Virginia Foxx: “As my other colleagues have pointed out, millions of workers will need reskilling due to the pandemic-related job loss…”

“As my other colleagues have pointed out, millions of workers will need reskilling due to the pandemic-related job loss and displacement, not to mention the devastating executive orders signed by President Biden which eliminated in one day hundreds of thousands of jobs. The World Economic Forum discusses this issue at length in their recent report titled: ``The Future of Jobs Report 2020.'' In the report, they point to a double disruption scenario impacting workers due to both automation and COVID-19 workplace disruptions. This double disruption is further reinforced in their findings that 84 percent of employers are set to rapidly digitalize working processes. And, again, as I mentioned, they don't even take into consideration what President Biden has done to eliminate hundreds of thousands, and it could be millions of jobs. The demand for reskilling workers is high, and we will be left chasing the need of our workforce with the current one-size-fits-all approach this bill seeks to enshrine into law. As in-demand skills evolve into the years to come, the skills gap will continue to grow in the absence of forward-thinking reform. Again, I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join Republicans in creating new apprenticeship pathways through innovative models such as the industry-recognized apprenticeship model. I reserve the balance of my time.”