CED Urges Policymakers and Business Leaders to Help Train and Ready Workers for the Post-COVID-19 Economy Now

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Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED)

Aug 03, 2020, 14:08 ET

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the efforts of policymakers and business leaders to keep as many people employed as possible in the wake of COVID-19's devastation, tens of millions of Americans are out of work or uncertain about the future of their current jobs, and millions of workers will likely be permanently displaced.

Meeting the Upskilling Challenge: Training in the Time of COVID-19, the latest solutions brief from the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED), calls on policymakers and business leaders to immediately help those furloughed or unemployed workers train to prepare for the post-COVID-19 economy as a top priority for recovery, and then turn to developing a comprehensive, collaborative, longer-term training strategy.

Even prior to the start of the pandemic, skills disruption had challenged the US workforce with emerging technologies, potentially changing which skills are in demand.

"The pandemic's whirlwind destruction has accelerated the innovative use of technology in the workplace, while at the same time hurt less-educated workers the most," said Lori Esposito Murray, President of CED. "These two trends threaten to deepen inequality and add to the urgency of the upskilling and training challenge. This challenge needs to be addressed immediately."

In response to the immediate demands of the COVID-19 crisis, CED recommends:

Tuition support for workers without four-year degrees who are working reduced hours, are furloughed, or have been laid off, to pursue training at low-cost, broad-access institutions—for example, either by direct support to the recipient or to the institution or organization providing the training, similar to Pell Grants. Pell Grants themselves can be temporarily modified or modeled and adjusted for these purposes.
Grants to strengthen instructional quality and capacity at community colleges that engage in private-sector partnerships.
Incentivizing employers to upskill their employees through tax credits for additional employer-sponsored training of low- and middle-wage employees—especially workers on reduced hours or furlough—that would qualify the workers for higher-paying roles.

Post-COVID-19, a comprehensive, collaborative, longer-term strategy to improve public-private–supported large-scale training efforts should include:

Public-private collaboration to align new job skills with training programs to improve outcomes for workers and their future employers.
An information ecosystem to help adults navigate training options.
Support for the most effective training models to meet the needs of a wide range of workers.

Read the solutions brief, Meeting the Upskilling Challenge: Training in the Time of COVID-19, here.

About CED
The Committee for Economic Development is the Public Policy Center of The Conference Board that delivers well- researched analysis, and non-partisan, reasoned solutions in the nation's interest. www.ced.org.

About The Conference Board
The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what's ahead. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.conference-board.org.

SOURCE Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED)