Improve Employer-Directed Skills Act

This bill updates a job training law to make employer-led training easier. If an employer sends a person to a one-stop center for on-the-job training or employer-directed skills development, the center does not have to interview or test the person first. The employer must confirm the person needs training and can handle the program.

It also lets local workforce boards contract directly with employers to run training. The employer has to file an agreement that says who will provide the training (it can be the employer), how long it lasts, what skills or credentials people will earn, the cost, expected pay after finishing, how much the employer will pay (at least the minimum required), and a promise to hire people who complete the program. The bill also updates the law’s wording to use “employer-directed skills development” throughout Title I.

• Who is affected: Employers, people referred by employers for training, local workforce boards, and one-stop operators/partners.
• What changes: Faster intake for employer-referred trainees; direct contracts for employer-run training with clear terms and a hiring commitment; updated terminology in the law.