Professional Societies and Trade Associations need to be part of the solution to our nation's workforce skills gap.

Individuals who are unemployed or under-employed should have access to programs providing certification training, continuing education, and expertise in their field. A primary source of program funding is allocated under the Workforce Investment (WIA) – today professional societies and trade association professional development programs are not part of the solution. We propose that the definition of Eligible Training Providers in WIA and other legislation must be expanded to include professional societies and trade associations – nonprofit organizations with an educational mission. This would enable America’s 70,000+ associations to offer services that solve the current skills gap at a time when we have over 3.9 million jobs open due to a lack of candidate expertise.