Tuberville Chairs Hearing on Advancing Workforce Development, Underscores Wins for Apprenticeships in OBBB

December 9, 2025 - WASHINGTON – Today, as Chairman of the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Education and the American Family, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) led a hearing focusing on workforce development in the modern era. Two witnesses from Alabama participated in the hearing and offered solutions to meet the growing employment gap for high-demand industries. Earlier this year, President Trump signed an Executive Order that prioritizes apprenticeships and invests in skilled trade jobs.

During the hearing, Sen. Tuberville highlighted the success of community colleges across Alabama in preparing students for skills-based jobs, industry partnering with colleges and schools to fill critical workforce needs, and the importance of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in K-12 schools.

Witnesses included:

Chris Cox, Ph.D., Deputy Chancellor for Instruction, Research, and Development, Alabama Community College System, Auburn, AL

Chelle Travis, Executive Director, SkillsUSA, Ashburn, VA

Joel Stadtlander, Director of Human Resources, ArcelorMittal Calvert, Calvert, AL

Luke Rhine, Vice President, Rodel Foundation of Delaware, Wilmington, DE

Read Sen. Tuberville's opening remarks below and on YouTube or Rumble. The full hearing can be found here.

"[Thank you to] our witnesses, and hopefully we can shed some light on a very important topic. Thank you to all the witnesses for being here today. It's always nice to see a couple of my fellow Alabamians here at [the] nation's Capitol. Dr. Cox and Mr. Stadtlander, thank you for coming.

We've called this hearing today to discuss something very important that is happening in every state-red or blue. It makes no difference. It hits everybody. And to see what works in addressing workforce development needs in our country, we need to put more emphasis on this. There is a skills gap epidemic in our country right now, and it is time to find solutions. President Trump made a bold and a much-needed declaration to close the skills gap in this country through historic investments in America's re-industrialization and economic growth.

The goal is to have one million new active apprentices in this country and to grow opportunities in Career and Technical Education. Fortunately, the One Big Beautiful Bill included the passage of Workforce Pell which will enable students to pursue different career paths that they didn't have prior. We can celebrate all the wins our states and our country is having due to big manufacturers and [industrialization] moving back to the United States, but it doesn't matter if we don't have the workforce to fill the hundreds of thousands of jobs created by this. Too many people are more comfortable sitting [at] home than learning a skill and being a part of America's labor workforce.

We're here today to discuss how we can help make that happen. You know, it starts with investing and empowering Career and Technical Education as early as possible. One of the biggest hurdles is teaching our kids and their parents that you do not have to go to a four-year university to have a successful career. Opting into classes to learn a skill or being part of a registered apprenticeship in high school are options every student should have at K-12 levels, and it should start at a young age, not when students are about to graduate.

Our witnesses today are well-equipped to discuss all these issues, and I look forward to hearing for them. I'll yield now to my Ranking Member, Senator [Blunt] Rochester for her opening statement."

Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans' Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.