Trump admin launches workforce advisory board

The board will address, in part, the gap between skills of those seeking to enter the workforce and those sought by employers.

Ivanka Trump says 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.” (Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)

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 last week, will work with the National Council for the American Worker established last July by an executive order.

Related: Employee skills gap threatens America’s economic growth

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:

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