A White House advisory panel on Tuesday will call for the government and private industry to work together to build new technological infrastructure to support future jobs and provide the underpinnings critical to a solid economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reports, citing “an official briefed on the plans.”
The White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, which is co-chaired by White House adviser Ivanka Trump and U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and includes Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, Lockheed Martin Chief Executive Marillyn Hewson and IBM Executive Chairman Ginni Rometty, plans to call for “an unprecedented investment in digital infrastructure.”
The board’s efforts are aimed at helping connect displaced workers with pathways to upgrade their skills and learn new skills so they can move into “good jobs in rebounding fields as the health crisis abates and the economy begins to recover,” according to a White House official briefed on the plan.
The board wants governments “to streamline occupational licensing, education requirements, reduce the cost of licensing, and increase reciprocity” and urges the federal government to “allow student financial aid for high-quality, short-term, market-aligned credential programs.”
In a statement, Ross said the advisory board’s meeting comes at a “challenging” time, but expressed confidence the president’s policies will lead to a rapid rebound. Ivanka Trump said in a separate statement the board will work to find “solutions to combat the job loss caused by this pandemic and help the unemployed get reconnected to the workforce.”
MacDailyNews Note: Pursuant to Executive Order 13845, “Establishing the President’s National Council for the American Worker,” the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board is tasked with providing advice and recommendations to the interagency National Council for the American Worker on ways to encourage the private sector and educational institutions to combat the skills crisis by investing in and increasing demand-driven education, training, and re-training, including training through apprenticeships and work-based learning opportunities.
Members:
Ivanka Trump: Advisor to the President, White House (co-chair)
Wilbur Ross: Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce (co-chair)
Tim Cook: CEO, Apple
Jay Box: President, Kentucky Community and Technical College System
Walter Bumphus: President & CEO, American Association of Community Colleges
Jim Clark: CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Tom Donohue: CEO, US Chamber of Commerce
Marillyn Hewson: CEO, Lockheed Martin
Eric Holcomb: Governor, Indiana
Barbara Humpton: CEO, Siemens USA
Al Kelly: Chairman and CEO, Visa
Vi Lyles: Mayor, Charlotte North Carolina
Sean McGarvey: President, North America’s Building and Trades Unions
Doug McMillon: President and CEO, Walmart
Craig Menear: Chairman & CEO, Home Depot
Michael Piwowar: Executive Director, Milken Institute
Scott Pulsipher: President, Western Governors University
Kim Reynolds: Governor, Iowa
Ginni Rometty: CEO, IBM
Scott Sanders: Executive Director, National Association of State Workforce Agencies
Julie Sweet: CEO, Accenture
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.: President & CEO, SHRM – Society for Human Resource Management
Sebastian Thrun: Founder, President, and Executive Chairman, Udacity
Jay Timmons: CEO, National Association of Manufacturers
Sheree Utash: President, WSU Tech
Marianne Wanamaker: Professor, University of Tennessee
