For the past nine years, the U.S. Chamber Foundation has sought to tackle the all-too-common challenge of successfully preparing talent for the work of today and tomorrow and ensure their skills align to employers’ needs. To achieve the type of behavior and systems change needed, we believed the approach had to be a significant departure from traditional workforce development efforts.
At this very moment, women across the United States are sitting on million-dollar ideas, like a product that fills a niche or a service that solves a unique challenge. And increasingly, women are turning those ideas into entrepreneurship opportunities. Women accounted for 49% of business startups in 2021, a 28% jump from two years earlier.
“The future of work” has become a popular phrase over the last decade, and its meaning can change depending on who is sharing their vision for tomorrow’s workforce."
Looking back on 2022 fills me with pride and a sense of awe at all the team has accomplished in 12 short months. The Center for Education and Workforce at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation continues to conceive of and lead long-term systems change in education and workforce—the underpinnings of American competitiveness and prosperity.
Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy (OWS) received $24 million in federal funding to expand job training programs that have struggled to meet demand amid a shortage of skilled workers in the state. Garrett Sheehan, president and CEO of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, discussed the talent challenge OWS focused on when they first applied to the Good Jobs Challenge.
On Tuesday, September 27th, the U.S. Chamber Foundation hosted the 2022 National Learning Network Summit sponsored by GoEducate, with over 100 in-person attendees and more joining virtually. The Summit brought together faculty, fellows, and partners to collaborate and engage the core element of the TPM Academy® strategies through networking, immersive case studies, breakout rooms, and panels led by an array of subject specialists.
At a time when we need to address STEM labor shortages, we cannot afford to leave segments of our population behind. The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports a strategy to address these issues through the newly funded Community College Presidents’ Initiative in STEM Education. Community colleges, serving the most diverse student body in higher education, are fertile ground for effective diversification of the STEM workforce. 51% of community college students taking college credit classes are students of color.
The U.S. Chamber Foundation has launced a multi-year initiative with the support of a working group of preeminent leaders in education to develop policy recommendations focused on all students, especially those who have been historically underserved by the K-12 system.