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Economic Growth

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is dedicated to promoting initiatives that grow our nation's economy. 

Read the Foundation's report, The Growth Imperative, for more information about the importance of faster economic growth.

 

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Launches ‘Talent Finance’ Initiative to Develop New Models for Investment in the Workforce of the Future

Economic Growth
Innovation
Workforce Training
September 21, 2020
Center for Education and Workforce
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation today announced a new initiative, Talent Finance, to explore new ways to invest in people and skills that keep pace with innovation and advance economic opportunity, inclusion, and competitiveness.

Talent Finance: A New Consensus and Return-to-Investment

Center for Education and Workforce
September 21, 2020
CEW Talent Finance Report

The Talent Finance initiative explores new ways to invest in talent development that keep pace with innovation and advance economic opportunity, inclusion, and competitiveness. In the 21st century economy, jobs—and the skills required to fill those jobs—change rapidly. The Foundation has launched this initiative to catalyze business-led solutions to one of the biggest workforce challenges in America today.

Economic Growth
Education
Innovation
Workforce Training

A Snapshot of Employer Interest in Early Education in Iowa

Nicole Crain, Executive Vice President, Iowa Association of Business and Industry
Early Childhood Education
Economic Growth
Education
K-12 Education
Women
December 17, 2019
Center for Education and Workforce
Iowa Survey on Early Education Needs
© 2019 Getty Images
The current unemployment rate in Iowa is 2.5%, and there are currently 40,000 people on unemployment and 60,000 job openings. As historically low unemployment continues, employers are always looking for opportunities to recruit more workers and also to retain their existing workforce. To solve this challenge, Iowa business leaders have increased wages, offered flexible work environments where possible, and expanded benefits. More recently, one of those benefits is childcare.  

From John Legend to Apprenticeship's John Lennon: A Wrap-up of Talent Forward 2019

Jaimie Francis
Competitiveness
Data
Economic Growth
Education
Innovation
K-12 Education
Postsecondary Education
STEM
Talent Pipeline Management
Workforce Training
Youth Employment
October 25, 2019
Center for Education and Workforce
Talent Forward 2019 Wrap-Up
© Photo by Ian Wagreich / © U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Each year, as the Chamber Foundation hosts the Talent Forward national workforce conference, we focus on talent—educating and training, talent tech and data, recruiting, hiring, and upskilling. With no shortage of talent challenges, the opportunities for informative discussion are endless. While a day devoted to dissecting talent-related topics could focus solely on the problems, Talent Forward is all about the solutions.

Market Failure: Our Childcare System is Broken

Julia Barfield, MPH, MSW
Early Childhood Education
Economic Growth
Education
K-12 Education
Women
September 24, 2019
Center for Education and Workforce
ECE is a Broken System
© 2019 Getty Images
In this country, the early childhood education system is in market failure. In recent years we have seen the greatest federal funding increases for early childhood education in history, and yet those significant investments just barely make a dent to tackle the need. In 2018, NASEM studied “how to fund early care and education for children…that is accessible, affordable to families, and of high quality, including a well-qualified and adequately supported workforce.” The report concluded that a financial windfall of around $54 billion would be required. 

The Mounting Costs of Childcare in Washington State

Center for Education and Workforce
September 19, 2019
Mounting Costs of Childcare in Washington State
To better understand the impact of childcare issues for working parents and the Washington state economy, the Washington State Child Care Collaborative Task Force and partners commissioned a 2019 survey of Washington parents by Elway Research and an economic impact analysis by Eastern Washington University’s Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis.
Early Childhood Education
Economic Growth
Education
K-12 Education

The Win-Win Solution for Early Education Infrastructure Challenges

Julia Barfield, MPH, MSW
Early Childhood Education
Economic Growth
Education
Innovation
K-12 Education
September 5, 2019
Center for Education and Workforce
Twitter Chat: Is Early Ed an Infrastructure Conversation?
On Tuesday, August 27, the Chamber Foundation partnered with Linda Smith of the BPC to host a Twitter chat discussing infrastructure challenges for early childhood education facilities. In a span of 45 minutes, the participants of this chat were able to provide more than one million Twitter accounts with data, research, and case studies arguing for early childhood education to gain a seat at the table where infrastructure conversations are happening. 

Rural Renewal: Using Best Practices to Stay Competitive

Michel Freedman, founder and CEO of Practical Academics
Economic Growth
Talent Pipeline Management
Workforce Training
August 27, 2019
Center for Education and Workforce
Rural Renewal
A core responsibility of a chamber or local economic development agency is to support the economic vitality of the communities they serve. To succeed in that role, it is critical to keep abreast of trends in society to anticipate change and stay ahead. By focusing on building a strong economic foundation for a rural community, that leverages existing resources and tools wherever possible, community leaders can develop a powerful toolkit for courting individuals and business to consider relocating to their towns. 

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