This summer, I, along with my colleague Jeran Culina, sat down with more than 130 business leaders (whew – that was a lot of Zoom calls and meetings!) across the country. We spoke to leaders from industries such as manufacturing, construction, and healthcare; this included small and mid-size businesses. We asked them one question: What would it take to build a workforce vision that truly works for businesses and workers alike? We expected to hear about labor shortages, the challenges of finding qualified workers, the looming impact of AI, and how it’s poised to affect their workplace and the people who work there. Those issues came up, of course. But what surprised me the most was how consistently and how vehemently employers told me that they don’t want to sit on the sidelines – that they know the problem inside and out and are ready to help shape the solutions. They just need a clear path to do it.
That was the thread that connected all of our conversations. Throughout my career as an organizer and an advocate, I’ve spent a lot of time making the case that workforce development matters – to policymakers, community leaders, and sometimes even to employers themselves. But in these listening sessions, we heard some businesses convincing us. These leaders already understand the importance of investing in workers, and they want to partner with educators, community organizations, and workforce leaders. They want to help design training programs that lead to good jobs. And they know that the workforce challenges they’re facing – from rapidly evolving skill demands, to the cost of childcare and basic needs, to the availability of affordable training – affect their businesses. One broader theme pointed to something more fundamental: businesses want to play a meaningful role in building the future of workforce.
These conversations are helping shape National Skills Coalition’s A New Promise of Work, a national effort to develop a forward-looking policy framework that treats workforce development as a first-choice investment in people and the economy, not a “second-chance” system. This summer, we will still be out there listening and learning – but already, several themes have emerged from the business leaders that Jeran and I spoke to – and those themes spanned a wide range of industries and types of communities.
One thing came through resoundingly clearly: businesses want to play an active, meaningful role in designing solutions that support businesses and workers. There was one community college that showed us how this could look. Before drafting a single curriculum idea, community college leaders brought local aerospace employers to the table to understand their needs, constraints, and expectations. In response, companies leaned in – offering employees as guest speakers, running mock interviews, and helping evaluate candidates. That early trust building paid off. Employers gained confidence that graduates had a solid foundation to work in the industry, and the college strengthened a partnership that continues to shape a more responsive talent pipeline.
Businesses who described these collaborations as being effective were included as key partners at the very beginning, before decisions were made about what skills to teach and how to teach them. Many told us they wouldn’t mind participating in quarterly meetings or a working group if the group achieved their shared workforce outcomes. What they didn’t want was to be a rubber stamp or be invited midway through the process. That distinction matters. When businesses aren’t engaged in co-creation of a workforce training program, they frequently don’t understand or trust whether a credential or graduate will have the skills they need. But when they help shape the program from the start, they have a stake in the program’s success and a lot more confidence in the workers who come out of it.
A majority of the employers we interviewed are small and medium-sized enterprises who simply don’t have the capacity to develop their own internal training programs to meet all their workforce needs. They know that local training partners are part of the solution, but many do not have the expertise to know where to plug in or who to partner with. That’s why the role of intermediaries came up repeatedly. Businesses told us they want a navigator or intermediary who speaks their language and can connect them with the right partner in the community. Some businesses have already found that connection, and they’ve been proactive by partnering with an intermediary or joining a sector partnership built in collaboration with local community stakeholders. They’re already working with training organizations and higher education to develop curriculum, hire graduates, and build a long-term relationship. But these partnerships take capacity to build and sustain, and many are supported with public investments that provide staffing and capacity.
We heard from many businesses that truly want their employees to thrive. Yet, after speaking to dozens of businesses, a picture of the challenge began to emerge. Smaller employers especially see firsthand how deeply their employees are affected by the high cost of child care, transportation, and housing. They want to offer robust benefits to help their workers, but they are too costly for most small business owners to provide on their own. It can really feel like they’re grasping for solutions. They’re willing to collaborate with other businesses or partner with nonprofits to offer shared solutions — whether that’s pooled childcare options or coordinated responses to housing challenges. Some were willing to contribute resources, but they didn’t all know how to build, sustain, or navigate the partnerships required to make these supports work. What they lack isn’t willingness; it’s expertise. They’re willing to participate in creative public/private programs that offer support to workers. They just need partners to help get the ball rolling.
After more than 130 conversations, one thing is clear to me: businesses want to be part of building what comes next. Some are already finding ways to do that – many others are eager to get involved, and they simply need support to take that first step. We’re not done listening yet! National Skills Coalition is going to continue hearing from businesses, workers, students, and workforce leaders as we co-create a bold vision for workforce development – one that can meet the scale of today’s economic challenges and opportunities.
