Preparing a Workforce for the 21st Century Economy

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Preparing a Workforce for the 21st Century
Economy
PACTA February 17, 2010
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Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW)

• Works to ensure that businesses have accesstoday
  and tomorrowto an educated and skilled
  workforce.
• Promotes high educational standards and effective
  workforce training systems so that they are
  aligned with each other and with today's rigorous
  business demands.

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• Human capital is the number one business
  challenge
• Tom Donohue, President and CEO
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce

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• The Global Numbers Game

If India and China successfully train 6 of their
population, their skilled workforce would be
nearly equal to our entire workforce
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An Aging Workforce

• 150 million Americans are currently in the
  workforce
• 77 million are Baby Boomers nearing
  retirement age
• Only 40 million Gen Xers and Yers are
  available to replace them

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Factors Leading to theNeed for Postsecondary
Credentials
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A Student Drops Out of High School Every 26
Seconds (6,000 per day)
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Source Tough Choices or Tough Times, National
Center for Education and the Economy
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World Rankings

• Quantity and quality of high school graduates
• 30 years ago, the United States was 1st
• Today, the U.S. is 18th of 23 industrialized
  countries
• U.S. 15-year-olds
• Rank 15th of 29 in reading literacy
• Rank 24th of 29th in math literacy

Source Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development
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Annual Spending on Remedial Education Private
Training (U.S)

• Remedial Education - 3.7 billion
• Private training - 58.5 billion

Source Alabama Policy Institute 2007
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Source Harry Holzer and Robert Lerman, Americas
Forgotten Middle Skill Jobs, 2007.
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• What are Employers Saying?

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Source Business Roundtable s Springboard
Project, American Worker and American Employer
Surveys
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Source Business Roundtable s Springboard
Project, American Worker and American Employer
Surveys
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The World of Work is Changing
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Pipe Fitting Design
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Then
Now
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• Strengths and OpportunitiesCreating a 21st
  Century Workforce

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Source Tough Choices or Tough Times report - NCEE
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CTE
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Career and Technical EducationA New Vision

• Multiple pathways to postsecondary education and
  training
• Integration with general curriculum
• Achieve alignment to both workforce and
  postsecondary education

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Role of CTE in Economic and Workforce Development

• CTE provides framework for lifelong learning
• Entry points within industry clusters exist for
  younger students and adult learners
• CTE increases high school graduation rates
• By providing relevancy in education, students are
  more likely to stay in school

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Source Business Roundtable s Springboard
Project, American Worker and American Employer
Surveys
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• Whats Happening at the Federal Level?

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• The goal of this administration is to ensure that
  every child has access to a complete and
  competitive education from the day they are
  born to the day they begin a career. 
• -President Obama

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Obama Administration

• Increased emphasis on education and training
• Additional money for college
• A Secretary with a vision for improvement

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White House Initiatives

• American Graduation Initiative
• 5 Million more postsecondary degrees in 10 years
• Educate to Innovate
• Promote STEM through National Lab Day, National
  STEM Week, increased awareness

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Federal Legislation

• Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary
  Education Act (ESEA/NCLB)
• Reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act
• Reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act
  (WIA)

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• Resources

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• Monthly e-newsletter
• Monthly issue-focused conference calls
• Publications
• Staff technical assistance
• www.uschamber.com/icw

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Education Policy Resources

• ICW-U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• www.uschamber.com/icw
• American Youth Policy Forum
• www.AYPF.org
• Alliance for Excellent Education www.all4ed.org
• Education Trust
• www.edtrust.org

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College and Career

• Career Voyages DOL
• www.Careervoyages.gov
• College Readiness Planning
• www.knowhow2go.org

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Digital Skills

• Education Development Center
• www.edc.org
• Center for Implementing Technology in Education
  (CITEd)
• www.air.org/ehd/ehd_education_tech.aspx

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• For more information, contact
• Lydia Logan
• Vice President and Executive Director
• Institute for a Competitive Workforce
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• 1615 H Street, NW
• Washington, DC 20062
• Llogan_at_uschamber.com
• www.uschamber.com/icw