SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt scored a win for Metro East manufacturing and labor with the passage of his bill to enhance career and technical education opportunities.
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“If we want to bring back and build up manufacturing in the Metro East, we need to build the labor pool,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “Career and technical education can help a young person create a stable career, leading to a stable family and ultimately a stable Metro East.”
Senate Bill 58 would expand a current program that is successful in other parts of the state to the Metro East. The program allows manufacturing companies to partner with local community colleges and high schools to set up technical training programs that would translate directly into a job. This creates a targeted labor pool that connects prospective workers with the manufacturers in their community.
“We have an opportunity to uplift our young people by giving them hands-on experience, higher earning potential and a foot in the door to a respectable career,” said Belt. “By connecting our region’s employers to energetic and motivated young people, we can build an economy that works for all of us.”
Senate Bill 58 passed the Senate Thursday and heads to the House for further consideration.
