skills for jobs act

(Photo with story shows Rich Jones at governor's signing ceremony.)

By Ed Sealover
Denver Business Journal

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a law Monday that requires several state departments to work together to try to match workforce needs with the types of graduates that the state's colleges are producing.

The Bell's Frank Waterous, fifth from left, and Rich Jones, second from right, join a group of supporters as Gov. John Hickenlooper signs the Skills for Jobs Act. Sen. Linda Newell and Rep. Daniel Kagan, flanking the governor, sponsored the bill.

The Skills for Jobs Act

House Bill 12-1061

Testimony to the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee
Frank Waterous, Senior Policy Analyst
March 5, 2012

My name is Frank Waterous, and I am a senior policy analyst with the Bell Policy Center. The Bell is a non-partisan, non-profit research and policy organization, founded on progressive values and dedicated to expanding opportunity for all Coloradans.

The Skills for Jobs Act is good public policy that will help match the needs of Colorado's businesses with the training and skills provided by the state's post-secondary education and workforce-development programs.

Policy analyst Frank Waterous testified in favor of the legislation (HB 12-1061), which also was supported by the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Interwest Energy Alliance, among others. CACI said HB 1061 is a "common-sense bill."