Research on education and skills levels of employees and jobs available in the future is clear. Recent projections by The Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce indicate, by 2018, the economy will experience 47 million job openings, two-thirds of which will require some postsecondary education or training. Predictions indicate that there will not be enough people qualified to fill three million of these jobs, jobs which require at least a two-year associate’s degree.
Publications and Toolkits
Workforce Readiness
Business and Community College Partnerships: A Blueprint
Corporate Voices and Its Partner Companies Featured at White House Event Launching Summer Jobs Plus Initiative
Washington, D.C. (January 5, 2012) - “Corporate Voices for Working Families supports the Obama administration in launching the Summer Jobs Plus initiative, which recognizes that there are a number of ways that employers can provide pathways to success for our nation’s low-income young adults, including Life Skills, Work Skills and Learn and Earn initiatives along with summer jobs,” said Stephen M. Wing, a leading authority on workforce development who represented Corporate Voices at the White House event today.
Business-Community Partnerships Provide Skilled Talent for Employers and Broader Horizons for American Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 15, 2011) – Corporate Voices for Working Families has released four new micro-business cases documenting the considerable benefits gained when employers, community colleges, and community organizations forge close partnerships to support working Americans. Model efforts like these are helping supply employers with the skilled talent they need, while creating promising career opportunities for Americans who urgently need them in a changing and challenging 21st-century economy.
Why Companies Invest in “Grow Your Own” Talent Development Models
In this report, Corporate Voices for Working Families investigates why some companies invest significantly in workforce readiness for their lower-skilled and entry-level workers. Extensive research in the field demonstrates that when companies support education and training, they generally invest more heavily in management programs and industry specific training than in shoring up the basic skills of their newest employees.
Gap Inc.: This Way Ahead
Gap Inc.'s This Way Ahead initiative provides low income young people with opportunities for skill deveopment and career exploration. This program enables youth to see brighter futures, while providing Gap Inc. employees with meaningful deveopment opportunities, deeper connections with co-workers, and increased loyalty to Gap Inc.
Investing in a Skilled Workforce: Employers Enjoy Real and Lasting Returns
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 6, 2011)—As business leaders and politicians alike lament the skills gap that has slowed America’s economic recovery, employers who embrace training for their current workers are finding promising results and an impressive return on their investment.
Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC: Online Education Program Helps Meet Industry Excellence Benchmark Through Credentialing
Bright Horizons provides a blended e-training program to help teachers acquire their Child Development Associate credential, professionalizing the field of early education and achieving greater center accreditation, the industry standard of excellence.
Corporate Voices to Participate in Opportunity Nation Summit
Will Highlight the Economic and Opportunity Imperative of Closing the Education and Skills Gap
AREVA: Nuclear Energy Supplier Creates Critical Talent Pipeline
AREVA, in partnership with Central Virginia Community College, hires high school graduates and provides them the opportunity to earn an associate degree, creating a pipeline of skilled and educated workers and ensuring AREVA is an employer of choice in the central Virginia region.
Corporate Voices Supports STEM Summit 2012
Washington, D.C. (October 18, 2011) — U.S. News & World Report together with Innovate + Educate, STEMconnector™, and over 40 key organizations representing industry and education, will hold a major national event to focus policymakers and the public on the critical shortage of STEM skills in the American workforce.