I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3244 

To amend the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to provide 

support for organizations to promote the Manufacturing Skills Certification System. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 4, 2013 

Ms. ESTY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

To amend the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to provide support for organizations to promote the Manufacturing Skills Certification System. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘First STEP Act’’ or the ‘‘Supporting Training for Em6 ployment Potential Act’’. 

7 (b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Manufacturing has been the backbone of 

9 the Nation’s economy for more than a century. 


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1 (2) In 2012, manufacturers contributed $1.87 

2 trillion to the economy. 

3 (3) More than 12 million workers are employed 

4 in the manufacturing sector. 

5 (4) In many sectors there is a pronounced shift 

6 to high-skilled manufacturing jobs, and potential 

7 employees must possess high-level skills in order to 

8 compete in the job market. 

9 (5) In 2011, President Obama announced an 

10 expansion of the Manufacturing Skills Certification 

11 System as a part of the Skills for America’s Future 

12 Program. The Manufacturing Skills Certification 

13 System is a collaborative effort between private in14 dustry and the National Institute of Standards and 

15 Technology to create manufacturing credentials that 

16 would be universally recognizable. The credential 

17 program was designed by the Manufacturing Insti18 tute, a non-profit arm of the National Association of 

19 Manufacturers. Since its inception in 2011 more 

20 than 173,000 certifications have been issued. 

21 (6) Centers across the country, such as the 

22 Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, have 

23 been working diligently to educate employers about 

24 the value of credentials, as well as working with local 

25 education centers to promote these credentials. 


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1 These centers bridge the gap between employers and 

2 potential employees and assist in the creation and 

3 retention of jobs, and highlight the importance of 

4 supporting and patronizing local manufacturers and 

5 businesses. 

6 SEC. 2. MANUFACTURING SKILLS CERTIFICATION SYSTEM. 

7 The National Institute of Standards and Technology 

8 Act (15 U.S.C. 271 et seq.) is amended— 

9 (1) by inserting after section 25 the following 

10 new section: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 25A. PROMOTION OF THE MANUFACTURING SKILLS 

12 CERTIFICATION SYSTEM. 

13 ‘‘In addition to the Centers program created under 

14 section 25, the Secretary, through the Director, and if ap15 propriate, through other officials, shall provide support 

16 and assistance to programs throughout the United States 

17 in order to help those programs promote the Manufac18 turing Skills Certification System, including by— 

19 ‘‘(1) promoting collaboration between commu20 nity colleges, technical schools and local businesses 

21 to help such colleges and schools to better under22 stand the specific needs of businesses, and busi23 nesses to better understand the skill sets that stu24 dents learn in the programs offered by such colleges 

25 and schools; 


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1 ‘‘(2) educating businesses and students about 

2 the value of universally recognized credential pro3 grams and ultimately lead to apprenticeship oppor4 tunities; 

5 ‘‘(3) providing support and assistance for pro6 grams within states looking to implement the Manu7 facturing Skills Certification System; and 

8 ‘‘(4) providing support and assistance for pro9 grams to collaborate with one another at a national 

10 level.’’; and 

11 (2) in section 25(f)(10) (15 U.S.C. 

12 278k(f)(10)), by striking ‘‘2011 through 2013’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘2014 through 2016’’. 

Æ 


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