*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***
TODAY: Cardin, Labor Secretary Perez to Promote Workforce Development in Maryland
Cardin, Perez to Host Roundtable, Tour Baltimore City Biotech Training Center
“We must bridge the widening skills gap that is keeping thousands of unemployed workers from promising 21st Century careers”
TODAY – Friday, July 25 at 11:30AM, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin and U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez will visit the Biotechnical Institute of Maryland (BTI) for a tour and discussion with students and faculty. BTI provides tuition-free training in basic laboratory skills to unemployed and under-employed residents of Baltimore City in preparation for careers in Maryland’s rapidly expanding biotechnology industry. Cardin and Perez’s visit comes only days after President Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WOIA) into law. The bipartisan legislation greatly improves and streamlines federal workforce development efforts.
“Secretary Perez and I both know that as our economy continues its recovery, workforce training is critically important to help grow our economy. We must continue to do all we can to bridge the widening skills gap that is keeping thousands of unemployed workers from promising 21st Century careers,” said Senator Cardin. “I look forward to seeing the work BTI is doing to equip Marylanders with the skills they need to move the biotech industry forward.”
What: Cardin, Labor Secretary Perez Visit Biotechnical Institute of Maryland
When: Friday, July 25, 2014
11:30 AM: Tour of the BioTechnical Institute
11:50 AM: Media Availability
Where: 2001 Aliceanna Street, Baltimore, Md. 21231
Earlier this week Vice President Biden announced the results of his comprehensive review of federal job training programs in a report titled Ready to Work: Job-Driven Training and American Opportunity. Thereport highlights successful job-driven training strategies, details executive actions that are being taken by the federal government, and new commitments by employers, nonprofits, unions and innovators to help support more Americans in getting and moving up to in-demand jobs and careers. On Tuesday, President Obama also signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act – the first major reform to the federal workforce system in more than 15 years – which will unify and streamline services, improve accountability and transparency, and elevate work-based learning and sector strategies like those used at BTI.
