The chief executives of Apple Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Walmart Inc., are among 25 prominent Americans who will shape Trump administration efforts to develop job training programs to meet the changing demands of U.S. employers.
The creation of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, announced by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and President Donald Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump on Wednesday, will work with the National Council for the American Worker established last July by an executive order.
Ivanka Trump, in a statement, said the board will “ensure inclusive growth” and that the administration wants all Americans “to have the skills and opportunity to secure good paying jobs and successfully navigate technological disruptions and the rapidly changing nature of work.”
The board is being established at a time when there are 7.3 million job openings and a gap between skills of those seeking to enter the workforce possess and those sought by employers, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the plans before an official announcement. Board members’ terms will run until July 2020.
The White House said 200 companies and associations have signed the administration’s Pledge to America’s Workers, promising to create more than 6.5 million education, training and skill-building opportunities over the next five years.
“The top priority for companies competing in the digital economy has to be investing in people,” said Barbara Humpton, the chief executive officer of Siemens USA, a member of the board.
The board will be asked to help the council develop a national campaign to promote education and training, recommend ways to improve labor market data, increase private sector investments in job learning and better identify companies’ needs in hiring.
“Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence will change the way every job is done,” said IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, who is on the board. “I look forward to finding new ways for all Americans to participate in this digital era by building the job skills that are already in demand in our economy.”
The board’s members are:
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
Tim Cook, CEO, Apple Inc.
Tom Donohue, CEO, US Chamber of Commerce
Juanita Duggan, President & CEO, National Federation for Independent Business
Elizabeth Goettl, President & CEO, Cristo Rey Network
Marillyn Hewson, Chairman, President & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corp.
Eric Holcomb, Governor, Indiana
Barbara Humpton, CEO, Siemens Corp. USA
Al Kelly, CEO, Visa Inc.
Vi Lyles, Mayor, Charlotte North Carolina
Bill McDermott, CEO, SAP SE
Sean McGarvey, President, North America’s Building and Trades Unions
Doug McMillon, President & CEO, Walmart Inc.
Craig Menear, Chairman, President & CEO, Home Depot Inc.
Michael Piwowar, Executive Director, Milken Institute
Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University
Kim Reynolds, Governor, Iowa
Ginni Rometty, Chairman, President & CEO, IBM Corp.
Scott Sanders, Executive Director, National Association of State Workforce Agencies
Johnny Taylor, CEO, Society for Human Resource Management
Jay Timmons, President & CEO, National Association of Manufacturers
Sheree Utash, President, Wichita State University Tech
Marianne Wanamaker, Professor, University of Tennessee
By Margaret Talev/Bloomberg
Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
