Washington (Nov. 5, 2008) – Corporate Voices for Working Families has urged the incoming Obama administration to focus on helping at-risk young people succeed in school and on the job as part of its agenda to strengthen America’s economy and enhance global competitiveness.
In a letter sent today to John Podesta, the former White House chief of staff who is heading the transition team for President-elect Barack Obama, Donna Klein, president and founder of Corporate Voices for Working Families, said: “Congratulations on the successful campaign and victory of President-elect Barack Obama. We know his first priority will be to strengthen our economy. And linked to our economic prosperity and competitiveness is our commitment to ensuring that our young people succeed in school and on the job. Without educational opportunities and career paths for our young people – many now at risk of not succeeding – our nation’s businesses cannot compete globally.”
“While we recognize that the Obama administration will make solving the serious high school dropout problem a priority, we cannot ignore the more than 4.3 million disconnected young people who have already been failed by our existing education and workforce systems,” Klein said. “We encourage the Obama administration to commit to creating alternative career pathways for disconnected youth as part of the economic stimulus agenda.”
Corporate Voices for Working Families represents the collective voice of approximately 50 companies that are deeply concerned about issues affecting working families.
“One area of particular challenge is that far too many young people lack the skills they need to make successful transitions to school, work and life,” Klein said. “These workforce readiness gaps translate directly into entry-level talent gaps for employers, and impact business competitiveness in a global economy.”
As a resource to help the incoming administration, members of Congress and others set the public policy agenda necessary to strengthen the economy and improve the lives of young people who are at risk, Corporate Voices has prepared a comprehensive position paper, Strengthening America’s Economic Competitiveness: Public Policy Strategies to Improve Workforce Readiness.
The public policy background, recommendations and strategies are organized into four areas:
• Increasing and Broadening Learning Opportunities
• Creating Alternative Pathways to Work
• Valuing Higher Education and Lifelong Learning
• Improving Coordination of Programs for Disconnected Youth
A copy of the public policy paper is available on the Corporate Voices for Working Families website at www.cvworkingfamilies.org.
About Corporate Voices for Working Families
Corporate Voices for Working Families, with offices in Washington, D.C., is the leading national business membership organization representing the private sector on public policy issues involving working families. We aim to improve the lives of working families and the competitiveness of American businesses. Our Web site: www.cvworkingfamilies.org. Our blog: www.corporatevoices.wordpress.com.
