Carbondale Reporter

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met with Dubuque Chamber of Commerce members, local business leaders and local government officials to underscore her commitment to helping create good-paying regional jobs and career training programs in Illinois and throughout the nation. The Dubuque Chamber of Commerce represents businesses throughout the Dubuque area, which sits near the Mississippi River and encompasses Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. The area plays a crucial part in northwestern Illinois’ workforce and the delegation included businesses that operate in Illinois and many more that serve Illinoisans. A photo of today’s meeting is available here.

“Our state and our nation are stronger when communities and families prosper—and a robust workforce gets us all closer to that reality,” said Duckworth. “I’ll keep advocating for job training programs, so more Americans can land high-paying and high-skilled jobs, giving them a path to a better life for themselves and their loved ones while growing the country’s economy.”

This month, Duckworth, a vocal supporter of workforce development, helped reintroduce the bipartisan Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act, a bill that would allow Americans to use education savings accounts, or 529 plans, for skills training, credential programs and certification programs. Last month, the Senator also helped reintroduce the bipartisan Jumpstarting Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, legislation to help more Americans get good-paying jobs by allowing students to use federal Pell Grants to afford high-quality, shorter-term job training programs for the first time.

Original source can be found here