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As business leaders representing every sector of the economy, Business Roundtable members know that the American economy thrives when U.S. workers have the levels of education and training needed to succeed in 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 member survey, 94 percent of CEOs report that skills gaps are problematic for their companies. This talent gap affects all skill levels – from entry level to the highly technical.

More must be done now to strengthen the education and training pipeline serving youth and working adults so that individuals have the skills needed to be prepared to work and build sustainable career paths.

Five community colleges showing the way

Former Secretary of Education Richard Riley and John Engler, president of Business Roundtable, on Monday highlighted five community colleges doing great work for students and employers, as they presented honors for the first-ever Aspen Prize For Community College College Excellence.

STEM Education Pays Off for America and Americans

A new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, “STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics,” shows getting a degree in a STEM field leads to higher earnings, compared to non-STEM fields.

A skills shortage, a STEM response

Recent items that have caught our attention in the world of workforce, skills and education...

In America, STEM education; in Germany, it's MINT

Business Roundtable members place great emphasis on what's called STEM education, that is, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education, as too few U.S. students study these fields. A result, tens of thousands of critical jobs go unfilled for lack of qualified applicants. It turns out German industry experiences the exact same problem, and even has its own catchy acronym, MINT, to describe the areas of study. And yes, tens of thousands of MINT-related jobs are available in Germany, too.

Jobs Council Report Offers Sound Proposals to Improve U.S. Competitiveness, Employment

Established by President Obama in January 2011, the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness is chaired by Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE and a member of Business Roundtable’s Executive Committee.

ExxonMobil CEO to Chair Education, Workforce Policy for Business Roundtable

Business Roundtable (BRT) Chairman Jim McNerney, Chairman, President & CEO of The Boeing Company, announced today the selection of ExxonMobil Chairman & CEO, Rex Tillerson, as chair of BRT’s newly formed Education and Workforce Committee.

Thanks to STEM education, rappelling down the Washington Monument

Talk about the cool things that can happen for science and engineering students: "WASHINGTON—Emma Cardini never envisioned herself rappelling down the sides of buildings. She's a civil engineer, not a thrill-seeker."

STEM education and the connection to jobs

From US News, "Experts: STEM Education Is All About Jobs": One thing was clear at Tuesday's science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education summit hosted by U.S. News—improving science and math educational achievement is about jobs. Lots of them.

Where are growth and competitivness in President's jobs speeches?

In populist speeches promoting his jobs plan, President Obama has made only a passing reference to global competition. It’s a striking omission.

On the pre-speech reading list, history and fracking

When previewing tonight’s presidential address on jobs to the joint session of Congress, The Washington Post’s editors determined the political angle was the most important. Its front page story essays the big picture, “Obama, by pitching jobs plan before Congress, again turns to the Big Speech.” History suggests that’s a risky approach.

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Committee Priorities

Improve U.S. K-12 Education

A persistent complaint by employers is that many high school and college graduates – as well as some adult workers – lack foundational skills needed in the 21st century workplace. These include, for example, analyzing complex texts, adapting to new technologies and problem solving.

Rigorous academic standards in K-12 English language arts and mathematics are critical to ensuring all students graduate from high school ready for college and the workforce. Business Roundtable supports the full adoption and implementation of high-quality education standards and aligned assessments to raise the performance of U.S. students. Business Roundtable also supports policies and programs that ensure all students read on grade level by the end of third grade.

Align Individual Skills with Employer Needs

Businesses increasingly have difficulty finding employees with the knowledge and training required to meet their workforce needs. This includes both technical skills – such as aptitude in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) – and applied skills – such as leadership, problem-solving and communications abilities. This misalignment of skills exacerbates unemployment and stifles economic growth.

Business Roundtable believes a multifaceted solution, involving public and private players, is needed to address this skills mismatch problem. As a start, employers must send a clear, direct “demand signal” of the foundational attributes employees must demonstrate to succeed in the workplace; industry needs to sort out the large and chaotic world of industry credentials; state workforce boards and educational and training centers must understand job needs in each region and focus on helping students acquire the skills needed to fill those jobs; and human resources practices must improve across industry to identify competencies gained through valid credential programs and relevant experience.

Key Federal Legislation

Business Roundtable will continue to advocate for federal legislation that authorizes programs and policies that improve educational outcomes and help close the skills gap, including reauthorization of America COMPETES, the Carl D. Perkins Act and the Higher Education Act.

Committee's Recent Activities

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