,,ii #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #dec ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #e1 #bjac ,mrs4 ,hagan 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,heller1 and ,mr4 ,donnelly7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to require that certain ,federal job training and career education programs give priority to programs that lead to an industry-recognized and nationally portable credential4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,american ,manufacturing ,efficiency and ,retraining ,investment ,collaboration ,achievement ,works ,act or ,,america ,works ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,recent data show that ,united ,states manufacturing companies cannot fill as many as #fjj1jjj skilled positions1 even as unemployment numbers hover at historically high levels4 7#b7 ,the unfilled positions are mainly in the skilled production category1 and in occupations such as machinist1 operator1 craft worker1 distributor1 or technician4 7#c7 ,in less than #bj years1 an overall loss of expertise and management skill is expected to result from the gradual departure from the workplace of #gg1bjj1jjj workers4 7#d7 ,postsecondary success and workforce readiness can be achieved through attainment of a recognized postsecondary credential4 7#e7 ,according to the ,january #bjaa ,computing ,technology ,industry ,association report entitled ,employer ,perceptions of ,information ,technology ,training and ,certification1 #fd percent of hiring information technology managers rate information technology certifications as having extremely high or high value in validating information technology skills and expertise4 ,the value of those certifications is rated highest among senior information technology managers1 such as ,chief ,information ,officers1 and managers of medium-size firms4 #c4 ,industry-recognized and nationally portable credentials for job training programs 7a7 ,workforce ,investment ,act of #aiih 7#a7 ,youth activities ,section #abi7;c77#a77;,c7 of the ,workforce ,investment ,act of #aiih 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bhed7;c77#a77;,c77 is amended-- 7,a7 by redesignating clauses 7ii7 through 7iv7 as clauses 7iii7 through 7v71 respectively2 and 7,b7 inserting after clause 7i7 the following3 7ii7 training 7which may include priority consideration for training programs that lead to recognized postsecondary credentials 7as defined in section #d of the ,,america ,works ,act7 that are aligned with in-demand occupations or industries in the local area involved1 if the local board determines that the programs meet the quality criteria described in section #abc72 4 7#b7 ,general employment and training activities ,section #acd7;d77#d77;,f7 of the ,workforce ,investment ,act of #aiih 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bhfd7;d77#d77;,f77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7iv7 ,programs that lead to an industry-recognized and nationally portable credential ,in assisting individuals in selecting programs of training services under this section1 a one-stop operator and employees of a one-stop center referred to in subsection 7c7 may give priority consideration to programs 7approved in conjunction with eligibility decisions made under section #abb7 that lead to recognized postsecondary credentials 7as defined in section #d of the ,,america ,works ,act7 that are aligned with in-demand occupations or industries in the local area involved4 4 7#c7 ,criteria 7,a7 ,general employment and training activities ,section #abb7;b77#b77;,d7 of the ,workforce ,investment ,act of #aiih 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bhdb7;b77#b77;,d77 is amended-- 7i7 in clause 7ii71 by striking and at the end2 7ii7 in clause 7iii71 by striking the period and inserting 2 and2 and 7iii7 by adding at the end the following3 7iv7 in the case of a provider of a program of training services that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential 7as defined in section #d of the ,,america ,works ,act71 that the program leading to the credential meets such quality criteria as the ,governor shall establish4 4 7,b7 ,youth activities ,section #abc of the ,workforce ,investment ,act of #aiih 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bhdc7 by inserting 7including such quality criteria as the ,governor shall establish for a training program that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential 7as defined in section #d of the ,,america ,works ,act77 after plan4 7b7 ,career and technical education 7#a7 ,state plan ,section #abb7;c77#a77;,b7 of the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and ,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #bcdb7;c77#a77;,b77 is amended-- 7,a7 by striking 7,b7 how and inserting 7,b77i7 how2 7,b7 by inserting and after the semicolon2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following 7ii7 in the case of an eligible entity that1 in developing and implementing programs of study leading to recognized postsecondary credentials1 desires to give a priority to such programs that are aligned with in-demand occupations or industries in the area served 7as determined by the eligible agency7 and that may provide a basis for additional credentials1 certificates1 or degree1 how the entity will do so2 4 7#b7 ,use of local funds ,section #acd7;b7 of the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and ,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #bced7;b77 is amended-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#aa71 by striking 2 and and inserting a semicolon2 7,b7 in paragraph 7#ab77;,b71 by striking the period and inserting 2 and2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following3 7#ac7 describe the career and technical education activities supporting the attainment of recognized postsecondary credentials 7as defined in section #d of the ,,america ,works ,act71 and1 in the case of an eligible recipient that desires to provide priority consideration to certain programs of study in accordance with the ,state plan under section #abb7;c77#a77;,b71 how the eligible recipient will give priority consideration to such activities4 4 7#c7 ,tech-prep programs ,section #bjc7;c77#b77;,e7 of the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and ,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #bcgc7;c77#b77;,e77 is amended by striking industry-recognized credential1 a certificate1 and inserting recognized postsecondary credential 7as defined in section #d of the ,,america ,works ,act and approved by the eligible agency714 7c7 ,training programs under ,,taa ,section #bcf7;a7 of the ,trade ,act of #aigd 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #bbif7;a77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#ab7 ,in approving training programs for adversely affected workers and adversely affected incumbent workers under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary may give priority consideration to workers seeking training through programs that are approved in conjunction with eligibility decisions made under section #abb of the ,workforce ,investment ,act of #aiih 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bhdb71 and that lead to recognized postsecondary credentials 7as defined in section #d of the ,,america ,works ,act7 that are aligned with in-demand occupations or industries in the local area 7defined for purposes of title ,i of the ,workforce ,investment ,act of #aiih 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bhja et seq477 involved4 4 #d4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,industry-recognized ,the term industry-recognized1 used with respect to a credential1 means a credential that-- 7,a7 is sought or accepted by employers within the industry sector involved as recognized1 preferred1 or required for recruitment1 screening1 hiring1 or advancement2 7,b7 is endorsed by a recognized trade or professional association or organization1 representing a significant part of the industry sector2 and 7,c7 is a nationally portable credential1 meaning a credential that is sought or accepted1 across multiple ,states1 as described in subparagraph 7,a74 7#b7 ,recognized postsecondary credential ,the term recognized postsecondary credential means a credential consisting of an industry-recognized credential for postsecondary training1 a certificate that meets the requirements of subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,c7 of paragraph 7#a7 for postsecondary training1 a certificate of completion of a postsecondary apprenticeship through a program described in section #abb7;a77#b77;,b7 of the ,workforce ,investment ,act of #aiih 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bhdb7;a77#b77;,b771 or an associate degree or baccalaureate degree awarded by an institution of higher education 7as defined in section #aja7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja7;a7774 #e4 ,effective ,date ,this ,act1 and the amendments made by this ,act1 take effect #abj days after the date of enactment of this ,act4