Scott joins National League of Cities to Highlight Need for Workforce Development

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Ranking
Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, hosted a policy
briefing in coordination with the National League of Cities (NLC) on their
recent report "The Future of Work in Cities." The policy discussion
highlighted strategies that can provide support to cities and the economic
impacts of workforce development at the federal level.

The briefing included testimony from Dr. Patricia P. Woodbury,
Councilmember, Newport News, Virginia. A South Hampton native, Dr.
Woodbury has a long history of supporting workforce development programs
that increase the employability of citizens within Newport News. Her
on-the-ground experience provided an in-depth analysis on the trends and
real-world implications of workforce development.

"Investing in our workforce is now more important than ever," said Rep.
Scott. "The technological innovations that make our day-to-day lives
easier also present a challenge to maintaining job growth in our cities. 
Driverless cars and other innovations present the same threats to jobs
that ATM's posed to bank tellers and self-check-in kiosks posed to jobs at
airports.  When jobs disappear, problems appear: crime, drug use, and teen
pregnancy in addition to loss of homes and an eroding tax base. When
technology threatens to displace workers, we must invest in a workforce
development system that can quickly respond and prepare workers for a
changing labor market."