K-12 Education

November 7, 2019

Workforce Challenges Solved with Early Reading as a Priority

The 2019 Nation’s Report Card, released last week, showed alarming drops in reading and disappointingly middling results in math. This has huge implications for our nation’s future workforce and heartbreaking consequences for families across the country who are trusting our public education system for the most basic of learning goals.

Cheryl Oldham

Competitiveness

Twitter Chat: Early Education Messaging

Join us at #LetsChatECE to discuss the most effective language for building successful partnerships that last, some terminology tips, data to support the most common and compelling cases for why businesses should engage in early childhood education conversations, and some case studies that provide real-world examples of partnerships gone right.

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

Talent Pipeline Management

October 25, 2019

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.

Postsecondary Education

STEM

Workforce Training

Youth Employment

Market Failure: Our Childcare System is Broken

September 24, 2019

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

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.

Economic Growth

Report Shows Economic Impact of a Lack of Affordable Childcare in Washington State

Jason Hagey, vice president of communications, AWB

September 19, 2019

The lack of access to affordable, high-quality childcare isn’t just a problem for families. A new report found that it’s costing Washington businesses more than $2 billion per year in employee turnover or missed work, and the total cost to the state economy tops more than $6.5 billion per year.

Early Childhood Education Oregon Roadshow

The U.S. Chamber Foundation Center for Education and Workforce senior manager of policy and programs Julia Barfield will keynote a roadshow of events with Oregon chambers of commerce highlighting the positive economic impacts of investment in early childhood education, as well as the unique challenges facing the business community in Oregon. This roadshow will preview U.S. Chamber Foundation reports scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2020 that will outline the economic impacts of childcare breakdowns on families, communities, and businesses for Oregon and three other U.S. states.

The Win-Win Solution for Early Education Infrastructure Challenges

September 5, 2019

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.

Looking at Aptitudes Over Interests to Drive Career Pathways

Amy Lancaster-King, Director of Workforce Development, Metro Atlanta Chamber

August 29, 2019

Atlanta’s economy is growing rapidly. In 2018, employers created 58,400 new jobs, and the workforce increased by 2.8 percent. Demand for new employees also jumped, with more than half a million job openings in the metro area – nearly 10 percent more than 2017. But despite this tremendous opportunity, like other growing areas, the Atlanta region is competing for talent at home and abroad to ensure economic prosperity and competitiveness in the years ahead.

Postsecondary Education

8 Principles to Build a Strong Foundation for STEM Pathways

Shawn Hardina, Owner and Chief Change Fanatic, Innovation Tech, LLC

July 24, 2019

Successful career pathways are created through deep and meaningful coalitions of organizations. These coalitions bring education, community members, and business leaders together with a shared dedication to meeting society's biggest challenges in a responsible, sustainable, and profitable way. They blur the lines between formal education, community service, workforce development, and economic development.