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NAWB Gauges Board Interest in Health & Safety Training in Job Centers

The National Association of Workforce Boards conducted a survey of workforce boards in January, asking about board activity and interest in health and safety training for American Job Center participants. From the 93 board respondents, we found that a majority (82.6%) felt it was moderately to extremely important for American Job Center program participants to receive general workplace health and safety training prior to entering the workforce, and a smaller majority (67.4%) indicated it was moderately to extremely likely that employers in their board’s region would give a hiring preference to a person who had received general workplace health and safety training.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which is part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is conducting research to better understand the health and safety training needs of workforce development organizations and the individuals they serve. NIOSH will use the insights gained through these interviews to inform the development of a new foundational workplace health and safety training program customized for use within the workforce development sector.