Hudson discusses workforce development reform

Nash Dunn -

Education and business officials nodded Tuesday as their locally elected congressman discussed workforce development reform in Thomasville.

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-8th, said millions of jobs are unfilled across the nation because of a skills gap that needs fixing.

Federal workforce development programs are a mess, he said, and create a maze of perplexity for job seekers.

“Frankly, it's a broken system,” Hudson said during a roundtable discussion at Davidson County Community College. “There are over 50 different programs and they all have different access points. It's confusing for employees looking for training to find out how to access them. Frankly, 50 percent of the people that get through the program don't have the skills they need to get the job they are looking for.”

Hudson co-sponsored a bill passed in the House last month, a measure known as the SKILLS Act, which would combine various federal funding streams for workforce development into block grants that states can use on their own terms.

The Supporting Knowledge in Lifelong Skills Act (SKILLS), introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-12th, would eliminate or consolidate 35 federal programs and create a “Workforce Investment Fund,” which would act as a single source of support for employers and job seekers, according to the bill.

Opponents of the bill, including the Obama administration, say the bill would shortchange special populations that receive support through some of the workforce programs, including veterans.

“Folks on the other side were saying, ‘You're not guaranteeing that this specific type of person is going to get their training,'” Hudson said. “I said, ‘Look, I trust the people in Davidson County to figure out the training for the folks in Davidson County much better than somebody up here that's never heard of Denton. It's really two different philosophies. They ether think that we are either too dumb to figure it out or don't care enough to figure it out.”

Burr Sullivan, president of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce, said the county needs money pushed down closer to the community college level to help fill a need for qualified workers.

“These companies just can't find the people that are trained properly for what they consider entry-level jobs,” Sullivan said. “I particularly like the sound of your skills act. These three public schools systems and the college are the answer to bridge that gap. Education is what it's going to take.”

Earlier this year, state lawmakers also filed bills that would change the makeup of workforce development boards across North Carolina. The legislation would reduce the number of workforce development areas across the state from 23 to 16 and cause nine existing areas to disband, including Davidson County.

Davidson County commissioners and Thomasville City Council both approved resolutions against the bills, which proponents say would strategically align workforce areas to optimize funding.

Hudson, a freshman congressman from Concord, is on a “Jobs and Education” tour throughout North Carolina's 8th district and will visit community colleges in Richmond, Rowan, Randolph, Stanly and Montgomery counties.

Hudson toured several DCCC buildings, including the college's advanced manufacturing lab, during his visit.

Second-year logistics technology students Cody Canales and Corey Harris showed Hudson how they train on the same sophisticated machines that are used in the industry.

Both students, who graduate in May, are confident they will be able to find jobs.

“I'm always certain because this is such a changing field and that's always a need for these types of employees,” Canales said.

Hudson said he was “impressed” by the technology on the campus and by the various career pathways being created by initiatives like the Yadkin Valley Career Academy and other partnerships between the college and the county's three school systems.

“There are some jobs out there, and if we can put that dream in the heart of our young folks and let them see that path and opportunity, it's so important,” Hudson said. “There's a whole generation out there that is being robbed of the American dream because they don't see that you can be anything you can be if you work at it and take advantage of the opportunities that are out there.”