Biennial Report on the Skills Gap Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1920
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Donnelly, Joe [D-IN]
Introduced: 2015-08-04
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Congressional oversight

Employment and training programs

Government studies and investigations

Higher education
Latest action: action_date: 2015-08-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-08-04
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Biennial Report on the Skills Gap Act of 2015</strong></p> <p>This bill directs the Government Accountability Office to submit a biennial report on the current state of the skills gap in the United States, including: (1) an analysis of the effectiveness of efforts to close such gap, and (2) policy recommendations to improve such efforts.</p> <p>The bill defines &quot;skills gap&quot; as the difference between the specific skills set of employees and the skills desired by employers.</p> <p>Each report may include:</p> <ul> <li>an analysis of employer participation in apprenticeships and on-the-job training in the United States;</li> <li>an assessment of the Department of Labor's Registered Apprenticeship program to determine if it can be better utilized;</li> <li>an analysis of the prevalence and portability of recognized postsecondary credentials that align with occupations that are in demand;</li> <li>a comparison of policies and strategies addressing the current skills gap in the United States with those employed by other large countries; and </li> <li>an analysis of the specific barriers preventing the U.S. workforce from acquiring the skills desired by U.S. employers, including an assessment of opportunities to reduce those barriers.</li> </ul>

tv_txt: II 114th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1920 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES August 4, 2015 Mr. Donnelly (for himself and Mr. Heller ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To require the Comptroller General of the United States to develop and submit to Congress a biennial report on the current state of the skills gap in the United States, as of the date of the report, that includes an analysis of the effectiveness of efforts to close the skills gap and policy recommendations to improve such efforts, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Biennial Report on the Skills Gap Act of 2015 . 2. Definition of skills gap In this Act, the term skills gap means the difference or gap between the specific skills set of employees and the skills that are desired by employers in the workforce. 3. Biennial report (a) In general Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, and every other year thereafter, the Comptroller General of the United States shall develop and submit to Congress a report on the current state of the skills gap in the United States, as of the date of the report, that includes— (1) an analysis of the effectiveness of efforts to close the skills gap; and (2) policy recommendations to improve such efforts. (b) Content of report Each report required under subsection (a) may include the following: (1) An analysis of employer participation in apprenticeships and on-the-job training in the United States. (2) An assessment of the Registered Apprenticeship program of the Department of Labor (Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the National Apprenticeship Act ; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq. )) to determine if the program can be better utilized. (3) An analysis of the prevalence and portability of recognized postsecondary credentials, including industry-recognized credentials, that align with occupations that are in demand. (4) A comparison of policies and strategies addressing the current skills gap in the United States, as of the date of the report, with the policies and strategies employed by other large countries. (5) An analysis of the specific barriers preventing the United States workforce from acquiring the skills desired by United States employers, including an assessment of opportunities to reduce those barriers.