The need to improve and strengthen effective job-skills training to help U.S. workers be more competitive has been a hot topic for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) of late.
A recent post in the Work in Progress (co-authored by Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker) discussed a joint office visit to the Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) campus to hear from key employer and training stakeholders about “the importance of skills training as both a workforce development and an economic development imperative.”
AACC has helped to coordinate efforts of numerous workforce entities to develop certificate programs aimed at arming workers with the training they will need to enter region-specific high-volume job openings.
These continued efforts on behalf of the workforce are an endeavor that KRA Corporation applauds. AACC’s initiatives in helping to further the scope of workforce development and creating opportunities to aid workers in entering into the workforce with the requisite skill set, is vital to future successes.
The burgeoning need to adopt new ideas and to look at potential alternatives to solving workforce issues is something that KRA Corporation recently highlighted in a post. It explores the opinions of two different viewpoints regarding the necessity for increased efforts by government and/or employers to start providing the type of training that will better allow employees to succeed while ensuring their companies’ successes.
The co-authored article mirrors this call to action, positing that greater involvement by business and industry is needed. It argues that employers should begin to bear the burden of skills development, too, stating: “Because a skilled workforce directly impacts our ability to keep the economy growing and businesses strong, we need employers to be actively involved in skills development.”
The article calls for increased collaboration in skill development to speed up the ability to adapt to changing needs—a factor that suits both the employer’s and the employee’s better purposes—and increases the chance for each party’s future success. Indeed, the article talked about the growing need for cooperation and joint initiatives between different federal departments to ensure that “every American has the skills needed to succeed in the workforce.”
KRA Corporation appreciates the foresight shown by the Laor and Commerce Departments in recognizing the need for skill development and their willingness to utilize resources to keep development progressing into the future as well as aiding workers to be competitive in a changing workforce environment.
With more than 30 years’ experience in developing and implementing programs and initiatives, KRA Corporation understands the breadth and scale of the work and effort that goes into creating new opportunities. It is why we appreciate both the energy and the importance of these programs. We hope for the successful implementation of these strategies and look forward to them improving the lives of individuals and strengthening the communities in which we live.
Dr. Boone’s 20+ years’ experience in the industry is extensive and her expertise in private-, public-, and non-profit sector workforce-services organizations is unparalleled, particularly in the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan area.
