: Center for Education and Workforce

Due to workplace projections, it is critical that employers partner with educators in order to grow talent, bridge the gap between our current and future STEM workforce, and support students in choosing STEM as a career.

Learning and development (L&D) leaders need to shift how they’ve traditionally approached their jobs—from being the gatekeepers of knowledge to being facilitators of learning. It’s time to put employees in the driver’s seat with self-service learning resources that satisfy both immediate hard-skill needs as well as the soft skills they’ll use and refine over the course of their entire careers. Though no one has a crystal ball to tell you exactly where to focus, here are some core principles to follow as you set up a learning culture where employees are free to learn and upskill on their own terms.

A survey done by the Associated General Contractors of America concluded that approximately 62 percent of firms are unable to fill skilled trade positions. The good news is that employers are not sitting on the sidelines. We know that America needs new pathways to opportunity, and employers feel the need to play a bigger role in workforce education. This year it is a goal of the Chamber Foundation to share some of the models we have come across that work, can be repeated, and produce results.

Last week, the results of the 2017 administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as our “Nation’s Report Card,” were released. Not only do these numbers forecast a lack of proficient workers for future businesses, but they also show how we are failing to provide a valuable education and opportunities for the students who need it the most.