CONCORD - Gov. John Lynch applauded a state Senate vote today to restore the Job Training Fund. Senators voted 23-0 in favor of a bill (SB 97) dedicating up to $1 million a year from the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund toward job training. The legislation now heads to the House.

"Our workers - and the companies that employ them - must continually master new skills and new technologies to compete globally. We can help our businesses and their employees get the training they need by reestablishing the Job Training Fund. The Job Training Fund allows us to partner with companies to train New Hampshire workers for available jobs. I applaud the state Senate for taking an important step toward re-establishing the fund and I look forward to continuing the discussion on this important piece of legislation in the House," Gov. Lynch said.

Gov. Lynch called for the reinstatement of the Job Training Fund in his Inaugural Address.

Senate Bill 97 does not require any general fund dollars. Companies are required to provide an equal match for any grant they receive. The prime sponsor of the bill is Senator David Gottesman. Sens. Martha Fuller Clark, Maggie Hassan, Harold Janeway and Sylvia Larsen are also sponsoring the bill.

New Hampshire first established the Job Training Fund in 2001, and the first grants were approved in January 2002. In 19 months, 169 grants were awarded to more than 100 different companies and nearly 5,400 workers were trained.

Senate Bill 97 will restore funding to the Job Training program by removing a link to the amount of money in the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund. Instead, the bill provides funding for job training from the administrative portion of the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund. It does not require any general fund dollars, nor does it affect the fund that pays for unemployment benefits for workers.

The Business and Industry Association, several labor unions, the Departments of Resources and Economic Development, Labor and Employment Security, the New Hampshire Community Technical College System and the Workforce Opportunity Council, all support this important piece of legislation.