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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.

National Prosperity Depends on Closing Widening Gap between Workers’ Skills and Employee Needs

Today, Business Roundtable issued final recommendations from The Springboard Project – an independent commission it convened – to ensure that American workers thrive after the economy rebounds.

Counting the Hidden Assets

Throughout much of the 20th century, our nation’s publicly funded two-year colleges have opened the door of economic opportunity to a broad base of students while serving local business as a cost-effective and responsive resource for workforce development. In today’s competitive global economy, that relationship continues to thrive: Currently, 1,152 two-year public colleges in the United States serve 6,596,356 students in for-credit programs plus an estimated 5,000,000 students in noncredit continuing education.

Getting Ahead — Staying Ahead - Executive Summary

The recession, soaring unemployment and underemployment, and the reset of the global economy are throwing longstanding U.S. problems with education and training into high relief. Our low high school graduation rates, poor college completion rates and overall inadequate levels of education will cause us to fall far short of meeting demand for more skilled workers and will place a premium on workers who are willing to keep learning to meet emerging needs.

Tapping America’s Potential

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama:

As leaders of national business organizations in the Tapping America’s Potential (TAP) coalition, we share your call for a renewed commitment to improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States. This is a top priority for the TAP coalition and each of our organizations.

Business Leaders Renew Commitment to Improving Math and Science Education in the United States

Today Tapping America’s Potential (TAP), a coalition of the nation’s leading business organizations, announced renewed commitments to improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States. In a letter sent to Pre

Business Roundtable Statement on Race to the Top Final Application Criteria

Business Roundtable’s members were pleased today to see the announcement of final application criteria for the $4 billion in Race to the Top funding competition. The President’s continued emphasis on improving American education could not come at a more

New Survey Reveals Obstacles to Training and Education are Threatening U.S. Competitiveness

A new survey released today reveals that the United States is at risk of losing its competitive edge and American workers’ economic potential by not addressing business’ growing demand for a better educated and better trained workforce.

American Worker Survey Telebriefing

Lifelong Learning: An Essential Factor in Workforce Success and Global Competitiveness
Findings from the American Worker and American Employer Surveys commissioned by Business Roundtable’s Springboard Project

Business Roundtable Statement on President Obama's Announcement on Race to the Top Funding

Business Roundtable applauds the strategy announced today by President Obama to offer competitive funding to states that act innovatively to improve student achievement.

Statement on President Obama’s Announcement on Job Training and Community Colleges

Business Roundtable commends President Obama for underscoring the importance of ongoing job training in keeping America’s workforce competitive in the global marketplace.

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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.

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