White House summit aims to improve workers' skills, job training

Dive Brief:

Launched in January, UpSkill America is a coalition of business, labor, education, workforce training and HR organizations leading a national movement to provide the 24 million American workers stuck in low-skill jobs the opportunity to gain the education and training they need to move into higher-skill roles.
Last week, a White House Summit met to address the critical need to expand economic opportunity for low-wage workers and develop a more skilled workforce.
UpSkill America and its partners are leading the way in providing more workers with stepping stones to advance on a career path and into the middle class.

Dive Insight:

There is little doubt that America needs serious work in developing new skills among low-paid employees. With that as context, new upskilling efforts unveiled at the White House Summit include 100 employers expanding access to apprenticeships and on-the-job training, as well as 30 national and local labor unions and non-profit groups working with employers to expand access to best practice training strategies.

According to UpSkill America, these efforts will focus on industries like retail and hospitality and in small businesses that employ millions of low-wage workers. Other new data and tools for workers and employers unveiled at the Summit include:

UpSkill America launched a new online resource called "A Guide to Upskilling America's Frontline Workers: A Handbook for Employers," which can help employers who want to do more to help strengthen existing or jumpstart new upskilling initiatives.

"The Role of Business in Promoting Educational Attainment: A National Imperative" is a new report from the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board highlighting how U.S. companies are boosting employee education in Detroit, Memphis, New York City, and Miami. The report also details key challenges that employers face in helping improve their workers skill sets.

"Talent Sustainability Report: The CHRO View from the Front Lines of the War on Talent" is a new survey from the HR Policy Foundation offering a blunt assessment from human resource executives at America's major employers on the challenges they face in both recruiting skilled millennials and keeping baby boomers productive in the workplace.

"Businesses have a vital role to play in expanding the talent pipeline in our country," said John Colborn, director of the Aspen Institute's Skills for America's Future, which is facilitating the work of UpSkill America.