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Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Secretary of Labor Tom Perez Discuss Skills Gap with BLU

Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Secretary of Labor Tom Perez Discuss Skills Gap with BLU
Business Leaders United for Workforce Partnerships (BLU) [5] is working to address the skills mis-match by creating sector partnerships that align employers’ hiring needs with local and regional training systems. Yesterday, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker joined Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling to speak to BLU about what the Administration is doing to invest in workforce skills training and to hear about ways employers are proactively developing partnerships to create a pipeline of skilled workers in their local areas.

Business leaders cited how their initiative, investments, and partnerships with local community colleges, Workforce Investment Boards, non-profits, and each other industry peers and others have reduced nursing shortages in Louisville; helped the long-term unemployed train for and gain employment in the financial services industry in southern California; and developed an electrical contracting apprenticeship program with 100% job placement in Tennessee. An export-oriented metal forming manufacturer in Minnesota described how he has worked with local community and technical colleges to create certificate programs to develop the skilled workforce the company needs.

Click to see all the photos from this event.

View materials from the event below.

BLU Principles and Platform
BLU Fly-In Agenda
BLU Fly-In Report Summary
Participant Biographies
Participants by State
BLU Op-Ed Toolkit
Op-eds by participants from Maine and Kentucky
SECTORS Act of 2013 Letter to Policymaker Template
Tennessee Employer Sign-On Letter
U.S. Senators Letter to Colleague
BLU Press Clips

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