FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 31, 2014
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
202-482-4883
Today,
President Obama signed a federal employer commitment addressing the issue of
long-term unemployment. This commitment follows the Presidential memorandum for
the Secretaries of Commerce, Labor, and Education regarding job-driven training
for workers.
“As a business leader for 27 years, I know firsthand that the talent of our
workers is the fundamental ingredient of a prosperous and dynamic America.
Building a strong and skilled workforce has always been a personal passion for
me, and I commend President Obama for recognizing the need to reassess how the
federal government is investing in workforce training.
Before I became Commerce Secretary, I helped launch Skills for America’s
Future, a national employer-led initiative, and Skills for Chicagoland’s
Future, a local intermediary in Chicago focused
on the long-term unemployed. These two public-private partnerships align
employer needs with training to prepare our workers for positions that are
available now, and set them on a real career path.
I witnessed how successful collaboration among the business community, local
government, community colleges, training institutions and the unemployed can
shrink the skills gap and stimulate the economy,” said U.S. Secretary of
Commerce Penny Pritzker.
“Millions of
Americans remain underemployed or unemployed despite there being 4 million open
jobs in this country, which is why I have made skills a major focus, a first
for the Commerce Department. Ensuring we have a talented and skilled workforce is
a major pillar of the Department’s ‘Open for Business Agenda,’ and I will do my
part as Commerce Secretary to ensure that we give workers all the tools and
training they need to make them competitive in a global marketplace.
I look forward to working with the President, Vice President, Labor Secretary
Perez and Education Secretary Duncan to find concrete, collaborative solutions
to make the workforce and training system more job-driven, integrated and
effective.”
