Washington, D.C. — National Skills Coalition (NSC) and Business Leaders United for Workforce Partnerships (BLU) has convened a group of more than 60 business leaders, labor leaders, community college leaders, and industry training providers to serve on four industry recovery panels that will advise the Biden administration and Congress on federal recovery policies in the coming months.
Different industries have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic in different ways. The goal of the industry recovery panels is to ensure that federal recovery initiatives include investments in job training and support services that workers and businesses need to adapt to the structural shifts within their industries.
“We want to ensure that federal recovery efforts support the businesses and workers most impacted by the pandemic, particularly workers of color, women, and workers with a high school degree or less,” said Andy Van Kleunen, CEO of National Skills Coalition. “We know that skills training alone will not ensure an inclusive recovery, but we also know that it must be part of our nation’s federal policy response. If we want those policies to succeed, industry leaders must help shape them.”
NSC and BLU has convened four recovery panels for the following industries: Healthcare, Manufacturing, Infrastructure, and Retail/Hospitality. The four panels will release their recommendations in the coming months.
Participants in the Healthcare Recovery Panel will share recommendations on the Biden administration’s caregiving workforce initiative and related policies through meetings with officials at the Department of Health and Human Services and Congressional leadership.
“We need a national commitment to create opportunity and invest in a credentialed workforce to meet the demands of the current crisis and be ready for the future of care,” said Van Ton-Quinlivan, CEO of Futuro Health, member of NSC’s Board of Directors, and participant in the Healthcare Recovery Panel. “Healthcare jobs, which includes medical assistants, health IT specialists, and lab workers, are the backbone of equitable healthcare across communities.”
Participants in the Manufacturing Recovery Panel will share recommendations on the Biden administration’s “Made in All of America” initiative and related policies through meetings with the Department of Commerce and Congressional leadership.
“It is promising that President Biden has established a rebirth of American manufacturing as an administration priority – the key is to ensure meaningful action is taken to deliver on those priorities,” said Scott Paul, President of Alliance for American Manufacturing, Chair of NSC’s Board of Directors, and a participant in the Manufacturing Recovery Panel. “I look forward to joining other industry leaders in conversations with Biden administration officials about the need for robust public investments in training for infrastructure and clean energy to support workers and grow American manufacturing jobs. This is about securing a solid foundation for lasting job growth and sustainability for generations to come.”
Participants in the Infrastructure Recovery Panel will share recommendations on the Biden administration’s “Build Back Better” initiative and other major infrastructure proposals through meetings with White House advisers, the Departments of Energy and Transportation, and Congressional leadership.
Finally, as two of the hardest hit industries from COVID-19, industry experts in the Retail/Hospitality Recovery panel will develop recommendations to inform the Biden administration’s recovery taskforce. They will meet with White House advisers, Department of Labor, and Congressional leadership.
“JPMorgan Chase is committed to helping students and workers, including our own employees, prepare for the future,” said Sarah Steinberg, Vice President, Global Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase & Co. “Under our $350M philanthropic commitment, we are supporting critical organizations like the National Skills Coalition to organize employers and advise on how workforce and education systems can better meet the needs of workers and businesses.”
The Industry Recovery Panel initiative is supported in part by Walmart, JPMorgan Chase, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and Microsoft.
