May 7, 2019 – Harrisburg, PA – State Sens. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) and Bob Mensch (R-Berks/Bucks/Montgomery) thanked the Senate Labor and Industry Committee for supporting Senate Bill 91, which requires to Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) to collect and publish forward-facing employment data.
The data that would be collected would help L&I, educational institutions and others help prepare Pennsylvania’s workforce for the jobs of the future. Several states have taken similar steps, having their labor departments expand the scope of the data collected with the goal of preparing their respective workforces in mind.
“Senate Bill 91 is an absolute necessity if we want to ensure Pennsylvania is doing the most it can to develop the workforce,” Sen. Hughes said. “By collecting and studying data on employment trends we can align post-secondary education courses with the needs of employers to ensure our workers have the requisite skills employers are seeking.”
“For future generations to prosper and for Pennsylvania to stay competitive, we have to ensure young workers are prepared for the jobs that will be in demand in coming years,” Sen. Mensch said. “Senate Bill 91 will help provide skilled workers to job creators and jobs to young workers, fueling a vibrant economy that keeps pace with the times.”
L&I would be responsible for collecting and disseminating data on emerging and future employment sectors in the commonwealth. In turn, L&I would send information on forward-facing employment data to all state educational institutions. In turn, the educational institutions would be required to provide information to those who are responsible for vocational and education guidance, which would be used to develop career education and vocational programs.
CONTACT: Wesley Robinson 717.787.3497 (Senator Hughes)
Mark Fetzko 717.787.3110 (Senator Mensch)