Hearings to examine building pathways, focusing on advancing workforce development in the 21st century.
2025-12-09
Source: Congress.gov
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Good morning. The Senate Health Subcommittee on Education and the American Family will come to order. Before we get started, I'd like to let everybody know we're in a lot of negotiations on different bills. We'll have senators coming in and out, back and forth. This hearing will probably last about an hour and a half. But again, it is a busy day up here. But we're glad you're here, our witnesses, and hopefully we can shed some light on a very important topic. Thank you to all the witnesses for being here today. It's always nice to see a couple of my fellow Alabamians here at Nation's Capital, Dr. Cox and Mr. Stadlander. Thank you for coming. We've called this hearing today to discuss something very important that is happening in every state, red or blue. It makes no difference. It hits everybody. And to see what works in addressing workforce development needs in our country, we We need to put more emphasis on this. There is a skills gap epidemic in our country right now, and it is time to find solutions. President Trump made a bold and a much-needed declaration to close the skills gaps in this country through historic investments in America's reindustrialization and economic growth. The goal is to have one million new active apprentices in this country and to grow opportunities in career and technical education. Fortunately, the one big beautiful bill included the passage of Workforce Pell, which will enable students to pursue different career paths that they didn't have prior. We can celebrate all the wins our states and our country is having due to big manufacturers and industrialization moving back to the United States, but It doesn't matter if we don't have the workforce to fill the hundreds of thousands of jobs created by this.
Too many people are more comfortable sending home than learning a skill and being a part of America's labor workforce. We're here today to discuss how we can help make that happen. You know, it starts with investing in empowering career technical education as early as possible. One of the biggest hurdles is teaching our kids and their parents that you do not have to go to a four-year university to have a successful career. Opting into classes to learn a skill or being part of a registered apprenticeship in high school are options every student should have at K through 12 level, and it should start at a young age, not once students are about to graduate. Our witnesses today are well equipped to discuss all these issues, and I look forward to hearing from them. I'll yield now to my ranking member, Senator Rochester for her opening statement.
Thank you. Thank you, Chair Tuberville, for holding this important hearing. And thank you especially to our witnesses today. America's workforce is the glue that holds our economy together. Our global leadership and national security and even our health are all tied to the strength of our workforce, from biotech professionals to construction workers to nurses. Without prepared workers, our national goals cannot become a reality. And it's not just about today. We also need to foster the workforce of the future. Right now, there are scientists and engineers in Head Start classes who will be charged with changing the world. We have young people in apprenticeships who will build and maintain the infrastructure their children will rely on, not to mention the future healthcare professionals taking their very first science classes and developing a passion for helping others. We need to prepare young people for the critical roles that keep our economy moving. And as you said, we need to start young. Yet persistent and growing workforce shortages remain one of the top headlines of the day. From Forbes, the healthcare workforce shortage is growing. States are rushing to fix it. From Bay News in Florida, U.S. agriculture industry faces labor shortage of 155,000 employees. And we can't forget that there are unmet needs in nearly every emerging biotech role. a critical industry for our national security.
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