As businesses have faced difficulties like never before during the current pandemic, one sector of our economy has been met with a unique challenge. Small businesses in Delaware in the industrial trades are struggling to find individuals with the skills needed to perform jobs currently in demand. There is simply not enough certified electricians, plumbers, gasfitters, carpenters, bricklayers, technicians and insulators for the demand of work in the current economy. The problem compounds when the information coming from the Department of Labor shows that there are more individuals retiring from these occupations, less opportunities for local individuals to access these skills themselves, and a likelihood of the demand for these jobs increasing over time.
This problem will not resolve itself. It does however allow us to meet an overall sluggish economy with the opportunity to present individuals that are unemployed or underemployed with educational opportunities to develop these skills. These skills will allow individuals to create independence for their families as they develop an education that they will be able to take with them as they develop a career or start their own local business.
Senator Brian Pettyjohn has continued efforts under the FAST Act for several years and I am proud to once again be the Prime House sponsor of SB 65, which will receive its Senate committee hearing on Thursday.
Graduating Delaware high school students are provided with many options here in the First State. There are many scholarship programs, and virtually any senior graduating in good standing can attend a two-year associate degree program at Delaware Tech with the SEED program or two years of Delaware State University with the INSPIRE program. Giving our students a boost into the world of college has long been a priority for our state government.
There are many in-demand careers that do not require a college degree, however, and Delaware has not provided the same boost to those students. Until now.
The FAST, Focus on Alternative Skills Training, Program is a newly proposed program that would provide up to $9,000 in reimbursement for students who successfully complete an approved non-degree program which provides a marketable skill. Examples of these programs might include coding schools, information technology credential programs, nursing school, or building trades apprenticeships, among others
Through the FAST program, we are helping provide Delaware’s young people with a ticket to a well-paying job without the time commitment or significant student debt that some college programs require. And in doing so, we widen the scope of options for our graduates, meaning that all high school students will have the opportunity to pursue their dreams.
The benefits of the FAST program for Delaware’s employers are significant, as we expand the talent pipeline and help steer Delaware graduates toward fields that are in demand. This way, FAST graduates leave their programs, and walk right into a good job.