Proposed cuts could close work force centers | GoDanRiver.com

From the Danville Register and Bee…

Robbie is at it again and the people of  VA-5 should be starting to realize when they voted for him, they voted against their own self interest.

Key word is “should”.  I don’t have much confidence in my old home town…

Seems all he cares about is deficit reduction.  He never mentions jobs…

I keep saying this:  creating jobs=creating taxpayers & consumers to drive the economic recovery…

I also find it amusing even the Chamber of Commerce- which worked hard to elect Republicans- is coming out against this…

“How can you say ‘we want jobs’ but you don’t invest in work force?” asked Laurie Moran, president of the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce and member of the local work force investment board.

U.S. Rep. Robert Hurt, R-5th District, said in a statement Wednesday that while he supports work force training, he’s also working to balance the federal budget.

“… I will continue to look for ways to support those programs within the context of a balanced budget,” Hurt said in the statement.

“But let’s not forget, that on Nov. 2, the people of the 5th District made it clear that we must put a stop to out of control government spending. … I am committed to making the tough choices to rein in spending so that our employers will have the confidence necessary to create the long-lasting private sector jobs the people of the 5th District need and deserve. The decisions we face are not easy, but we have not been given an easy task. …”

But without the local program, residents may not be able to get funding for job training to fill positions in the region, said Kim Adkins, executive director of the West Piedmont Workforce Investment Board. Financial burden would also fall to employers.

The region’s work force centers — how employers and job seekers link up and where residents can access job search and career guidance resources — would shutter, Adkins said.

And, the West Piedmont Workforce Investment Board, which monitors and funds the local work force system, wouldn’t exist anymore, she added.

“I just hope the community sees the value of what these job training programs do for communities nationwide, especially communities like ours where we’ve been devastated by downsizing and closure of industries and working hard to get people retrained to fill the positions that are now available,” Adkins said. “Without that, it’ll be another blow to the hardworking families in our area.”

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