Ivanka Trump, All-Star Group Advise Aiding American Workers with 'Unprecedented Investment' in Technology
President Donald J. Trump isn’t the only member of his family fighting to save the economy.
First daughter and senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump is aiding her father’s fight to improve the economy by emphasizing just how vital the American workforce is to economic success.
Ivanka Trump is co-chair of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, which, amid the current health crisis, aims to help “build the technological infrastructure necessary for the future of work.”
Commerce Wilbur Ross is the other co-chair of the board, whose members include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Walmart president and CEO Doug McMillon, and IBM Executive Director Ginni Rometty, along with various other government officials and influential business leaders.
Yesterday, we virtually convened our 5th meeting and are continuing to put our Nation’s greatest asset FIRST – the American worker! ??#PledgetoAmericasWorkers
⬇️⬇️⬇️https://t.co/kyekbjZQDl— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) May 20, 2020
“The nature of work and education is changing – and we must utilize every avenue possible to provide Americans with the most in-demand skills, in new and flexible ways, so that we re-emerge stronger than before,” Ivanka Trump told Fox Business.
“It is essential to connect displaced workers to upskilling and reskilling pathways and ensure they have access to the online tools and distance learning they will need to guide them toward good jobs in rebounding fields as the health crisis abates and the economy begins to recover,” the task force said in a statement.
“In response, immediate and unprecedented investments in American workers and the pathways necessary for them to get back to work are needed to expedite the U.S. economic recovery.”
The board voted Tuesday to adopt a “call-to-action” that aims “to help the millions of workers who need assistance now, and build the resilient and agile workforce of the future powered by skilled American workers.”
Most of the goals and actions that the advisory board suggested involve funding and expanding online educational opportunities.
The idea is that by expanding online training and education, many Americans who might not have otherwise had the chance will be able to gain valuable skills that could allow them to enter the workplace and drastically increase their productivity.
Included in the board’s statement are three goals — “investing in career pathways and implementing skills-based hiring,” “remov[ing] obstacles to the modernization of American education and training” and, most notably, “build[ing] the technological infrastructure necessary for the future of work.”
Several specific actions are also listed in the statement regarding how to achieve the goal of building up the economy’s technological infrastructure.
The first of these proposed actions is to “initiate an unprecedented investment in digital infrastructure.”
“The government and private sector must work collaboratively to deploy a once-in-a-generation infrastructure campaign to provide all Americans with affordable, high-speed access to online healthcare, education, and retail,” the statement said.
Moreover, the board proposes steps to make “education-to-work” opportunities more plentiful, giving more workers the opportunity to learn skills applicable in a variety of industries.
“Such a system will align the skills and competencies needed to effectively connect education-to-work that does not exist today. It will guide learners and workers to available opportunities and provide for lifelong learning and growth,” the statement said.
“The federal government, states, education providers, labor unions, and the private sector all have significant roles in advancing this system, including providing more expansive guidance and flexibilities on data sharing.”
Lastly, the advisory board proposes the development of a student-owned Interoperable Learning Record with the purpose of translating a “worker’s full education, skills-based training, and work experience to a record of transferable skills that will open doors to opportunity.”
“The mission of the board was to help more people come off the sidelines,” Ivanka Trump told Fox.
“Now the challenge is different. It’s reconnecting workers with the workforce.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
