The House Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development will hold a hearing on ‘Back to School, Back to Startups: Supporting Youth Apprenticeship, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development on Thursday, Sept. 15.
The Hearing
Members of Congress are expected to hear testimony from experts, program leaders, and educational institutions about strategies to invest in youth workforce development. The hearing comes to order at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15.
You can watch the hearing here live:
The witnesses that will be testifying are:
- Noel Ginsburg- Founder & Chief Executive Officer CareerWise, Denver, CO
- Deborah Kobes- Senior Director Jobs for the Future (JFF), Washington, DC
- Shani Watkins- Director West Sound Technical Skills Center, Bremerton School District, Bremerton, WA
- Jared Ebbing- Economic Development Director for Mercer County, Mercer County, OH (Testifying on behalf of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council)
The Committee Members are:
Democratic Members:
Small Business Deals
- Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA)
- Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)
- Sharice Davids (D-KS)
- Dean Phillips (D-MN)
- Marie Newman (D-IL)
Republican Members:
- Jason Crow (D-CO), Chairman
- Young Kim (D-CA), Ranking Member
- Roger Williams (D-TX)
- Claudia Tenney (D-NY)
- Andrew Garbarino (D-NY)
- Maria Salazar (D-FL)
Why Supporting Youth Apprenticeship, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development is Important
Small firms are among the hardest hit by an ongoing shortage in skilled workers that predates the pandemic. Finding a skilled workforce has been a long-standing challenge for businesses. With shortages of the skilled workforce entering the workplace, employers will need to strategize and invest to find, train, and hire new staff.
Through youth apprenticeship, they can bridge the skill challenges. Apprenticeships also provide incentives to work hard while learning skills that could lead to careers that pay well. Unlike on-the-job training, apprentices take formal classes so they develop a mastery of the occupation, rather than simply the ability to do the job.
I like that they’re hearing about apprenticeship. A lot of jobs could be learned that way without a 4-year college degree first.