White House Initiative Spotlights Workforce Development Programs

Efforts to boost the U.S.'s skilled employee pipeline received a boost from a new White House executive order that calls on government stakeholders to examine current federal programs and integrate them into a new workforce development roadmap.

The order, issued April 23, gives the secretaries of Labor, Commerce, Education departments 90 days to develop a report "setting forth strategies to help the American worker," text from the directive released by the White House says. 

While initiative is just getting started, the Council has begun engaging with aviation maintenance workforce development and employer stakeholders to assess opportunities. Updates will be provided both throughout the report's development process and once the planned strategy has been put in place.

The order, "Preparing Americans For High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs Of The Future," is one of seven issued under a broad "education" banner.

Among the guidance issued for the worker development strategy report: examine "alternative credentials and assessments to the four-year college degree that can be mapped to the specific skill needs of prospective employers," the order says.

The strategy also should examine ways to "integrate systems and realign resources to address critical workforce needs and in-demand skills of emerging industries," based in part on input from prospective employers.

"It is the policy of the United States to optimize and target federal investments in workforce development to align with our country’s re-industrialization needs and equip American workers to fill the growing demand for skilled trades and other occupations," the order says.

ATEC will update members with any relevant developments.