Trump to Sign Executive Order on Job Training

By Vivian Salama

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at spurring new investments for training current and future American workers to help them secure jobs domestically.

More than 15 companies and associations will sign a pledge to educate and train American students and workers as part of a White House ceremony debuting the initiative.

Among them, International Business Machines Corp., FedEx Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. are expected to take part, as well as students soon-to-enter the workforce, according to Mr. Trump's daughter and adviser, Ivanka Trump. As part of their commitment, those companies will commit to expanding apprenticeships, increasing on-the-job training, and providing Americans with opportunities to develop new skills to secure stable jobs.

Ms. Trump said that the aim is to spur hiring by various employers in a range of industries. "That is good for the American worker and will lead to wage increases and will lead to enhanced opportunities. A tight labor market is very good," she told reporters on Wednesday.

The White House said it expected the "Pledge to America's Workers" to lead to more than 500,000 new career opportunities for students and workers.

As part of the executive order, the White House is aiming to create a National Council for the American Worker, composed of senior administration officials, who will develop a nationwide strategy for training workers in industries that have a high workforce potential. The order also calls for the creation of an advisory board made up of leaders from the private sector, educational institutions, philanthropic organizations and state governments.

Spending on education and training in the U.S. is focused almost entirely on people younger than 25 years old and in school, according to a report released this week by Mr. Trump's Council of Economic Advisers. Relatively little is spent during a person's working life by employers or the government, potentially leaving them without the ideal skill set for modern jobs, the paper said.

The initiative will address the changes that have occurred over the past few decades to the job market. Nearly one in five working American is employed in a job that didn't exist in 1980, many of which are in technology, the fastest-growing segment across all industries.

Many policy initiatives, including any that make changes to federal workforce programs, would likely require congressional action.

Write to Vivian Salama at vivian.salama@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 19, 2018 07:14 ET (11:14 GMT)

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