Malone, NY –Today, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) hosted Franklin County leaders for a roundtable focused on workforce development at the FEH-BOCES in Malone with Sylvie Nelson, the Executive Director of the North Country Workforce Development Board.
“Since arriving in Congress, I’ve made over a hundred business and school visits across our district,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “And one of the most common issues business leaders tell me they struggle with is the ability to find skilled labor here in the North Country.
“This lack of skilled labor harms their bottom line, as they can’t produce and compete to their potential. Working with feedback from these leaders, and from students across our district, including at our local BOCES programs, I co-wrote the first update to federal Career and Technical Education programs in over a decade.
“This bipartisan bill – the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act – updates our CTE policies to empower state and local community leaders, align training with in-demand jobs, and increase transparency and accountability in our federal programs. I was pleased to see President Trump sign this important initiative into law last week.
“Our district is home to a very diverse economy, with industries ranging from bus to train manufacturers, and from paper mills to aerospace engineering. As our world’s challenges become more complex, employers need workers who can think outside of the box and creatively attack problems.
“This bipartisan Career and Technical Education bill is an example of leveraging input from stakeholders in our district to impact federal policy, and we delivered a real result that will benefit employers, students and our North Country economy.
“I thank Sylvie and all of our attendees today for a productive discussion on ways we can continue to develop our North Country workforce.”
Click here to read more about the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act.
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