NEWS: Senators Blunt Rochester, Britt Introduce Bill to Leverage Immersive Technology on Behalf of American Workers

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) today introduced the Immersive Technology for the American Workforce Act. The bill would create more opportunities for quality workforce training that leads to employment and help ensure every American has the skills they need to unlock their full potential. This comes as the United States expects approximately 192 million job openings over the next decade, representing a significant increase in workforce needs as compared to the previous ten years. Blunt Rochester is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

"As Delaware's former Secretary of Labor, I have spent my career working to empower and prepare the workforce of today and tomorrow," said Senator Blunt Rochester. "We must be forward thinking as we confront both longstanding and developing workforce challenges. Immersive technology, such as virtual reality, can be a powerful tool for training and career visualization. I am proud to be introducing the Immersive Technology for the American Workforce Act alongside Senator Britt to support the development of innovative skills training programs that utilize this technology and, most importantly, connect Americans with jobs."

"As technology becomes more integrated in our everyday lives, we must ensure we're harnessing its capabilities, like groundbreaking, immersive technology, to strengthen our labor force and equip American workers to meet increasing workforce needs," said Senator Britt. "Proud to join Senator Blunt Rochester in this commonsense bill to help modernize workforce training for the 21^st-century and ensure American innovation continues to lead the world."

Immersive technology can play a powerful role in equipping American workers to meet the needs of our changing economy. Highly versatile, and both space and cost effective, this technology has the potential to expand skills and training access to learners who face barriers to accessing workforce training.

The Immersive Technology for the American Workforce Act:

• Establishes an innovative grant program at the Department of Labor to support the development and implementation of career pathways that leverage immersive technology, like virtual reality, in education and training.
  • In particular, the legislation supports programs at community colleges and area career and technical education schools.
  • Programs must be supported by industry or sector partnerships.
• Prioritizes programs that meet the needs of the changing economy and those supporting training for individuals with barriers to employment, including individuals with disabilities and in rural areas.

The Immersive Technology for the American Workforce Act is endorsed by: Advance CTE, American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), Association of Community College Trustees (AACT), CareerViewXR, CM&D, Delaware Technical Community College, Delaware Tech Council, HTC VIVE, Jobs for the Future (JFF), National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB), Oberon Technologies, Qualcomm, SIMVANA, Transfr, XR Association (XRA).

A one pager on the bill is available here. Full text is available here.

###

Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.