Rep. Smith Introduces Legislation to Expand Access to Job Training and Education Programs

SEATTLE, WA – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) today issued the following statement after introducing the Empowering Individuals to Succeed through Education and Workforce Training Act. This legislation would establish a fund through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act dedicated to providing wrap-around support services and stipends for individuals in workforce training programs and two-year education programs. 
 
“For the millions of Americans who do not obtain a four-year degree after high school, job training and education programs are crucial for creating pathways to high-quality, good-paying jobs. We should do everything we can to make these programs as accessible as possible, and that’s why I introduced the Empowering Individuals to Succeed through Education and Workforce Training Act,” said Rep. Adam Smith. “My legislation would provide individuals in these programs with stipends to pay for housing, transportation, and other costs to make it easier for people to enroll in and complete these programs. The Empowering Individuals to Succeed through Education and Workforce Training Act will expand access to job training and education programs, create more pathways to good-paying jobs, and strengthen America’s workforce.”

The Empowering Individuals to Succeed through Education and Workforce Training Act is endorsed by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Ironworkers 86, IAM 751, Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), Seattle Colleges District, ANEW, and YouthCare.
 
See below for statements of support for the Empowering Individuals to Succeed through Education and Workforce Training Act.
 
“We applaud Representative Smith for reintroducing the Empowering Individuals to Succeed Through Education and Workforce Training Act. Wrap-around support services like child care, transportation, and housing assistance are critical to making workforce training programs accessible to all workers and can significantly increase program completion rates. Our workforce system must do more to improve outcomes for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous participants and be accessible to people with barriers to employment. Creating a grant that provides support services is an important step toward reaching this goal and increasing equity in our workforce system and in our economy.” – Emily Andrews, Director of Education, Labor, & Worker Justice, Center for Law and Social Policy
 
“Education and training outcomes increase exponentially when students also have access to wrap around supports that help provide a stable foundation to focus on learning. These support services are exactly the critical needs for many of our students along their career pathway to living-wage jobs.” – Veronica Wade, Executive Dean of Workforce Development, Seattle Colleges District
 
“The Empowering Individuals to Succeed Through Education and Workforce Training Act represents a vital investment in our collective future, providing crucial access to education and workforce development opportunities and supportive pathways to stability and self-sufficiency. At YouthCare, we wholeheartedly endorse this legislation, because we believe that every young person, regardless of their circumstances, deserves a chance to thrive.” – Degale Cooper, MSW, Chief Executive Officer, YouthCare
 
A fact sheet for the Empowering Individuals to Succeed through Education and Workforce Training Act is available here. The bill text is available here.

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