Programs 

such as the Workforce Investment Act need to be focused toward a goal of training workers to 

credentials that are in demand in the private sector. That is why the NAM supports H.R. 1325, 

the America Works Act, that would provide this prioritization. 

From an employer's perspective, a nationally-portable, industry-recognized credential system, 

integrated into degree programs, transforms their approach to human resources. It would nearly 

guarantee a level of quality in potential hires that does not exist today, greatly reducing the risk 

associated with hiring new employees-a risk that is more Significant for smaller businesses 

that need to make targeted, skills-based hires without much room for error. 

In fact, because small manufacturers usually do not have the Human Resource departments to 

recruit, screen and hire new employees, skill certifications enable those small businesses to 

Significantly improve their hiring practices by giving them the confidence that their new 

employees have the skills required to immediately contribute to the success of the company. 

Conclusion 

Mr. Chairman, for too many years, anything that looked or sounded like skills development was 

classified as job training, non-credit courses or career and technical education. In other words, it 

wasn't considered real education. Skill certifications should be a part of traditional education, but 

a wall has been built between education and job training by institutions on both sides of that 

divide. 

We're working to break down that wall. The result will be more students staying in school, more 

individuals gaining the skills they need to build a career and more employers finding and hiring 

qualified workers. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I look forward to working with you to build the next 

generation manufacturing workforce. 

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Testimony by Dr. Scott Ralls 

President, North Carolina Community College System 

To the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee 

September 8,2011 

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear 

before you today. 

My name is Scott Ralls and I am president of the North Carolina Community College 

System. I represent a system of 58 colleges that provides education and workforce 

training to almost 900,000 North Carolinians annually - approximately one out of every 

eight adults in our state. 

Our system originated as an innovation to foster statewide economic prosperity through 

workforce development. In the 1950s, North Carolina was per capita one ofthe poorest 

states in the nation with an economy limited to tobacco, textiles and furniture 

production. During that time of economic' challenge, Governor Luther Hodges proposed 

two education innovations to foster economic diversification and widely shared 

prosperity in our state - innovations that were at first met with skepticism. 

The first was the development of a research and development park, located in what was 

then a pine forest between three notable universities. Today known as Research 

Triangle Park, this area hosts one of the fastest growing technology economies in the 

country. 

The other innovation was a system of Industrial Education Centers located around the 

state. These centers were created for the sole purpose of training North Carolinians for 

jobs they had not previously performed. They subsequently promoted the location and 

development of businesses not previously in existence in our state. 

Our current system of community colleges, the most comprehensive in the nation, 

emerged from this innovation - as did a mantra frequently repeated in our state that 

"Education is Economic Development." 

Over the last half century, a variety of workforce development innovations have 

occurred through our system. These innovations have helped lift our state to a better 

economic position and provided a foundation for meeting the workforce needs of both 

small and larger businesses. They have also better equipped our citizens and our 

communities to deal with today's very significant economic challenges. 

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For example, we were the first state in the nation to provide customized job training to 

businesses as an economic development strategy. Our customized training program 

has since grown significantly in terms of both sophistication and capacity, last year 

providing training to 251 companies and 19,556 North Carolinians. It is frequently 

referred to as the best economic development incentive our state offers. 

Historically, attention around this program has involved larger companies and 

sophisticated training for new jobs in growth industries. Current examples include the 

aerospace structures training for Spirit Aerosystems in the eastern end of our state; the 

bioprocess manufacturing training for the Novartis vaccine facility in the Research 

Triangle; and the new energy jobs created through the Siemens gas turbine facility in 

Charlotte. 

But in recent years, our focus has turned increasingly not only to companies creating 

jobs, but also companies making Significant technology and productivity advances that 

sustain jobs. Increasingly our "bread and butter" has become our state's smaller 

manufacturers and export-oriented companies. 

Companies like Motion Sensors, Inc., a small family-owned business in the coastal 

northeastern corner, turned to one of our colleges to provide the training support 

necessary to gain AS9100 certification. Gaining this coveted quality management 

certification for aerospace in October opened the door to significant new sales 

opportunities for the small company. 

Our colleges not only provide the skills training that support the world-class workforce 

our companies need to advance and grow, but they also provide counseling and 

business development training that budding entrepreneurs need to create new business 

opportunities. We do this through 58 Small Business Centers that provide free 

entrepreneurial counseling and training at each of our colleges. Last year these efforts 

contributed to the creation of 743 new small businesses in North Carolina. 

One of those was owned by Nadine Cobb, a previously laid-off accountant living in the 

northwest corner of our state - an area that has been economically ravaged by both 

textile and furniture lay-offs. Through a partnership in our state supported through the 

Workforce Investment Act - Growing America through Entrepreneurship or GATE --

Nadine gained additional accounting skills plus the entrepreneurial training and 

business plan assistance she needed to start her business. She is one of nine recent 

new business owners in her distressed rural county to start a new business through this 

assistance. 

Nadine's experience exemplifies something that we firmly believe, that the road to North 

Carolina's economic recovery runs right through the middle of our Community College 

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System. And our data confirms this claim. Since the recession began three years ago, 

total enrollment at North Carolina community colleges has surged by 28 percent. 

Consequently, our system faces significant simultaneous challenges - providing 

meaningful workforce development opportunities in an economic environment with 

significantly less job opportunity, and meeting head on the challenge of a surge in 

students who queue up in our registration lines. Significantly increasing student 

success and program completion rates is our primary strategic focus, and achieving 

those goals in an environment of both exploding demand and declining budgets, offers 

a whole new level of challenges. These challenges are presenting opportunities for 

innovation like never before. 

A greater focus on industry certifications and licensures is part of the answer because 

they help us address the simUltaneous challenges of workforce opportunity and 

program efficiency. First, industry-defined certifications mean something. When our 

students gain industry-recognized credentials along the way to associate degrees or 

diplomas, they enter an ever challenging job market with more industry-defined 

firepower to go with their educational credentials. Recent research indicates that 

approximately 27% of workers with certificates - credentials short of an associate 

degree - earn more than the average bachelor'S degree recipient. 

Industry certifications also help us innovate to address the efficiency challenge. 

Community colleges often partner with businesses to address their workforce skills 

requirements one employer at a time, typically by creating one new degree or training 

program at a time. However, when employers collaborate to clearly define their skill 

targets, as the National Association of Manufacturers Certification model does, it 

provides us a clear target to focus our efforts and a framework to work across multiple 

degrees and training programs. 

That is what is happening now in North Carolina. Faculty members across multiple 

colleges are redesigning curriculum standards in over 80 different degrees, using the 

NAM-endorsed Skill Certification System as a model. Building on a foundation of core 

academic and personal effectiveness competencies that cut across industries and 

multiple degrees, we can layer or "stack" core technical workplace competencies and 

industry certifications. 

Bottom line, we can be even more responsive to industry with clear employer 

certification targets, while achieving efficiencies across previous "slivers" of degree 

programs. This curriculum innovation, what we refer to in North Carolina as our Super 

Curriculum Improvement Project, is our most significant recent curriculum redesign. 

Current economic realities mean that our workforce development innovations can no 

longer be about just adding new programs. Instead, it means redesigning existing 

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programs, refocusing budget priorities and integrating across program areas so that 

students do not fall through cracks in previously siloed program areas. We're now 

working harder to integrate requirements across program areas to insure our students 

have greater math competencies as well as the knowledge of energy efficiency -skill 

areas we believe will be critical for jobs in the future. 

In addition, this year our system implemented a new state funding model for our 

colleges. Like families across the nation dealing with the recession, we too prioritized 

our limited resources. By weighting funding for lab-based sciences, health care, 

technical education and training for recognized industry credentials, our aim is to not 

only better fund programs that can cost more to provide, but also to move forward 

program areas that we believe will propel North Carolina's economy. 

While direct federal funding is only one percent of our community colleges' budgets, 

these funding sources are an incredibly important resource for us to move our 

innovation models forward. Perkins funds are the only professional development 

resources our colleges receive that enable our faculty to attain and train for technical 

certifications. And like other community colleges across the nation, our colleges are 

hopeful for the potential grant resources of the Trade Adjustment Assistance 

Community College and Career Training program that offer the potential to significantly 

move our innovation models forward. 

In North Carolina, these new models are increasingly breaking previous program silos -

such as silos that can exist between degree and non-degree programs, or between 

State and Federally funded programs. For example, in our Basic Skills and Literacy 

programs that receive both federal and state support, we have a new effort called Basic 

Skills Plus that enables students in GED programs to participate in pathways that 

combine GED preparation, developmental education opportunities and occupational 

training for industry certifications and licensures. 

With the support of our state's workforce development system and Workforce 

Investment Act funds, we collaboratively created a training program called JobsNOW. 

This program combined various training resources and accelerated opportunities to 

enable individuals impacted by job loss to simultaneously attain a Career Readiness 

Certification, an industry certification, occupational license or other meaningful 

occupational training, and employability skills such as interviewing and team work - all 

within six months or less. During the past two years, almost 20,000 North Carolinians 

have enrolled in the JobsNOW program and attained more than 17,000 industry 

certifications, licensures and Career Readiness Certificates. 

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Last winter, I met one of the program participants while touring one of our mountain 

colleges. At a makeshift outdoor pipefitting training lab, a most unlikely looking "college" 

student named Tim Price stopped me to say thanks, a thanks I pass on to you today. 

A big, burly mountain of a man, all layered in his work clothes, Tim wanted to say thank 

you because, as he said with emotion in his voice, for the first time in several years both 

he and his family were feeling economic hope. Years earlier, Tim had been one of the 

many victims of the furniture company layoffs in our state, and his immediate family had 

faced several medical challenges that would have been difficult for someone of any 

economic circumstances. A couple of months ago, I called Isothermal Community 

College to check on Tim, and was delighted to learn he had recently been employed as 

a pipefitter with a North Carolina-based energy company making $16.40 an hour with 

medical coverage for his family. 

Tim's story illustrates something that I have heard that one of our greatest champions, 

Melinda Gates, has been known to say - that the line between poverty and middle-class 

today runs through our nation's community colleges. I believe that, and I also believe it 

is why our mission and our focus on innovation in workforce development have never 

been more important for our citizens, our communities, our state and our nation. Thank 

you. 

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CompTIA~ 

The Computing Technology Industry Association 

Testimony of Scott Watkins, CEO, Modern Tech Squad 

Before the 

House Small Business Committee 

"Innovative Approaches to Meeting the Workforce 

Needs of Small Businesses" 

September 8, 2011 
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Introduction 

Good afternoon, Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Velazquez, and distinguished 

members of the Committee. My name is Scott Watkins, and I appear on behalf of my 

company, Modern Tech Squad, and as a member of the Computing Technology 

Industry Association, also known as CompTIA. My company is the illiLY CompTIA 

Authorized Service Center for computers, networks, and server support in the 

Florida panhandle. I want to thank Chairman Graves and Members of this 

Committee for holding this hearing on the value of industry-led portable skills 

credentials. This is an extremely important issue for my company and for countless 

other small businesses across the nation. 

Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. As I'm sure you are 

aware, there are an estimated 30 million small businesses in the United States, 

which employs over half of all the private sector employees. An even more 

important statistic for this hearing though, is the fact that small businesses hire 40 

percent wall high-tech workers. 

On behalf of my company, Modern Tech Squad, and CompTIA, I would like to share 

with you our perspective about the importance of credentials in the LT. industry. 

Modern Tech Squad and CompTIA 

CompTiA is a non-profit trade association representing over 2,000 corporate 

members and 1,000 business partners in the information technology (IT) 

industry. Many of its members are like me -- small businesses that provide LT. 

services to others. CompTIA is also the leading global provider of vendor neutral 

LT. workforce certifications. The CompTIA Authorized Service Center (ASC) 

credential validates an organization's level of technical certification, resulting in 

competitive differentiation and customer confidence. As I mentioned previously, 

Modern Tech Squad is a CompTIA Authorized Service Center. 

First a brief word about CompTIA certifications and why our company values these 

certifications as an important market differentia tor. 

The success of the personal computer led the computer service and repair 

industries to commission CompTIA to create its vendor-neutral CompTIA A+ 

certification examination program in 1992. Today, nearly 800,000 people hold the 

CompTIA A+ certification. The continuing success of this certification demonstrates 

an ongoing need to provide a means of validating skills across a wide spectrum of 

computer hardware and software. Following on the success of A+, CompTiA 

developed and introduced the CompTIA Network+, and CompTIA Security+ 

certifications. Each of these certifications is industry-driven, validating technical 

skills and abilities for both individuals working in the LT. field, and for the people 

who hire and train them. 

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By securing and validating core skills and knowledge, both job-seekers and 

established professionals can progress to more complex and specialized credentials, 

such as vendor-specific hardware and software training. 

Description of Modern Tech Squad Business Involvement with Certifications 

These certifications have played an important role in our company. Together with 

my father and brother, we founded Modern Tech Squad about three years ago. 

Typical services that Modern Tech Squad provide include computer-based 

diagnostics and repairs, network and server support, break-fix work, and remote LT. 

support. 

At the time that we started the company, my father was a General Contractor and 

my brother Matt worked with him in construction. You may remember three years 

ago as the economy hit bottom in the housing industry and things were pretty 

tough. I had on the other hand, been the LT. manager at a local hospital and 

suggested that the three of us start Modern Tech Squad. The availability of an 

industry recognized, vendor neutral certification through CompTIA made our 

business possible. With a new-found passion and a good deal of study, my father 

and brother were able to transition from construction to the high-tech field of LT. 

It is also interesting to note, that the first time I went to take the CompTIA A+ exam, 

I failed. My years of being an LT. professional gave me a false sense of security in my 

knowledge of computers. The adage "you only know what you know." was a hard 

lesson learned and opened my eyes to the need for certifications. J needed to learn 

more about computers and LT. specific areas and I firmly believe that has made me 

a better technician and a better value to our customers. 

Many of our customers - over half of them in-fact - are small businesses just like us. 

These small businesses depend on LT. services, but are too small to have a dedicated 

LT. department. I have heard horror stories of a small business hiring an I.T. guy 

who claimed to know what he was doing only to realize that was not the case. A 

small business cannot afford to spend their hard-earned money on solutions that do 

not work. With a CompTIA certification, I know that the customer will have piece of 

mind that their hard earned money is being well spent on someone who is trained 

properly and who provides the right solution the first time. 

CompTIA's credentials also allowed us to chart a successful business plan. There 

are over 3,800 registered LT. based service companies in the State of Florida. In our 

rural part of the Florida panhandle, there are 11 such companies in our area offering 

the same services we offer. We felt that a great way to differentiate ourselves was to 

highlight the fact that we were CompTIA certified. Our strategy was dead on. In only 

3 years, we have not only held steady but we have grown to eight employees and 

nothing seems to be in our way for growing more. 

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CompTIA's certifications are just the beginning for us though. The concept of 

stackable credentials is essential to provide an even higher level of service to our 

customers. My brother Matt and I are currently studying for the Microsoft Certified 

LT. Professional Certification. Some of our employees are also pursing l.T. 

credentials in additionall.T. fields. We see a lot of opportunity for expanding our 

business based on st;lcking these vendor specific certifications on top of the 

CompTIA credentials we already hold. 

In conclusion, here's the bottom line. Industry certifications are a necessity. They 

give companies like ours - no matter where we are located - a chance to meet 

consumer needs, grow our business and branch out into various additional 

professional opportunities as technology evolves. Our success proves this and it is 

our hope that others can learn from that success. 

Conclusion 

I want to thank the Committee again for the opportunity to share my story with you 

and encourage you to support the broad dissemination of stackable and portable 

industry credentials. 

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Testimony of Roger Tadajewski 

Executive Director, National Coalition of Certification Centers 

Before the Committee on Small Business 

U.S. House of Representatives 

"Innovative Approaches to Meeting the Workforce Needs of Small Businesses" 

September 8, 2011 

Good afternoon Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Velazquez and members ofthe 

committee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear today to discuss this important issue. 

My name is Roger Tadajewski and I am the Executive Director of the National Coalition 

of Certification Centers (NC3). NC3 was established to address the need for strong 

industry partnerships with educational institutions in order to develop, implement and 

sustain industry-recognized portable certifications that have strong validation and 

assessment standards. NC3 members have an opportunity to take a national and 

international role in shaping industry-driven training policies for today and the future. 

NC3 is the outgrowth of the relationship between Gateway Technical College (GTC), 

located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Snap-on Inc. This year, GTC is recognizing its 100 

years of service to the greater southeast region of Wisconsin. GTC has been part of many 

business cycles over the last 100 years, and has always responded with innovative 

approaches to meet the workforce needs of both local business and national industries. 

As we know, the current business cycle has been very challenging. GTC believes that 

working with business and industry to understand new and emerging technologies and the 

impact on local and national workforce issues is critically important and helps to develop 

the types of training that students will need to be good candidates for employment. 

For example: the transportation, aviation/aerospace and energy industries are continuing 

to improve and integrate new and emerging technologies in the commercial marketplace, 

industry and retail maintenance and repair services and manufacturing processes. These 

new technologies and processes create the need for the current and emerging workforce 

skill sets that demonstrate "what you know and what you can do" utilizing technology to 

improve productivity and processes. 

Innovative approaches to implement and sustain strong business, industry and 

educational partnerships is required to meet today's needs and future job growth, for both 

the current and emerging workforce. 

New opportunities exist for small business to engage with the colleges nationally to 

develop advanced technical training for students and instructors and enhance the image of 

all aviation/aerospace, energy and transportation related programs. Additionally, these 
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efforts will have a positive cascade effect down to high schools and middle schools. 

This, in combination with the congressional efforts that focus on increasing community 

college training for new and transitioning workforce and to ensure that this new 

workforce is highly skilled in the use oftechnology and processes, provides an even 

greater scope of opportunity. 

Many college presidents are proactive to this need, but cannot do it alone! They are 

asking "What do I do? How do I do it? Who can help me?" The ability today and in the 

future to provide guidance and professional direction on technology certification, facility 

layout, tooling, equipment, training and technology to college presidents, administrators, 

directors and department chairs will provide a pathway to developing strong small 

business and educational partnerships that are sustainable. 

As our nation's credit markets continue to stabilize, small businesses will have the ability 

to grow. They will need a skilled workforce with transitional skill sets, stackable 

credentials that allow for increased productivity and the ability to adapt to new materials, 

processes and future technical career pathway opportunities. To accomplish this end, the 

nation's community and technical colleges will need to continue to build and sustain 

partnerships with small businesses and industries. 

Current status: 

Significant accomplishments have already been achieved in the aviation/aerospace, 

energy, transportation and manufacturing areas. 

GTC has implemented strong partnerships with local business that lead to industry 

certifications that are transitional across multiple industries. They have also championed 

an effort to work collaboratively with other community colleges across the nation. 

Working with local small business owners, GTC developed innovative approaches to 

ensure that graduates of GTC have key certifications that meet the needs of employers. 

These approaches included identifYing key areas that small businesses needed. One area 

included new employees demonstrating that they were proficient in the use of equipment 

that is computer/diagnostic and or process driven. Some of these skill sets, like torque 

and use of electrical measurement equipment, are now being taught for use in multiple 

industries and job descriptions. This is one example of many areas that small business is 

looking related to the emerging workforce. 

GTC, along with several other community colleges, the Association for Career and 

Technical Education (ACTE), the American Association of Community Colleges 

(AACC), the National Collation of Certification Centers (NC3) and other partners have 

begun a national approach to implement and provide a national model to sustain longterm, high impact job-training initiatives across the country. 
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Industry is becoming more vocal about the need to develop and implement industry 

recognized certifications and education training strategies in the coming years. Their 

view on this is driven by the demand to replace the current retiring workforce with 

advance trained, skilled workforce. 

Key activities that are in process include developing core certification centers nationally 

over the next three years, identification and engagement of additional schools to 

participate and work with these centers, and development of training materials and 

processes. This effort also will include leadership activities to engage college presidents, 

high school and middle school principals. 

Working with community college and high school instructors in every state over the next 

five years, providing them will a full depth of knowledge of stackable credentials, local 

business and education partnerships and how to transfer that knowledge to their students 

produces the kind of alliance that will generate and sustain employment growth in the 

long term. 

I would like to suggest the following recommendations that Congress consider 

supporting: 

1) Support initiatives tbat provide better long-range planning for employer/employee 

needs: 

2) Support and encourage activities to align community college academic programs 

witb business and industry-led nationally portable, industry-recognized certificates 

and credentials 

3) Support and recognize small business and industry efforts and investment to 

develop and implement industry-led national portable, recognized certification and 

credentials tbat are delivered in collaboration witb education 

4) Support, encourage and recognize small business entrepurnersbip partnersbip 

efforts with education to train the new and emerging workforce 

5) Support federal initiatives sucb as the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical 

Education Act, which ensure rigor and provide needed skill-sets 

Thank you again for allowing me to testify today. I look forward to answering your 

questions. 
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Congressman Owens 

Small Business Committee 

Questions for the Record 

Ms. Jennifer McNelly 

Question 1: A survey prepared by the National Federation ofindependent Businesses this 

summer indicates that approximately 33% of small businesses report having difficulty finding 

adequately skilled workers. How many jobs do you estimate are unfilled in your membership for 

this reason? 

Question 2: You mentioned rising health care costs and tax rates as a couple of the biggest 

challenges facing the manufacturing industry. Would you consider the lack of consumer demand 

to be as big a challenge to the manufacturing industry? Do you have any recommendations for 

how to help improve demand? 
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Congressman Owens 

Small Business Committee 

Questions for the Record 

Dr. Scott Ralls 

Question: You mentioned in your testimony that you are hopeful for potential grant resources 

from the Trade Adjustment Assistance program. Can you talk about how community colleges in 

your system utilize these grants to help train new workers and create jobs? 
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Congressman Owens 

Small Business Committee 

Questions for the Record 

Mr. Roger Tadajewski 

Question: In your estimate, what percentage of the need for skilled personnel are private 

certification centers filling and what ideas do you have to fill in the rest of the skills gap? 
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Congressman Owens 

Small Business Committee 

Questions for the Record 

Ms. Jennifer McNelly 

Question 1: A survey prepared by the National Federation ofIndependent Businesses this 

summer indicates that approximately 33% of small businesses report having difficulty finding 

adequately skilled workers. How many jobs do you estimate are unfilled in your membership for 

this reason? 

Response: The lack of qualified workers, particularly for skilled production positions, is 

certainly an issue for manufacturers. A survey done in 2009, during the height of the recession 

and layoffs in manufacturing, showed that 32% of manufacturers had trouble finding skilled 

workers. We are in the process of updating this data and early indications are that the skills gap 

has significantly worsened. The complete Skills Gap report will be available in October 20 II. 

Question 2: You mentioned rising health care costs and tax rates as a couple of the biggest 

challenges facing the manufacturing industry. Would you consider the lack of consumer demand 

to be as big a challenge to the manufacturing industry? Do you have any recommendations for 

how to help improve demand? 

Response: In a recent Industry Week article titled" Economy, regulations top list of concerns" 

authored by Dr. Chad Moutray, Chief Economist for the National Association of Manufacturers 

he stated. 

"Almost 61% said that an unfavorable business climate was one of the biggest challenges right 

now, and nearly 80% felt that govemment involvement was impeding their ability to grow their 

operations. Many respondents added comments to their surveys on these topics, and the vast 

majority of them were government-related. Several individuals expressed frustration with the 

regulatory actions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Labor Relations 

Board (NLRB), their state governments and others. Not surprisingly, many of them expressed 

frustration with the overall political process, particularly citing the inability to seriously address 

the nation's fiscal challenges. Others were more specific, referring to the stalemate over passage 

of a new transportation bill and the three pending free trade agreements with Colombia, South 

Korea and Panama. 

However a "weaker Domestic Economy" is the primary driver but "Other concerns ... included: 

the competitiveness of U.S. tax rates, increased international competition, currency 

manipulation, rising health care costs (and lower government reimbursement rates for medical 

providers), the ability to attract a skilled worliforce and the need for tort reform. " This is 

precisely the segment the manufacturing skills certification is attempting to address. 

On order to improve demand Dr. Moutray states, " ... International trade represents a tremendous 

opportunity for manufacturers, and recent statistics show that manufactured goods exports are up 

nearly 13% over the past year. Overseas markets are key to many of these businesses' future 
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growth strategies. In fact, 39.5% ofrespondents said that increased international sales would 

drive their future success, and 46% of them expected their level of exports to rise over the next 

12 months. With that said, it is important to remember that the U.S. still represents a huge market 

in itself, with a population of over 312 million. Three-quarters of manufacturers listed the U.S. 

market as their top driver for future growth, even as they listed its current sluggishness as a top 

concern." 
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Congressman Owens 

Small Business Committee 

Questions for the Record 

Dr. Scott Ralls 

Question: You mentioned in your testimony that you are hopeful for potential grant resources 

from the Trade Adjustment Assistance program. Can you talk about how community colleges in 

your system utilize these grants to help train new workers and create jobs? 

Response: The T AA grant resources I indicated I was hopeful for in my recent testimony to the 

Small Business Committee related to the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and 

Career Training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. Congress authorized $2 

billion for this program, of which $500 million in grants were recently made available to community 

colleges in every state in the nation. 

My testimony focused on the unique role community colleges play in fostering job opportunities, and 

these grants are an important resource in spurring job creation efforts. Even in the face of record 

unemployment, skills mismatches have been widely documented particularly in "mid-skill" jobs that 

require greater than a high school degree but less than a bachelor's degree. These jobs are frequently 

found in healthcare, advanced manufacturing or other areas that require advanced forms of technical 

education. Recent research in North Carolina indicates that 51 % of our jobs fall in these categories 

but only 43% of our population is trained to this level, thus producing a mismatch. 

Colleges from North Carolina submitted four grant proposals in the recent proposal, each addressing 

this issue of skills mismatch through either healthcare or technical education training. We were 

gratified that a proposal from Robeson Community College involving ten community colleges in our 

state was one of the funded proposals. 

Through this $18.8 million initiative serving several of our economically hardest hit counties, and in 

partnership with 35 leading employers, the ten NC colleges comprising the North Carolina Advanced 

Manufacturing Alliance that will: 

• Conduct comprehensive skill assessments at student points of entry and provide advanced 

student services through industry-experienced Success Managers; 

• Offer flexible learning options with skills training on advanced equipment and design and 

offer self-paced math, English, and reading mini-sessions to accelerate students from precollege to college course work; 

• Generate an on-line repository of courses and manufacturing career guidance through iTunes 

University; 

• Match and provide student internship opportunities; and 

• Develop a pipeline of students from high school to college and partner with Career and 

Technical Education programs and our Early College High Schools. 

We are excited and grateful for the economic opportunity made available throug", this program and 

hopeful that previously authorized additional RFP rounds will be forthcoming. The road to economic 
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recovery is running right through the middle of community colleges as our enrollment has surged by 

30% since the onset of the recession. Programs such as TAACCTP help us to make sure that we not 

only provide access to the thousands of working and middle class folks turning to us, but real 

opportunity as well. 
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Congressman Owens 

Small Business Committee 

Questions for the Record 

Mr. Roger Tadajewski 

Question: In your estimate, what percentage of the need for skilled personnel are private 

certification centers filling and what ideas do you have to fill in the rest ofthe skills gap? 

Response: Congressman Owens, in my estimation private certification centers are 

providing/supporting less than 10% of our current need. The best approach is to mobilize the nation's 

network of technical community colleges to deliver industry recognized skill certifications. This can 

effectively be done by working with industry and business leaders to develop and implement 

curriculum and training that allows the emerging workforce to have in their portfolio certifications 

that demonstrate knowledge, capacity and capability to enter the work force. As I stated in my 

testimony, industry leaders and leading presidents have formed the National Coalition of 

Certification Centers (NC3) to address the issue. I would welcome the opportunity to review these 

strategies with you. 

Roger Tadajewski 

Executive Director 

National Coalition of Certification Centers 

405-850-9814 

Roger.tadajewski@nc3.net 
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House Small Business Committee Hearing 

Innovative Approaches to Meeting the Workforce Needs of Small Businesses 

Statement by Rep. Joe Donnelly 

September 8,2011 

I was glad to learn that the House Committee on Small Business would be holding this hearing 

on portable skills credentials and small businesses' need for highly skilled workers. Small 

businesses are a key driver of the American economy, and we depend on them to help get the 

economy up and running again. I look forward to learning what conclusions the committee 

ultimately draws from today's hearing and witness testimonies. 

Like the committee, I have also reached out in search of good ideas that will benefit the 

economy. That is why in March of this year I held a manufacturing summit at Ivy Tech 

Community College in Indianapolis to discuss issues facing the manufacturing industry and its 

workers. Representatives in education, business, and labor came from every comer of the state 

to present their views and participate in a conversation on how we can restore vitality and growth 

in the manufacturing sector and ensure that it remains a robust source of good jobs in the future. 

My summit focused on manufacturing, because it played a leading role in making the American 

economy the force it is today and I think it should and will continue to play that role. In my 

district and nationwide, many manufacturers are small businesses and they are crucial to several 

industries America needs in order to remain strong. For example, in Indiana many small 

manufacturers make parts for the auto and medical device industries, in tum keeping good jobs 

on American soil. 

During my summit, one common theme was the difficulty many employers are having trying to 

find workers with the necessary skills to fill open positions. When positions sit empty, American 

companies struggle to compete in an increasingly global marketplace. We need to do a better job 

of matching skilled workers with those looking to hire them. 

With this in mind, I worked with the National Association of Manufacturers and Reps. Todd 

Russell Platts and Dan Boren to introduce H.R. 1325, The AMERICA Works Act. The goal of 

this bipartisan legislation is to better prepare American workers and keep our manufacturers 

competitive in the global marketplace by ensuring that workforce training programs are teaching 

to the needs of our employers and are issuing recognized, portable credentials. Additionally, the 

bill addresses the need for a more streamlined way of categorizing and credentialing specific 

skills so that we can more efficiently connect skilled job seekers with the employers who need 

them. 

The federal government invests billions into workforce training programs annually to help 

workers obtain the skills they need to land a good paying job and to help companies find workers 

with the right skill sets. AMERICA Works does not take this funding away or even increase it; 

instead it prioritizes existing Trade Adjustment Assistance, Workforce Investment Act, and 

Perkins Vocation-Technical Education Act funds for programs that teach toward nationally 

portable, industry recognized skill credentials. Encouraging education centers to offer programs 

teaching in-demand skills would help ensure our companies can find workers equipped to 
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compete in today's global economy. Likewise, tbis emphasis on in-demand, portable credentials 

would help those workers who already have these skills or are training for them to more easily 

gain and keep good jobs. 

To make certain that the credentials being awarded are what employers are looking for, 

AMERICA Works would require the Department of Labor to establish a registry of skills 

credentials. This registry would list credentials that are required by federal or state law for an 

occupation, are from tbe Manufacturing Institute-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification 

System, or are industry-recognized and nationally portable credentials. The registry enables 

education centers to be sure that they are offering relevant and desired skills. 

I would like to thank the Small Business Committee for conducting this hearing. The current 

economic crisis is the toughest we have faced since the Great Depression, and no one idea is 

going to solve the problem. However, simple and innovative ideas like AMERICA Works that 

enable American workers and American small businesses to grow and compete represent solid 

steps in the right direction. I urge members of this committee to support tbis bipartisan bill. 
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CompTIA~ 

The Computing Technology Industry Association 

Testimony Before the 

House Small Business Committee 

"Innovative Approaches to Meeting the Workforce 

Needs of Small Businesses" 

September 8, 2011 
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Introduction. 

Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Velazquez, and distinguished members of the Committee, 

on behalf of the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) we appreciate the 

opportunity to submit testimony for the record. We wish to thank Chairman Graves and 

Members of this Committee for holding this hearing on the value of industry-led portable skills 

credentials to meeting the workforce needs of small businesses. 

Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. According to the Small Business 

Administration Office of Advocacy, there are approximately 30 million small businesses in the 

United States, which represent over 99 percent of all employer firms and employ over half of all 

private sector employees. An even more important statistic for this hearing is the fact that 

small businesses hire 40 percent of all high tech workers. It is our strong belief that portable 

skills credentials not only contribute to economic and job growth, but also help to keep our IT 

industry competitive globally. 

About CompTIA 

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a non-profit trade association 

representing the $3 trillion global information technology (IT) industry. CompTIA represents 

over 2,000 members and 1,000 business partners. Our members are at the forefront of 

innovation and provide a critical backbone that supports broader commerce and job creation. 

These members include computer hardware manufacturers, software developers, technology 

distributors, and IT specialists that help organizations integrate and use technology products 

and services. CompTiA is dedicated to serving its membership by advancing industry innovation 

and growth through its educational programs, market research, networking events, 

professional certifications, and public advocacy. 

CompTIA and IT Workforce Credentialing 

The success ofthe personal computer led the computer service and repair industries to 

commission CompTIA to create its globally-recognized vendor-neutral CompTIA A+ certification 

examination program in 1992. The continuing success of this certification demonstrates an 

ongoing need to provide a means of validating skills across a wide spectrum of computer 

hardware and software. Following on the success of the A+ certification, CompTiA developed 

and introduced CompTIA Network+, and CompTiA Security+. Each of these certifications is 

industry-driven, validating technical skills for both individuals working in IT and for the people 

who hire and train them. Today over 1.4 million CompTIA credentials have been awarded to IT 

professionals around the globe. 

By securing and validating core skills and knowledge, both job-seekers and established 

professionals can progress to more complex and specialized credentials, such as vendor-specific 

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hardware and software training. As a career in IT matures, it may well necessitate higher-level 

specialty training and skills in an array of career paths such as IT security, health IT, software, 

open source, and more. Workers might also acquire additional credentials to validate those 

skills to current or prospective management. A varying array of career paths is both available 

and indeed necessary in order to maintain a skilled workforce. 

CompTIA Leadership Role in Credentialing and Workforce Development 

Since the early 1990's CompTIA has played a leadership role in working with the IT Industry to 

develop vendor-neutral, foundational credentials. CompTIA's IT credential and workforce 

development activities have led to its being invited to participate in and provide leadership for 

several federal agencies in the area of IT workforce development. These include: 

~ Department of Education and the States Career Cluster Initiative: The States 

Career Cluster Initiative is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education (DoEd) 

and the National Association of States Directors of Career Tech Ed consortium 

(NASDCTEc). The Initiative is comprised of 16 Career Clusters, including the IT 

Career Cluster. The Initiative, adopted by all 50 states and the District of Columbia, 

provides the framework for the development of Programs of Study for Career Tech 

Ed programs at the high school and community college levels. CompTIA has been 

acting as the national IT Career Cluster leader since 2006, helping to ensure that 

content is effectively covered within the framework and its ongoing revision process. 

~ Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the HITECH Act: CompTIA was 

an active participant in the Workshop for Health and IT subject matter experts 

(SMEs) at Vanderbilt University, sponsored by theHHS Office for the National 

Coordinator (ONe) for Health IT. The objective of this meeting was to define the 

knowledge and skill sets required for six (6) job functions defined by the ONC for the 

successful installation and ongoing maintenance of the thousands of EHR systems 

that would need to be put in place. Arising from this interaction, CompTIA has also 

worked closely with the Midwest, South and Southwest Regions of the HHS HIT 

Community College Consortium as they work toward a national goal of adding 

50,000 more health IT workers to help medical providers achieve meaningful use of 

electronic medical records. Arising from all of these efforts, CompTIA has gone on to 

work with its membership and SMEs to develop and release the Healthcare IT 

Technician credential. The content covered by this credential maps closely to two (2) 

of the six (6) job roles defined by the ONC: The Implementation Support Specialist 

and the Technical/Software Support Specialist. 

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~ Department of Labor and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA): CompTiA has 

worked closely with the Department of Labor Employment and Training 

Administration (DOlETA) over the years to assist unemployed individuals with an 

aptitude for being an IT Technician to get the training and preparation they need to 

gain CompTIA's vendor-neutral, foundational credentials. CompTIA is currently 

working on several projects with Workforce Investment Boards and OneStop Centers 

under DOlETA: 

o "Getting America Back to Work" - CompTIA developed a free portal called 

"Getting America Back to Work" to assist case workers at OneStop Centers to 

assess, train, certify, and place unemployed individuals in IT technical 

positions. 

o CompTIA is working with Innovative Exams on the placement of kiosks at 

OneStop Centers that will provide a virtual proctoring system for an 

individual to be able to sit for CompTIA's high stakes certification exams right 

at the OneStop Center with which they are affiliated. 

o CompTIA's "Returning Vets Program" is a workforce development program 

tailored for the many veterans who will be returning from Iraq and 

Afghanistan over the next 18 months. There is WIA funding available to 

veterans to help them get the counseling and training they need to seek and 

find employment upon their return. CompTlA's "Returning Vets Program" 

will assist them in getting the training and certification vouchers that will 

increase their chances at filling one of the 400,000 open IT jobs across the 

country. 

~ Department of Defense and Directive 8570 (08570): In 2005, the Department of 

Defense instituted Directive 8570, requiring that all personnel working in 

Information Assurance have training and credentialing in information security to 

effectively prevent and respond to attacks against the Department's information and 

IT systems. CompTIA participated in the D8570 Task Force to determine the IT 

credentials that would be included in this far-reaching workforce development 

program, and three of CompTlA's certifications are included in the Directive: 

CompTlA's A+, Network+, and Security+. 

The Relationship Between Employment and CompTIA Certifications 

There are currently over 400,000 open Information Technology jobs in the U.S. These available 

jobs result from the gap between what IT employers need to hire and the skills possessed by 

those looking for sustainable jobs. This suggests, particularly at a time of such high national 

unemployment, that we must all do better in preparing men and women with the skills they 

need to purse these jobs. Training and credentialing these individuals is a key way to fill these 

open slots and bring the unemployment rate down to a more reasonable level. 

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We know through research that certifications are an extremely important tool in matching the 

individual to employment. In February 2011, CompTIA released a global study entitled, 

"Employer Perceptions of IT Training and Certification." The study of nearly 1,700 businesses 

found that employers are inclined to rely more heavily on professional certifications when 

hiring information technology (IT) workers, but they are challenged in the selection process by 

credential evaluation and validation issues. Professional certifications are already viewed by 

hiring managers as a high-value validation of IT skills. 

The CompTIA study also suggested that certifications will grow in importance as organizations 

seek to fill tech jobs. Specifically, among IT hiring managers nearly two-thirds (64 percent) 

rated IT certifications as having extremely high or high value in validating skills and expertise. 

Eight in ten human resources (HR) professionals surveyed believe IT certifications will grow in 

usefulness and importance over the next two years. While more remains to be done to assist 

HR personnel in becoming familiar with credentials and to develop better ways for hiring 

officials to verify a candidates possession of a credential, there is no doubt that credentials are 

an important part of a vital workforce. 

Stackable and Portable Credentials Help Address the Skills Gap 

CompTIA is very supportive of the use of stackable and portable Industry credentials, because 

they fill an important role in providing a career pathway for individuals wanting to enter and 

progress in the IT Industry. Moreover, as marketplaces adjust and innovation impacts 

industries, portable credentials help IT firms and practitioners remain relevant and competitive 

within an ever-changing market. 

There are many examples of these types of credentials. Within CompTIA's portfolio, the Strata 

IT Fundamentals certificate is the precursor to the CompTIA A+ exam for individuals with little 

knowledge of computer terminology or basic computer knowledge. CompTIA's A+ certification 

provides the foundational knowledge to progress onto its Network+ and Security+ 

certifications. As such, these provide stackable credentials that can be included in high school 

and community college curricula programs of study that lead to career and degree 

opportunities. 

Additionally, CompTIA's IT credentials are stackable in relationship to emerging IT specialties. 

For example, CompTIA offers fundamental and advanced credentials in areas such as health IT 

and green IT. CompTIA's IT credentials are also stackable in relationship credential 

development organizations. For example, CompTIA's A+ and Network+ certifications are 

foundational to Cisco networking credentials and Microsoft's credentials. And CompTIA's 

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Security+ certification is stackable with Microsoft's MCSA certification and ISC2's CISSP 

certification. 

CompTIA's credentials are known for their portability due to their vendor-neutrality and 

industry-driven nature. CompTIA's credentials are acknowledged as Industry-developed, 

vendor-neutral exams across the United States and the World. Portability means that IT 

employers around the Globe recognize the value of CompTIA's credentials for their 

employment requirements. When an individual receives a CompTIA credential they can be 

assured of its portability on a global perspective. 

CompTIA is supportive of the AMERICA Works Act focus on Industry credentials that are 

stackable and portable, because of the role that those attributes play in helping unemployed 

individuals find sustainable and good paying jobs in IT. 

****** 

We again thank the Chairman for the opportunity to share our views on the value of 

certifications in workforce development. In conclusion, we want to emphasize that everyda~ 

we see the real value of these credentials for small IT businesses. 

6