Al Franken: “I rise to speak about legislation that I am introducing called the Community College to Career Fund Act. This…”

“I rise to speak about legislation that I am introducing called the Community College to Career Fund Act. This legislation is aimed at closing what is called the skills gap--the gap between the skills that businesses need to fill open positions, and the skills that workers have. Closing the skills gap will mean more Americans get jobs and businesses get the workforce they need. It is key to the future prosperity and economic competitiveness of our Nation. When I travel around Minnesota and talk to employers, the single biggest thing they tell me they need is a workforce capable of handling the jobs of the 21st century. Finding qualified employees is particularly a problem for our manufacturers. Recent surveys in Minnesota show that \1/3\ to \1/2\ of manufacturers have job openings that they can't fill. They want to hire people, but they can't, because they can't find employees with the skills they need. Meanwhile, unemployment continues to be far too high. With so many Americans still looking for jobs, and employers seeking to fill open positions, this is a problem that we have to solve. Minnesota and many other States are working to address this problem by bringing businesses and community colleges together. There is a lot we can learn from these efforts, and my legislation supports and builds on what has been working in Minnesota. Take, for example, Hennepin Technical College in Minnesota.…”