The American Workforce Policy Board held a virtual meeting today, co-chaired by Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
U.S. Chamber CEO Tom Donohue is a member, along with other major business, labor, and education leaders, who advise the Trump administration on ways the private sector and educational institutions can improve training and skills development for American workers.
Trump noted that because of massive job losses from the pandemic, the board’s challenge now is reconnecting workers who have lost jobs during the pandemic with the workforce.
The board issued a National Workforce Recovery Call-to-Action, entailing these goals:
- Expedite American workers’ return to employment and upward mobility by investing in career pathways and implementing skills-based hiring practices.
- Remove obstacles to the modernization of American education and training to accelerate reskilling and facilitate innovation in workforce development.
- Build the technological infrastructure necessary for the future of work.
The U.S. Chamber Foundation is playing a key role developing technological infrastructure through Interoperable Learning Records. These digital records can document learning wherever it occurs, including at the workplace, through an education program/experience, or through military training.
Four pilot projects are underway, led by Walmart, Salesforce, IBM, and Workday.
Members of the board were pleased with how the efforts have built off the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s work, with the “incredible collaboration” among participants, and how the pilot programs were coalescing around open standards.
