Advanced Manufacturing Jobs in America Act
Key claim: The bill would have the Labor Department fund community and technical colleges, working with manufacturers, to train current, laid-off, and unemployed workers for advanced manufacturing jobs.
Abstract
(HR8064 · 117th Congress) Advanced Manufacturing Jobs in America Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to establish demonstration and pilot projects, through the awarding of grants or contracts, to facilitate training and education in advanced manufacturing. A local educational entity (e.g., a technical college, a community college, or an entity that assists educationally underserved communities) in partnership with a manufacturer that employs individuals who have advanced manufacturing skills is eligible to receive such grants or contracts. The corresponding project must (1) develop skills and competencies in communities with expected growth in advanced manufacturing; (2) provide education and training for available and anticipated jobs in advanced manufacturing; (3) educate individuals about career advancement opportunities within advanced manufacturing; and (4) give priority to incumbent workers, dislocated workers, and unemployed individuals. Latest action (2022-06-14): Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Why this matters
Advanced-manufacturing workforce bills repeatedly propose routing Labor Department grants through community and technical colleges, making this program design a recurring template in federal workforce policy. Tracking introduced-but-stalled versions shows which training models (dislocated-worker focus, manufacturer co-design) keep resurfacing even without enactment, and signals where community colleges may see future federal demonstration funding.