Warnock renews push for enhanced job training with bipartisan bill

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock is taking another swing at worker training with a bipartisan bill to boost the workforce pipeline.

The bill would provide funding for more career training at community colleges and other job-training programs.

Warnock initially co-sponsored the “Pathways to Prosperity Act” last year to expand a federal program that provides grants to community and technical colleges for partnerships with employers and training aligned with local industry needs. However, the bill did not advance.

On Tuesday, the Georgia Democrat reintroduced the bill with U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, saying the measure has the backing of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the National Skills Coalition, Jobs for the Future and other organizations.

Employers that come to Georgia “are having a hard time finding workers with the education they need,” Warnock said in a written statement. He said the legislation is aimed at “strengthening the pipeline from the classroom to the workforce and making higher education more attainable for Georgians.”

He added that it would improve access to better-paying jobs, help community colleges and technical colleges “stay on the cutting edge of what industry needs,” and help businesses find workers. The bill says it aims to expand opportunities for people to get credentials for “high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors or occupations.”

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff introduced a bill earlier this year to bolster workforce training programs for emerging industries through a federal tax credit program to incentivize corporate investment in education programs.