Bill Text: IL HR0050 | 2009-2010 | 96th General Assembly | Enrolled
Bill Title: Resolves that this State must guarantee up to 2 years of post-secondary education or training for all Illinoisans.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)
Status: (Passed) 2009-05-31 - Resolution Adopted as Amended [HR0050 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2009-HR0050-Enrolled.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION 50
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2 | 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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7 | 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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11 | 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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14 | 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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17 | 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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20 | WHEREAS, Middle-skill jobs will be the majority of jobs |
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1 | needed to build this State's and the nation's green economy; | ||||||
2 | and
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3 | 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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8 | WHEREAS, Middle-skill jobs are local, hands-on jobs and are | ||||||
9 | unlikely to be outsourced to other countries; and
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10 | 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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13 | 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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17 | 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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1 | 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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8 | 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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12 | 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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17 | 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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22 | RESOLVED, That this educational goal must be the core of |
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1 | our State's economic development, workforce development, and | ||||||
2 | post-secondary education strategies; and be it further
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3 | 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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