Hoosier State Today

On June 21, 2024, U.S. Senators Mike Braun and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) introduced the Pathways to Prosperity Act. This legislation aims to enhance the workforce development pipeline between community and technical colleges and local employers offering good-paying jobs.

The bipartisan bill seeks to expand the existing Strengthening Community Colleges Grant Program. This federal initiative provides competitive grants to community and technical colleges to foster partnerships with employers. These collaborations are intended to align workforce development programs with local industry needs, thereby establishing, improving, or expanding high-quality workforce training programs.

Senator Braun also co-authored the JOBS Act with Senator Tim Kaine, which proposes allowing Pell Grants for career and technical education programs.

"There are many good-paying jobs out there that go unfilled because of a lack of skills and career/technical training," said Senator Mike Braun. "This bill will help close the gap and give more Hoosiers access to skills training programs that will put them on the path to a better career and higher pay for their families."

Senator Reverend Warnock emphasized the importance of having a trained local workforce ready for new job opportunities in Georgia. "I tell business leaders all the time, come to Georgia; Georgia is open for business. As these new, good-paying jobs come to the Peach State, it’s important that these local jobs are filled locally," he said. "That means we need a workforce that’s trained to step into these roles."

Warnock added, "That’s why I’ve introduced new bipartisan legislation to strengthen our workforce development pipeline by giving technical colleges federal resources to collaborate with local industry partners to train Georgians up for the jobs coming to our state." He highlighted multiple benefits of this legislation: better-paying jobs for workers, readily available skilled workers for businesses, full classrooms for community and technical colleges, and an overall boost for the state's economy.

The Pathways to Prosperity Act of 2024 specifically aims to provide funding towards these goals.

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