Training for the Jobs of Tomorrow

A new White House initiative will tackle the challenges technology poses to the workforce.

The assembly line, energy plant and retail store have changed dramatically in the past 25 years—and the jobs have, too. Nearly 1 in 5 working Americans has a job that didn’t exist in 1980, many in technology, the fastest-growing segment across all industries. Such rapid change is one reason 6.6 million U.S. jobs are currently unfilled.

Many of these jobs require skills training, but not a college degree. Yet for too long, both the public and the private sectors have failed to develop innovative and effective training programs. With a new initiative we are launching Thursday, that will change.

With more companies expanding, hiring and raising wages, it is time to deliver better workforce training so that all Americans have the chance to move into better jobs and earn bigger paychecks. Already this administration has taken action to expand apprenticeships, increase access to STEM education for K-12 students, and help 11 million students and workers by working with Congress to pass an improved Perkins Career and Technical Education bill. On Thursday the president will sign an executive order to prioritize and expand workforce development so that we can create and fill American jobs with American workers.

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This op-ed appeared in The Wall Street Journal on July 17, 2018. 

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