On-the-job training helps unemployed workers obtain new skills, find and keep jobs

Earlier this week, Senator Cochran and I introduced legislation that has the potential to make a big difference in the lives of the countless Americans who have struggled to find work in this challenging economic climate.  Our bill, the On-the-Job Training Act of 2010, expands and strengthens on-the-job training (OJT) programs by authorizing the Department of Labor to award grants to support local training programs. As the nation climbs out of the recession, the workforce must adjust to the changing job market.  OJT programs, which connect unemployed workers with jobs and provide employers with training subsidies, have a proven track record of helping unemployed workers gain new skills to find employment.  OJT programs also provide important incentives to small businesses so that they are able to add new jobs.

In addition, OJT programs have been highly successful at helping people retain their new jobs.  In 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, 80 percent of OJT participants were still employed at their training sites or in other jobs nine months after having finished the program.

Many of the jobs that have been lost as a result of the economic crisis are not going to come back, and we need to do everything we can to help these unemployed Americans gain the new skills they need to rejoin the workforce.  By passing the On-the-Job Training Act of 2010, we can help Americans who need jobs get back to work.