WASHINGTON D.C. – In response to the results of the 2025 election, Robert Espinoza, CEO of National Skills Coalition, released the following statement:
“During the last several months leading up to the election, we heard candidates from both sides of the aisle, at the federal and state level, discuss the importance of skills training and creating more opportunities for workers and local businesses to succeed. Our own polling at National Skills Coalition, released this May at our Skills Summit in DC, reinforces the widespread bipartisan appeal of these issues, with 8 in 10 voters supporting increasing government funding for skills training in America.
“Now, the results of this election have made at least one idea resoundingly clear: the realities of working people and families remain top-of-mind for voters and for the future of our country. Addressing their needs will demand stronger policies that reshape our workforce and education systems.
“Millions of working people are seeking more opportunities to adapt to an evolving economy, yet our workforce and education systems fall short of providing everyone with an equal chance to achieve their career goals. In this context, National Skills Coalition remains steadfast in our commitment to advocate for policies that ensure every person in America has access to affordable skills training, career pathways to quality jobs, and supportive services like child care, long-term care, and transportation that make it possible for them to thrive in their jobs.
“We will advocate for policies that form industry partnerships, bolster data to ensure fair outcomes, and recognize high-quality, non-degree credentials—policy solutions that are more necessary than ever.
“We also know what’s on the line over the next few years. In our diverse, multiracial country, where people of color will make up over half of the workforce by 2030, we must design workforce policies that remove the barriers that have historically excluded too many working people, especially people of color and women. Providing true opportunity means more than equal treatment—it requires us to invest in resources and solutions tailored to communities that have faced a long history of differential treatment and injustice, from one generation to the next.
“We envision a future where every person in America is guaranteed access to valuable skills training, good jobs, and economic prosperity —and we will fight for this vision until it’s realized.”
