Congressman John Joyce paid a visit to the Altoona area Friday.

He toured the Altoona Career and Technology Center with other lawmakers to learn how to prepare students for the new jobs businesses are struggling to fill.

He says now that businesses have the ability to hire more, the next step is ensuring workers have the skills they need to start those careers.

“We’ve been in machine shops throughout south central Pennsylvania, we’ve been at the businesses,  and today I joined with my fellow legislators and the administrators here at the Altoona Career and Technology Center to come up with a plan to work with the businesses, to expand the opportunities for the students at the Career and Technology Center,” Joyce said.

Representative Joyce says the recent tax cuts are the reason for the drop in unemployment.

He says he plans to fight for a bill to make the tax cuts permanent when he returns to Washington next week.