Press Release:
12/17/2013
House Bill 1725 would establish a collaborative partnership between businesses and schools to offer interested middle and high school students hands-on learning experience in career fields that are in high demand.
“Business and industry leaders have said that there are thousands of job vacancies across Pennsylvania right now in high-priority fields but that they are unable to find enough qualified applicants,” said Mackenzie. “CareerBound would help young people acquire the skills needed to land jobs in these types of rewarding and well-paying occupations while helping businesses fill critical positions they need to grow and expand.”
High-priority occupations are defined as those that require a great deal of skill, pay family-sustaining wages, and have a significant number of vacancies.
Businesses participating in CareerBound would receive a tax credit in exchange for monetary contributions to educational programs that give students real-world experience in growing industries. This tax credit would be modeled on the already successful Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC), which encourages businesses to invest in schools and scholarship programs for the purpose of enhancing academic achievement.
CareerBound would be managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry in cooperation with several local Workforce Investment Boards across the state, as well as the departments of Education and Community and Economic Development.
“CareerBound is a public-private partnership that is a ‘win-win’ in the true sense of the term,” said Mackenzie. “Businesses would reap the rewards of a well-prepared workforce to further grow Pennsylvania’s economy, while those entering the job market would have expanded opportunities and a greater potential for higher pay.”
For more information, please visit www.RepMackenzie.com.
Representative Ryan Mackenzie
134th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Ryan Travis
rtravis@pahousegop.com
