Learning to Work
A Washington, DC, forum seeks to boost U.S. economic vitality — through investments in workers to enhance their skills.
Last week, leaders from the public and private sectors gathered in the nation’s capital to address one of the most important challenges facing workers and employers: developing the U.S. workforce to renew economic growth and extend opportunities for all.
Even in the current economy, skilled workers are in high demand in technology and many other fields. Yet America’s workforce development programs are not currently up to the task of meeting this critical need.
Amid rising unemployment, workers lack access to training that would qualify them for family wage jobs with a future. American companies, faced with rising global competition, are hobbled by a shortage of needed human capital.
Our nation’s employment picture underscores the urgency of this challenge, which requires innovative thinking from multiple perspectives and renewed energy and collaboration among all stakeholders. Last week’s Town Hall Forum on Workforce Development was aimed at launching a national discussion that will lead to a new framework for the broad range of policies necessary to provide the skills, knowledge and abilities required for work and learning in the 21st century’s global economy.
The day’s discussion focused on the following smart strategies to move things forward:
Regional and Sector-based Strategies. In recent years, local and state governments have developed joint strategies to encourage economic and workforce development across boundaries. The most successful of these have often focused on and involved particular industries. How can we build on these approaches to achieve national impact?
Lifelong Learning. Millions of adult Americans require education to move beyond minimal levels of literacy and to qualify for family wage jobs. And every individual, to thrive in a fast-moving global economy, must continue learning. But today’s lifelong learning initiatives are delivered by multiple and often overlapping agencies, which can be inefficient and ineffective. Can we find ways to coordinate for greater impact?
Technology. Innovations in information technology are opening up new possibilities in workforce development and helping extend access to it. Educational software and online course offerings are increasingly robust and effective, but are underused by public-sector training programs. Could stronger public-private partnerships help harness technology?
Pathways for Youth. Compared with other advanced economies, the United States does less to provide young people with clearly defined paths toward actual career opportunities through integrated education and training programs. The need is particularly great among underemployed, out-of-school youth. Can we organize public-private partnerships to provide multiple career pathways that will better serve the needs of these young people, who are the future of our country?
Microsoft was proud to sponsor this Town Hall Forum on Workforce Development, and we’re excited about the new ideas, partnerships and energy it generated. We believe that by working together to strengthen our workforce, all Americans can achieve greater opportunities and prosperity.
