III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 346 

Designating September 2021 as ‘‘National Workforce Development Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 9, 2021 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. YOUNG, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. SCOTT of South 

Carolina, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BRAUN, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. WICKER, 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mrs. CAPITO, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. CRAMER, Ms. 

HIRONO, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. DAINES, Ms. SMITH, 

Mr. HICKENLOOPER, Mr. MURPHY, Ms. ROSEN, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. 

LUJA ́N, Mr. PETERS, Mr. DURBIN, and Ms. ERNST) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating September 2021 as ‘‘National Workforce 

Development Month’’. 

Whereas investment in the education, training, and career advancement of the workforce in the United States, known 

as ‘‘workforce development’’, is crucial to the ability of 

the United States to compete in the global economy; 

Whereas collaboration among Governors, local governments, 

State and local education, workforce, and human services 

agencies, community colleges, local businesses, employment service providers, community-based organizations, 

and workforce development boards provides for longVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:29 Aug 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR346.ATS SR346

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 346 ATS 

term, sustainable, and successful workforce development 

across traditional sectors and emerging industries; 

Whereas jobs that require more than a high school diploma 

but not a 4-year degree comprise 52 percent of the labor 

market, but only 42 percent of workers in the United 

States have been able to access training at that level, creating a discrepancy that may limit growth in changing 

industries such as health care, manufacturing, and information technology; 

Whereas 76 percent of business leaders say greater investment in skills training would help their businesses; 

Whereas, as of summer 2021 in the United States— 

(1) nearly 10,000,000 individuals are unemployed; 

(2) unemployment rates for Black and Hispanic 

adults are well above the unemployment rates for White 

adults; 

(3) workers without a bachelor’s degree are nearly 2 

times more likely to be unemployed; 

(4) more than 1⁄2 of the jobs lost due to the 

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic were 

by workers earning less than $40,000 per year; and 

(5) according to a recent poll, nearly 1⁄2 of workers 

said they will need to learn new skills in the next year 

to do their jobs, while more than 1⁄2 said they would retrain for a career in a different field or industry if they 

had the opportunity; 

Whereas, as of June 2021, employment rates among workers 

with lower levels of educational attainment remained far 

below pre-COVID–19 pandemic levels, including 7.2 percent below those levels for workers with a high school diploma and 10.1 percent below those levels for workers 

without a high school diploma, even as workers with 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 346 ATS 

higher levels of educational attainment have nearly returned to pre-COVID–19 pandemic employment levels; 

Whereas, in 2014, Congress reauthorized the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.) 

with overwhelming bipartisan support in recognition of 

the need to strengthen the focus of the United States on 

the skills necessary to fill jobs in local and regional industries; 

Whereas the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

U.S.C. 3101 et seq.) supports employment, training, and 

support services for individuals with barriers to employment, including— 

(1) individuals who earn low incomes; 

(2) individuals who are out of work, including the 

long-term unemployed; 

(3) individuals displaced by outsourcing; 

(4) individuals living in rural areas or areas with 

persistently high unemployment; 

(5) individuals looking to learn new skills; and 

(6) individuals with disabilities; 

Whereas the more than 550 workforce development boards 

and 2,400 American Job Centers are a driving force behind growing regional economies by providing training, 

resources, and assistance to workers who aim to compete 

in the 21st century economy; 

Whereas ongoing State and local implementation of the 

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 

3101 et seq.) provides unprecedented opportunities to develop the skills of workers in the United States through 

access to effective, quality workforce education and training, including the development and delivery of proven 

strategies such as sector partnerships, career pathways, 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•SRES 346 ATS 

integrated education and training, work-based learning 

models, and paid internships; 

Whereas, in 2019, programs authorized under the Workforce 

Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et 

seq.)— 

(1) served nearly 6,300,000 young people and 

adults; and 

(2) exceeded employment targets across all programs; 

Whereas State programs established under the WagnerPeyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49 et seq.)— 

(1) ensured that more than 3,400,000 workers, including more than 212,000 veterans, had access to career 

services through American Job Centers in 2019; and 

(2) are a foundational part of the workforce development system; 

Whereas workforce development programs will play a critical 

role in addressing the 500,000 additional jobs that remain open in manufacturing industries compared to preCOVID–19 pandemic levels; 

Whereas community colleges and other workforce development training providers across the United States are well 

situated— 

(1) to train the next generation of workers in the 

United States; and 

(2) to address the educational challenges created by 

emerging industries and technological advancements; 

Whereas participation in a career and technical education (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘CTE’’) program decreases 

the risk of students dropping out of high school, and all 

50 States and the District of Columbia report higher 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5 

•SRES 346 ATS 

graduation rates for CTE students, as compared to other 

students; 

Whereas community and technical colleges operate as open 

access institutions serving millions of students annually 

at a comparatively low cost; 

Whereas the Strengthening Career and Technical Education 

for the 21st Century Act (Public Law 115–224; 132 

Stat. 1563) supports the development and implementation of high-quality CTE programs that— 

(1) combine rigorous academic content with occupational skills; and 

(2) served approximately 12,500,000 high school 

and college students between 2018 and 2019; 

Whereas there are more than 600,000 registered apprentices 

in the United States, and there is growing and bipartisan 

support for expanding quality earn-and-learn strategies 

to help current and future workers gain skills and work 

experience; 

Whereas the federally supported workforce system and partner programs— 

(1) have helped rebuild the economy of the United 

States and provide increased economic opportunities; and 

(2) provide a pathway into 21st century jobs that 

support families while ensuring that businesses in the 

United States find the skilled workforce needed to compete in the global economy; and 

Whereas workforce development is crucial to sustaining economic security for workers in the United States: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
6 

•SRES 346 ATS 

1 (1) designates September 2021 as ‘‘National 

2 Workforce Development Month’’; 

3 (2) supports Federal initiatives to promote 

4 workforce development; and 

5 (3) acknowledges that workforce development 

6 plays a crucial role in supporting workers and grow7 ing the economy. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS