Dive Brief:
- Eleven major U.S. employers, along with the Markle Foundation, have formed the Rework America Business Network, a collaboration designed to "accelerate the development and adoption of innovative hiring and training practices." Founding members include Aon, Boeing, Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, Stanley Black & Decker, Walmart and 21st Century Fox
- The network said it hopes to expand employer talent pipelines while offering workers from diverse backgrounds more training opportunities. The network will take a skills-based approach to learning and development initiatives.
- According to a press release announcing the network's formation, it will work to strengthen digital and data literacy; develop a more inclusive definition of workforce readiness; and foster more connections between employers and the education and training community.
Dive Insight:
With predictions that digitization has the potential to displace up to half the American workforce, employers and their representatives are working hard to upskill workers to keep pace. Many, including the Markle Foundation, have been funding such initiatives across the country.
Educators are likewise working to upskill employees and job seekers. One state is providing free coding lessons to every resident to ready them for jobs today and tomorrow; the Trump administration has said its Pledge to American Workers will create 6 million training opportunities for workers; and the NAACP and Fifth Third Bank are working at the community level to help individuals find work and enhance their skills.
As businesses, educators and governments work to keep pace with the transformation of the digital workforce to meet needs today and future-proof employees and businesses for tomorrow, more partnerships are likely to come to fruition.
