BATON ROUGE, La. -- Gov. Bobby Jindal's plan to make the state labor department the coordinating agency for worker training programs around Louisiana neared final passage Friday with a unanimous vote from the state Senate.

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Supporters said the state's work force training efforts are woefully uncoordinated and Jindal's proposal would help better connect employers with a pool of skilled workers to fill thousands of job vacancies in Louisiana.

The measure by House Speaker Jim Tucker, R-Terrytown, is the governor's hallmark bill for the legislative session that ends Monday. The bill heads back to the House for approval of minor changes before heading to the governor's desk.

The 88-page bill would replace the Department of Labor with a reorganized Louisiana Workforce Commission. The commission would have duties that include overseeing and coordinating many of the state's worker training programs and services needed by those seeking employment.

Jindal's labor secretary, Tim Barfield, has said Louisiana has 100,000 vacant jobs that cannot be filled for lack of trained workers.

He said by 2014, an estimated 55 percent of jobs in Louisiana will need some sort of training beyond a high school diploma. But right now, he said, only 8 percent of high school graduates enter a two-year college or skills training program.

The reorganized work force commission would continue the labor department's current work of doling out unemployment benefits and managing federal labor programs. But it also would coordinate worker training programs with other state agencies.

The commission would contract with regional boards that would plan and oversee the delivery of training services in their regions, would have jurisdiction over federal worker training dollars and could award grants and contracts.

The regional boards, called Workforce Investment Boards, would set up "business/career solution centers" as entry points for businesses searching for workers and people looking for jobs. The centers would provide information about available jobs, training programs, educational opportunities, child care services, transportation and other services people may need to get to work, supporters said.

The measure also would set up a policy council led by business leaders and including labor leaders to recommend worker training program changes and forecast the anticipated demand for jobs by occupation and industry.

The reorganization is estimated to cost $4.6 million in the new fiscal year that begins July 1, for training, consulting services, marketing and communications efforts and computer upgrades.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)