South Central College president testifies before Congress

WASHINGTON (KEYC) — South Central College President Annette Parker testified before a U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee hearing Thursday.

The hearing was virtual.

Parker discussed the need for investing and training the next generation of infrastructure workers.

The discussion comes as Democrats aim to push President Joe Biden’s sweeping infrastructure plan through Congress. While Parker said she is not necessarily advocating for the legislation, she is supportive of investing in community colleges.

”We, as a nation, know we have a workforce shortage. It’s the types of students that come out of your local community college and so If we are going to address that concern, we are going to have to figure out what to do to get more people into those jobs,” Parker told Congress.

Lawmakers also heard from contract manufacturers and labor union leaders who all echoed Parkers’ workforce shortage concerns.

President Biden is calling on Congress to invest $12 billion into community college infrastructure

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