President Trump’s Pledge to American Workers

K1FO goes on to say, “This high-energy growth environment presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is that companies must find more workers with specific skill sets to fill an increasing number of open jobs. The opportunity is that with more affordable, relevant training, many American workers will now have the chance to move into better jobs that deliver bigger paychecks.”

As another step in his effort to fulfill his pledge to make America great again the President’s National Council for the American Worker was established by President Trump in 2018.  This council soon launched its flagship program Pledge to America’s Workers.  This is a program designed to lead the way in inspiring American entrepreneurs and educators toward the goal of training and equipping people with the 21^st Century skills they need to succeed and that our economy needs to excel.

By July the program signed on more than 20 companies and business groups.  The leaders of these various enterprises committed to hire or train more than 3.8 million workers over the next five years.  By 2019, just one year later, over 300 companies and organizations have taken the pledge.  Over the next five years this will produce a total to over 12 million new training opportunities for students and workers.

What prompted the President to move in this direction is the well-known skills gap in today’s labor force.  In an America recovering its manufacturing base with a booming construction industry, and a consumer market following the stock market through the roof employers are having a hard time finding qualified people to fill their rapidly rising number of open positions.  There seems to be a “Help Wanted” sign in front of every factory and in the window of every store, restaurant, and office.  After President Obama’s “New Normal” and in the wake of the Trump Bump there are roughly 1.3 open jobs for each unemployed worker.

According to a report by the American Action Forum (AAF),  this shortage of qualified workers is projected to cost our economy $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years.  And this isn’t just a problem for one sector of the economy or a select few entrepreneurs.   According to a report by the Association for Talent Development,  83% of employers reported difficulty finding workers with the right skills.  This tightening labor market provided fertile ground for President Trump’s initiative.  Some of the largest corporations in America have taken the pledge,  including Walmart, Microsoft, FedEx, Lockheed Martin, AT&T, the National Retail Federation, and Associated Builders and Contractors.

As Tamar Jacoby, president of Opportunity America, a think tank focused on economic mobility, puts it. “It’s true that there’s been a need to really kick some employers in the pants, basically, or politely get them to volunteer to do more. You can’t fix the skills gap; you can’t train workers for jobs unless you involve the people who are going to hire them.” 

Reflecting on the tight labor market that has inspired so many employers to join in President Trump’s imitative, Tara Sinclair, George Washington University professor of economics said, “Employers might have been reticent before to [train workers] because it’s spending money on something, and employers want to avoid that where they can.” 

As reported from several sources some of America’s largest corporations have taken the pledge and have made specific promises to hire and train thousands of Americans to compete in the economy of the future. 

Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin (LMT) the aerospace giant announced it is investing $5 million in vocational and trade programs and pledged to create 8,000 new jobs for skilled workers over the next five years.  

After visiting Lockheed’s facilities Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, advisor and co-chair of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board said, “Through Lockheed Martin’s Pledge to America’s Workers commitment, and the booming American space industry, we are at the forefront of the changing nature of work, from the use of artificial intelligence to advanced manufacturing.”

Walmart

Walmart operates more than 5,000 stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.  A year after joining the pledge, Walmart (WMT), which pledged to provide training for 1 million people over the next five years, is ahead of schedule, having already trained 200,000 people.  Walmart spokesperson Kory Lundberg said, “If you are confident in doing your job, you’re going to be better at it. You’re going to be better able to take care of customers, it’s going to result in a better experience for the worker, it’s going to result in a better experience for the company.”

FedEx

FedEx (FDX) pledged to train 512,000 workers across the country over the next five years.  When he joined the pledge last year, FedEx CEO Frederick Smith, who is a member of the White House’s American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, said, “We are encouraged by the Administration’s commitment to ensuring American workers develop the appropriate skills and have access to the training needed for today’s in-demand jobs and the jobs of the future.”

Pledge to America's Workers - Celebrating One Year

Hill International Trucks

Hill International Trucks,  which employs more than 230 workers,  pledged to hire and train 50 workers over the next five years.  Hill International Trucks’ spokesperson Renee Murphy stated, “I think it’s great that the White House has this initiative, especially in our industry and it’s becoming increasingly challenging to find these skilled labor positions. So the more training and partnerships that we can have out there between businesses and schools, I think the better.”  He went on to say, “The Company is investing $95,000 per technician over the next five years.”

This is just a sampling of what’s been accomplished.  While the nation’s headlines and talking heads are consumed with the propagating a smoke screen for the on-going coup attempt,  President Trump and his team continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again.  The unprecedented accomplishments of America’s blue-collar billionaire may be buried under an avalanche of fake news but no one can hide the renaissance that’s taking place in the lives of working Americans.  And though the denizens of the swamp may think they’re making progress in the attempt to reverse the results of 2016 the landslide of 2020 should re-focus the lens of History.