By Laura Walling, Senior Director of Government Relations, Goodwill Industries International
Goodwill® recently participated in two events held by the Biden-Harris Administration focusing on workforce development, the Talent Pipleline Challenge event and the Good Jobs Summit.
Talent Pipeline Challenge
On June 17, we attended the Talent Pipeline Challenge event at the White House, hosted by National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice, Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor and American Rescue Plan Coordinator Gene Sperling, and Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. The goal of the challenge is to create and support programs that provide skills training and match workers with in-demand jobs that will be critical to completing infrastructure projects, particularly those being funded by the recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law.
The challenge focuses on working with employers and training providers in broadband, construction, and electrification, including electric vehicle charging stations and battery manufacturing, to ensure there is an inclusive pipeline of workers to fill these jobs. Employers, unions, industry associations and training providers like Goodwill are key partners in this effort. State and local government are encouraged to use funding from the infrastructure law and the American Rescue Plan to invest in opportunities to provide workers with training to support these industries. Partnerships between employers and training providers will help to build a well-trained, highly skilled and diverse workforce, particularly for job seekers who were acutely affected by the pandemic and those who have typically been excluded from hiring and training opportunities, including rural, tribal, and historically underserved communities.
Good Jobs Summit
Following the launch of the challenge, the Department of Labor co-hosted the Good Jobs Summit with the Families and Workers Fund. During the event, Secretary Walsh announced the “Good Jobs Principles,” a coordinated effort with the Department of Commerce to provide employers, workers, federal agencies, state and local governments, and other advocates with a roadmap to advance the goal of quality jobs for all workers. Among the principles is a focus on skills and career advancement. The principle states, “Workers have equitable opportunities and tools to progress to future good jobs within their organizations or outside them. Workers have transparent promotion or advancement opportunities. Workers have access to quality employer- or labor-management-provided training and education.”
The summit also included numerous panel discussions on leveraging federal funding for good jobs with officials from the Departments of Commerce, Energy and Transportation; partnership building among government, labor and private-sector employers; and equity and job equality.
As was aptly stated during the summit, “Talent is developed, not found.”
Goodwill stands ready to partner with the White House Administration, employers, state and local government, and all other stakeholders to help develop America’s talent and provide the holistic supports workers need to succeed. Some experts project that by the fourth quarter of 2025, there will be 872,000 more jobs as a result of infrastructure projects around the country. The implementation of the infrastructure law can be hindered by a lack of skilled workers. Now is the time to prepare.
