Full Text of HR0050 96th General Assembly
HR0050enr 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION 50
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| WHEREAS, Illinois has a reputation as an economic | 3 |
| powerhouse, demonstrated by globally recognized businesses | 4 |
| producing cutting edge technologies and high-value services, a | 5 |
| gross state product of more than $600 billion in 2007, and the | 6 |
| fifth largest state economy in the nation; and
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| WHEREAS, Jobs that require more than a high school | 8 |
| education but less than a 4-year degree ("middle-skill jobs") | 9 |
| currently make up the largest segment of jobs in this State's | 10 |
| economy and will continue to do so for years to come; and
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| WHEREAS, More than half of Illinois jobs in 2006 were | 12 |
| middle-skill jobs, representing more than 3 million workers; | 13 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, The portion of jobs that are middle-skill jobs in | 15 |
| this State is greater than the portion in the nation as a | 16 |
| whole; and
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| WHEREAS, The demand for middle-skill workers in Illinois is | 18 |
| expected to increase between 2004 and 2014, to about one | 19 |
| million middle-skill job openings; and
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| WHEREAS, Middle-skill jobs will be the majority of jobs |
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HR0050 Enrolled |
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| needed to build this State's and the nation's green economy; | 2 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Middle-skill workers include those that work in | 4 |
| occupations critical to our communities' safety and | 5 |
| infrastructure, including police officers, fire fighters, | 6 |
| nurses, therapists and other medical technicians, air traffic | 7 |
| controllers, electricians, and mechanics; and
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| WHEREAS, Middle-skill jobs are local, hands-on jobs and are | 9 |
| unlikely to be outsourced to other countries; and
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| WHEREAS, In Illinois, 51% of all jobs are classified as | 11 |
| middle-skill, but only 43% of Illinois workers likely have the | 12 |
| education and training required to fill these positions; and
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| WHEREAS, The National Commission on Adult Literacy's most | 14 |
| recent report revealed that more than 350,000 Illinoisans | 15 |
| between the ages of 18 and 64 lacked a high school credential; | 16 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, These trends will worsen in Illinois over the next | 18 |
| 15 years as the proportion of low-skill workers in this State's | 19 |
| workforce is likely to increase at the same time that the | 20 |
| percentage of middle-skill workers is projected to decline; and
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HR0050 Enrolled |
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| WHEREAS, At the same time there is a decline in educational | 2 |
| attainment in the workforce, there has been a steady and steep | 3 |
| decline in federal funding for workforce education and training | 4 |
| programs, including funding that supports adults to get | 5 |
| associate degrees, vocational certificates, and | 6 |
| apprenticeships that are offered in both community-based | 7 |
| training organizations and community colleges; and
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| WHEREAS, Two-thirds of the people who will be in this | 9 |
| State's workforce in the year 2020 were already working adults | 10 |
| in 2005, which means that most of the workforce of 2020 will be | 11 |
| people already beyond grade K through 12 education; and
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| WHEREAS, We need to prepare adults currently in the | 13 |
| workforce, who could benefit significantly from new | 14 |
| investments in education and training, to be part of the | 15 |
| solution to the middle-skill gap facing our State today and in | 16 |
| the years ahead; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 18 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 19 |
| this State make it a priority that up to 2 years of | 20 |
| post-secondary education or training is available to all | 21 |
| citizens in this State; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That this educational goal must be the core of |
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| our State's economic development, workforce development, and | 2 |
| post-secondary education strategies; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That if our economic development, workforce | 4 |
| development, and post-secondary education policies are built | 5 |
| from this shared goal to individuals, families and communities | 6 |
| across our State will experience greater prosperity.
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