Washington, D.C. – TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation economy CEOs and senior executives, sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives urging them to pass the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act. The following statement can be attributed to TechNet President and CEO Linda Moore:
“America’s competitiveness depends on a strong and skilled workforce. There is currently a demand for skilled workers that we haven’t seen in generations, with nearly three million more job openings nationwide than Americans looking for work.
“To grow our talent pipeline, we must ensure equitable access to digital skills training across occupations and backgrounds, including the expansion of online skills and workforce training programs, encourage and support American students to pursue careers in high-demand STEM fields, particularly computer science, and reform our nation’s laws to attract and retain advanced STEM degree students from around the world who study at U.S. institutions of higher education to continue their career development in the U.S.
“The Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act will allow Pell Grants to support students enrolled in high-quality, short-term workforce programs. This will help more students attain the education and skills needed to advance in their future careers and strengthen our workforce, economy, and global competitiveness.
“We urge the House of Representatives to pass this important legislation to expand skills and development opportunities for American workers to ensure America wins the next era of innovation.”
You can read our letter here.