Workforce Training

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.

Read more about Bridging the Gaps in Manufacturing

U.S. Chamber Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation Partner to Bring TPM Academies to Tennessee, Michigan, and Kentucky

March 22, 2018

Shelley Osborne, Head of L&D, Udemy

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation announced today the next phase of the Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) initiative, the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s signature workforce development initiative. With a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the U.S. Chamber Foundation is leading the efforts on statewide TPM Academies. Michigan, Tennessee, and Kentucky have been selected to host these programs. Over the past four years, the TPM Academy has grown into a community of over 300 employers across 21 states.

Read more about U.S. Chamber Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation Partner to Bring TPM Academies to Tennessee, Michigan, and Kentucky

Making the Business Case for a Learning Culture

April 17, 2018

Forward-thinking companies are adapting the way they operate to remain competitive in a fast-moving, tech-driven modern business environment. It follows that the smartest ones are also rethinking how they prioritize learning and development in this age of continuous reskilling. Far from being a “nice to have” perk, giving employees learning opportunities is a key differentiator that attracts high-value talent and enables their best work, which is something every company executive can get behind.

Read more about Making the Business Case for a Learning Culture

A Glimpse Into Financial Wellness as an NFL Player

Lenard Tillery

Economic Empowerment

Corporate Citizenship Center

March 15, 2018

Financial Wellness is a real problem in the workplace that many companies are not tackling head on. Financial stress can cause a variety of issues for an employee that often accompanies them in their jobs.

Read more about A Glimpse Into Financial Wellness as an NFL Player

Different Skills, Different Gaps: Measuring and Closing the Skills Gap

March 14, 2018

In Different Skills, Different Gaps: Measuring and Closing the Skills Gap, prepared for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation by Burning Glass Technologies, we examine the skills gap on an occupation-by occupation basis. This is the best way to both understand the gap, and to close it. An overall surplus of workers doesn’t offer much insight into the challenges of a specific industry looking to fill specific roles requiring specific skills.

Read more about Different Skills, Different Gaps: Measuring and Closing the Skills Gap

U.S. Chamber Foundation, NAM’s Manufacturing Institute Release New Paper Outlining Employer-Led Opportunities for Workforce Development

K-12 Education

Youth Employment

March 12, 2018

Cathi Canfield, EmployBridge

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the National Association of Manufacturers’ Manufacturing Institute today released a new paper advancing a solution for increased employer leadership and investment in earn and learn pathways, including apprenticeships, internship programs, vocational education, and on-the-job training. The paper, entitled “Quality Pathways: Employer Leadership in Earn and Learn Opportunities,” highlights the importance of employer leadership in developing a growing workforce that meets the needs of a modernizing United States economy.

Read more about U.S. Chamber Foundation, NAM’s Manufacturing Institute Release New Paper Outlining Employer-Led Opportunities for Workforce Development

Can Next Gen Staffing Agencies Close the Skills Gap?

Frank Britt, Penn Foster

March 27, 2018

Next Gen Staffing Closing the Skills Gap

Through its partnership with Penn Foster, EmployBridge, who puts more than 88,000 associates to work each day through professional brands including Select Staffing, ProLogistix, and Resource MFG, is doing more than connecting supply with demand. Together, they’re pioneering an entirely new approach to investing in talent with the potential to address pressing skills gaps -- while creating new career pathways for job-seekers. It’s a model that we may soon see replicated. Other staffing agencies -- in industries as varied as IT to construction to healthcare -- are exploring or have launched similar programs.

Read more about Can Next Gen Staffing Agencies Close the Skills Gap?

More Signal, Less Noise: An Emerging Role for Digital Credentials in Hiring

Youth Employment

March 13, 2018

Shelley Osborne, Head of L&D, Udemy

Closing the communications gap requires investments on both sides of the equation. Employers and education providers must work together to ensure the signals are accurate, clear, and verifiable. As the use of digital credentials expands, job seekers will gain unprecedented insight into the link between what they learn and the sort of employment opportunities that exist in their community -- or around the country. And for employers, the improved signal-to-noise ratio means a higher percentage of qualified applicants for each job opening, and improved ability of hiring managers to identify the best candidates for their position.

Read more about More Signal, Less Noise: An Emerging Role for Digital Credentials in Hiring

Making Over L&D to Serve a Fast-Changing Workplace

March 7, 2018

Philip Hardin, CEO and Co-Founder, YouScience

Technology has transformed a lot of the things we do at work, but learning and development (L&D) has mostly stuck with the status quo. To attract and retain necessary talent, employers would be wise to nurture a learning culture and revisit their L&D strategy to make learning a strategic asset.

Read more about Making Over L&D to Serve a Fast-Changing Workplace

America Has Talent: Leveraging Aptitudes to Build a Stronger Workforce

Early Childhood Education

K-12 Education

Youth Employment

March 20, 2018