Recap: Business Roundtable CEO Workforce Forum

In case you missed it, Business Roundtable recently hosted its CEO Workforce Forum focused on “Investing in U.S. Workers” at the Capital Turnaround. During the half-day convening, leading CEOs participated in a series of in-depth conversations about how large employers are creating new pathways for workers, including expanding opportunities in skilled trades and manufacturing.

The event kicked off with opening remarks by Chris Kastner, President and CEO of HII, and Chair of the Business Roundtable Education and Workforce Committee, followed by four CEO panel discussions.

• Kastner: “Don’t doubt the toughness and the desire of the American worker. It’s our job to give them the tools they need to achieve their dreams: education, training and a chance to be successful. When we invest in our talent and get it right, the impact is powerful for workers, companies and communities.”

On Building America’s Manufacturing Sector for the Future

Photo: Peggy Collins, Washington Bureau Chief and Executive Editor, Bloomberg News (moderator), Blake Moret, Sara Armbruster and Peter J. Davoren

• Blake Moret, Chairman and CEO, Rockwell Automation: “There’s hundreds of thousands of returning service people every year, and there’s hundreds of thousands of unfilled manufacturing jobs in America. We’re helping to make a match.”
• Peter J. Davoren, Chairman and CEO, Turner Construction Company: “We need to change the paradigm. What’s a student going to do when they graduate from high school? Well, the answer for many is, ‘Go to college.’ But maybe we need to change our thinking and encourage students to consider learning a trade, such as becoming an electrician and earning a six-figure salary.”
• Sara Armbruster, President and CEO, Steelcase Inc.: “Tax incentives for employers that continue to invest in training are critical. I think especially in a manufacturing environment, the shelf life today of a skill … is shorter than ever. So, it can’t just be you train the person and then they're set for their career. I think learning and education has to be an ongoing part of someone’s career to help them be successful and to help us as the employer be successful.”

On How America’s Industrial Base Is Powered by Skilled Workers

Photo: Kevin O’Connor, Host, “This Old House” (moderator), Marvin Ellison, David Gitlin and Calvin Butler

• David Gitlin, Chairman and CEO, Carrier Global Corporation: “We have a significant gap in qualified skilled professionals, and it’s only going to become more significant because the demand for skilled professionals is just going to increase. … To see the business community coming together as one to make it more attractive, to honor, to reward, to recognize our skilled professionals … They’re the heartbeat of the country.”
• Marvin Ellison, Chairman and CEO, Lowe’s: “We’re fortunate that the BRT has raised this to a level of urgency, and [Dave] and I are honored to co-chair this strategic initiative on the skilled labor workforce. We’re going to be working with leaders like Calvin and other CEOs and businesses to continue to raise the level of education, change the perception and … really make a dent in this.”
• Calvin Butler, President and CEO, Exelon Corporation: “We're a big believer as your host utility that we're part of the economic engines of those cities. How do we encourage those that live in those communities to work for us? ... We had to start in the high school level, letting these young men and women know that there’s opportunities at our place, because no one was talking to them.”

On Creating Opportunity Across Industries

Photo: Nick Timiraos, Chief Economics Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal (moderator), Kathy Warden and Jamie Dimon

• Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorganChase: “Business, education and government working together is essential to help people develop the skills and credentials needed to align with high-demand, well-paying jobs. While we’re making progress, there is still much more to be done. We have to do this city by city, state by state, school by school … it has to be an ongoing effort.”
• Kathy J. Warden, Chair, CEO and President, Northrop Grumman Corporation: “We actually are reducing the overall cost of manufacturing an airplane, just by investing upfront in training programs and relaxing the requirements for individuals to come in. This opens the aperture to more people being able to join the workforce. … Business needs to lead in ensuring that we have talent pipelines that are sustainable for the future, and that we cannot do that alone.”

On the Promise of Public-Private Partnerships for American Workers

Photo: Kristen Silverberg, President and COO, Business Roundtable (moderator), Keith Sonderling and Julie Sweet

• Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO, Accenture: “Accenture’s Cybersecurity apprentices in Washington, DC’s Ward 8 receive three months of intensive training, then spend nine months working on Accenture projects with the expectation that they will all be offered a job at the end. Our businesses thrive when the communities around us thrive.”
• Keith Sonderling, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor: “That’s going to be a public-private partnership that we all need — where you need to tell us where those jobs are going, and then we could use that executive order to fund the states, fund education institutions on those skills so you have those skills you need so the workers are ready to go.”

Business Roundtable Chair Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO of Cisco, closed out the event with keynote remarks.

• Robbins: “Since 1997, Cisco Networking Academy has proven that corporate education programs work: 2.6 million [U.S.] students trained, 93% job success rate, 300,000 students currently enrolled. That’s the power of corporate education partnerships. The future workforce is being built today. … It’s so important for us to do this right for the American economy, for our global competitiveness and for us to maintain our leadership around the world.”

Learn more about Business Roundtable’s Corporate Initiatives focused on workforce development here.