[AAACE-NLA] Senator Webb Introduces Bill to Strengthen Adult Education, Workforce

Mon Feb 20 12:33:42 EST 2012

Thank you Janet, David and others who have offered help! The week before 
last we (Virginia CURE and others) made statements at the Senate and House 
subcommittee hearings--to no avail. (A copy of the letter I submitted to 
the Governor & committees is attached, fyi.) Other than writing to State 
legislators, I'm unaware of any other activities or 'appeals' remaining. 
But I will forward your offers to the Virginia CURE, who has done a great 
job spearheading this.
Gratefully,
Bill   

From:   janet isserlis <janet_isserlis at brown.edu>
To:     National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE 
<aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Date:   02/19/2012 09:43 PM
Subject:        Re: [AAACE-NLA] Senator Webb Introduces Bill to Strengthen 
Adult   Education, Workforce
Sent by:        aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org

Bill, and all

anything we can do to lend support?

On Feb 19, 2012, at 11:35, William R Muth/FS/VCU <wrmuth at vcu.edu> wrote:

Thanks for this, David and Jim. Despite Senator Webb's excellent and 
unwavering support for adult literacy, things are not all rosy on the home 
front. Last week the Virginia General Assembly voted to close the 
Department of Correctional Education, an agency that stood for educational 
professionalism and autonomy. It's closure will mean that prison teachers 
in the adult prisons will report to the Department of Corrections now. 
Strike another blow for teacher voice in the US! 
Bill Muth 

From:        "David J. Rosen" <djrosen123 at gmail.com> 
To:        National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE <
aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org> 
Date:        02/17/2012 08:46 PM 
Subject:        [AAACE-NLA] Senator Webb Introduces Bill to Strengthen 
Adult        Education, Workforce 
Sent by:        aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org 

Adult Education Advocates, 

Thanks to Jim Parker for passing on this good news. 

David J. Rosen 
djrosen123 at gmail.com 

For Immediate Release:                                            Contact: 
Will Jenkins ? 202-224-4024 

Thursday, February 16, 2012                     

Senator Webb Introduces Bill to Strengthen Adult Education, Workforce

WASHINGTON, DC ? Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) today introduced the ?Adult 
Education and Economic Growth (AEEG) Act of 2012,? which will reform and 
increase investment in job training, adult education and other programs 
needed to build a 21st century workforce.  Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and 
Sherrod Brown (D-OH) are original co-sponsors of the legislation.

According to the National Commission on Adult Literacy, 80-90 million U.S. 
adults today?about half of the adult workforce?do not have the basic 
education and communications skills required to obtain jobs that pay a 
family-sustaining wage or to enter and succeed in college. However, 
federal funding for adult education has declined in real terms since 2002, 
and the nation?s primary federal resource for adult education, job 
training and employment services?the Workforce Investment Act?has not been 
reauthorized or updated for over ten years. 
?The American workplace has seen many changes over the past ten years, and 
the need for well-trained and highly skilled workers has increased 
dramatically. At the same time, our adult education system has not kept 
pace with this changing workforce,? said Senator Webb.  ?One of the 
biggest impacts we can have on our economic future is to ensure that as 
many workers as possible are able to improve their skills and credentials 
to compete in our global economy.?

?We are proposing a two-pronged approach to strengthen the nation?s 
workforce.  First, we want to build ?on ramps? for American workers who 
need new skills and a better education in order to improve their lives. 
Just as importantly, we want to protect and reward employers for helping 
them, by offering tax credits to businesses that invest in their 
employees,? continued Senator Webb. ?Modest funding will invigorate state 
and local adult education programs to better align with workplace needs. 
This investment will have an affirmative ripple effect on our communities. 
And, it advances my longstanding goal of promoting basic economic fairness 
in our society.? 

?We should work to make job training and adult education more accessible 
to Americans who need to update their skill sets for a 21st-century 
economy,? said Senator Brown. ?Across Ohio, I've heard from many employers 
that are hiring for open positions, but can't find workers with the right 
skills to fill those jobs. The Adult Education and Economic Growth Act 
would help ensure that more Americans can get the educational essentials 
necessary to obtain a good-paying, middle-class job.?

Specifically, the Adult Education and Economic Growth Act of 2012 makes 
significant changes to adult education and training by: 
Encouraging employers to invest in lower skilled working adults by 
providing a tax credit for employers who invest in their employee?s 
education; 
Increasing funding for adult education to provide additional support for 
state and local authorities to ensure collaboration between adult 
education and workforce needs; 
Improving access to correctional education programs to channel former 
offenders into productive endeavors and reduce recidivism; and 
Expanding access to adult education services through the use of 
technology. 

?As a matter of great economic urgency, we need to transform the current 
array of adult education and workforce skills programs into a coherent, 
integrated system that meets 21st century needs,? said Gail Spangenberg, 
President of the Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy, and Manager of 
the National Commission on Adult Literacy.  ?The National Commission on 
Adult Literacy applauds the future-thinking Adult Education and Economic 
Growth Act and Senator Webb?s leadership for recognizing these 
imperatives.?   
To review a summary of The Adult Education and Economic Growth (AEEG) Act 
of 2012, please click here. 

To read a fact sheet about the AEEG Act, please click here. 

To read the full text of the AEEG Act, please click here. 

###

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