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To the Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly:
Currently, there are two pieces of legislation pending with the Pennsylvania General Assembly that will establish in statute the commonwealth’s successful Industry Partnership program. In March, House Bill 2230 passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously. On June 16, 2010, Senator Mike Brubaker introduced Senate Bill 1409, a nearly identical bill, which passed the Senate’s Labor & Industry Committee unanimously. This Senate bill now awaits action by the full Senate in the Fall. We, the undersigned, are sending you this letter to urge the Pennsylvania legislature to pass this legislation immediately upon reconvening in September.
From their grass roots origins in the Schweiker Administration to their expansion during the Rendell Administration, Industry Partnerships have demonstrated great value to businesses and workers in Pennsylvania, with strong support from both chambers of the General Assembly.
Industry Partnerships consist of groups of businesses with similar product markets and skill needs that identify and address their common workforce education and training issues. These partnerships currently include more than 6,300 employers in Pennsylvania and have trained more than 73,000 individuals.
Industry Partnerships are unique in that they are employer-driven—they train workers for jobs that the industry needs, as opposed to traditional training that often trained for jobs that didn’t exist. In addition to developing cost-effective training, they provide critical intelligence to educators about the skill needs of local businesses; develop common curricula, certifications and career ladders; and provide a forum through which employers learn from each other how to improve organizational practices and increase competitiveness.
Passage of Industry Partnership legislation is vital to ensuring that this nationally recognized program continues to keep our businesses and workers competitive in the global marketplace.
Please support this important legislation when the General Assembly reconvenes in September.
Sincerely,