Closing the Skills Gap

The American economy and Americans thrive when U.S. workers have the levels of education and training needed to fill the jobs of today and tomorrow. Our country needs a world-class, skilled workforce to lead in global innovation, ensure future economic growth and drive job creation.

Unfortunately, the U.S. skills gap is real and growing. According to a Business Roundtable survey, only five percent of companies reported that finding the talent they need was not at least somewhat problematic. Skills gap issues exist across skills categories, and CEOs report that identifying qualified and diverse applicants remains a challenge.

Skills for a Strong Economy

In a national print ad, Business Roundtable members applauded the President’s commitment to industry-driven apprenticeships as a powerful tool to build the skilled workforce prepared for the jobs of the 21st Century and accept the President’s challenge to improve and expand apprenticeship opportunities in the United States.

See the Ad

Work in Progress

Closing the skills gap is a work in progress, but business leaders are moving forward on several fronts to tackle this challenge. Business Roundtable has profiled some of the ways that America’s largest employers are working with academia to increase the pipeline of skilled and diverse workers to join their companies and to upgrade and transform the skills of their current employees.

Read the Profiles

2016 BRT Education & Workforce Survey

BRT surveyed 177 member companies on workforce talent, including the extent to which they can hire employees with specific skills for key occupations.

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Credential Engine

Credential Engine is a non-profit which works to improve transparency in the credentialing marketplace by collecting and developing practical ways to obtain relevant and comparable information about the diverse array of credentials.

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National Network

The National Network of Business and Industry Associations (National Network) works to bridge the "skills gap" by better connecting the worlds of learning and work. The cross-section of business and industry groups helps communicate to learning institutions the skills employers are looking for, as well as help industries and employers adjust their hiring and business practices to focus on the competencies and skills workers have and are developing in today’s evolving economy.

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More Than Leaders. Leadership.

Business Roundtable is an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies working to promote a thriving economy and expanded opportunity for all Americans through sound public policy.

About BRT

Work in Progress

Closing the skills gap is a work in progress, but business leaders are moving forward on several fronts to tackle this challenge. Business Roundtable has profiled some of the ways that America’s largest employers are working with academia to increase the pipeline of skilled and diverse workers to join their companies and to upgrade and transform the skills of their current employees.

Read the Profiles

2016 BRT Education & Workforce Survey

BRT surveyed 177 member companies on workforce talent, including the extent to which they can hire employees with specific skills for key occupations.

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Archived Content

Closing the Skills Gap

Skills for a Strong Economy

Watch: America's Business Leaders on Addressing the Skills Gap