� NEFI URGES CONGRESS TO REAUTHORIZE WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT
NEFI reported that it joined the Jobs and Careers Coalition( JCC) and other business-focused organizations in a letter to House and Senate leaders requesting the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act( WIOA) and that they use last year’ s H. R. 6655, A Stronger Workforce for America Act, as the template for reauthorizing and reforming the nation’ s public workforce system.
According to the Dec. 16 issue of NEON, the National Energy & Fuels Institute’ s newsletter to members, the letter stated:
“ The past few years have been a turbulent economic time, but one thing has remained constant for our industries. Technological change is unstoppable, and it is transforming the American workplace, driving increased demand for skilled technical workers. The upshot for our businesses: persistent skills mismatches that hinder our ability to meet the needs of our customers or grow the economy.
The employers represented by our coalition saw H. R. 6655 as an important step forward to improve the effectiveness of the public workforce system, drive increased participation by employers, create opportunities for workers, and strengthen the U. S. economy.” Here is an excerpt from the letter: We write on behalf of the Jobs and Careers Coalition to urge that your committees make reauthorizing the Workforce Opportunity and Innovation Act( WIOA) a priority at the beginning of the 119th Congress’ s second session. We also recommend using the bipartisan bill that nearly made it to the President’ s desk at the end of the last Congress, H. R. 6655, A Stronger Workforce for America Act, as the template for reauthorizing and reforming the nation’ s public workforce system.
The Jobs and Careers Coalition is a Washington-based business group focused on job training and workforce development. Members include employers and employer associations from a broad range of industries experiencing skills mismatches and worker shortages – construction, manufacturing, IT, retail, and hospitality, among others. The past few years have been a turbulent economic time, but one thing has remained constant for our industries. Technological change is unstoppable, and it is transforming the American workplace, driving increased demand for skilled technical workers. The upshot for our businesses: persistent skills mismatches that hinder our ability to meet the needs of our customers or grow the economy. The employers represented by our coalition saw H. R. 6655 as an important step forward to improve the effectiveness of the public workforce system, drive increased participation by employers, create opportunities for workers, and strengthen the U. S. economy.
Among the provisions of H. R. 6655 we found most promising: The 50-percent training requirement. The employers represented by our coalition struggle to hire appropriately skilled workers, and many business owners are uncertain where to turn when technology requires them to upskill their existing workforce. H. R. 6655’ s mandate that 50 percent of the funds allocated to any local workforce area be spent specifically on skills development rather than administration and other costs will ensure that taxpayer dollars are used as effectively as possible to meet employers’ urgent and growing training needs.
The industry partnership development fund.
Workforce educators, employers, and job seekers have long understood that there can be no effective workforce education without employer input on indemand skills and industry trends. The employers in our coalition are pleased to see H. R. 6655 encourage and incentivize employer engagement by allowing states to use a portion of their allocation to provide competitive grants for industry partnerships. Employers understand the need for both business and government to have skin in the game, and we believe many businesses will come forward to meet their states’ requirements for funding matches.
The critical industries skills fund. Artificial intelligence, industrial robots, and the digital economy are just a few of the developments transforming the American workplace. New businesses are emerging, older firms are racing to keep up, and accelerating competition among cities and states drives a growing need for more flexible and responsive job training. H. R. 6655’ s critical industries skill fund will help states keep up with the challenges ahead. As a matter of good public policy, our members appreciate the stipulation that training providers be reimbursed only when job seekers complete their training and are employed in the target industry.
The option for expanded incumbentworker training.
Like employers across America struggling to stay abreast of technological change, many businesses represented by our coalition face a growing need to retrain existing workers. Our coalition welcomes the provision of H. R. 6655 that raises the cap on state spending for incumbent-worker training and allows these funds to be spent more flexibly in the geographic areas where they are needed most.
The demonstration grants designed to spur innovation.
The employers in our coalition who have tried to make use of the workforce system have often found it wanting – difficult to approach, bureaucratic, hidebound, inattentive to their needs. Quality varies widely, and some local areas serve employers effectively. But others need a thorough overhaul – new thinking, new tools, new approaches and more. Our coalition sees promise in the consolidated innovation grants that will allow some states and local areas to experiment, and we look forward to working with them to develop better tools and tactics.
14 JANUARY 2026 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www. fueloilnews. com