Today, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced the formation of its new 21st Century Workforce Council – a leadership forum to address the nation’s skills gap, ensure the U.S. tech sector has the high-skilled workers it needs and devise strategies to upskill U.S. workers to succeed in the 21st century. CTA will brief the White House today and members of Congress tomorrow about the Council – CTA’s newest member group – and on how the tech sector helps Americans prepare for the future of work.
“CTA is a champion of technology and innovation – and we have a tremendous opportunity to work on this critical issue,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. “The consumer tech sector is a leader in hiring and training our evolving workforce – we support more than 15 million U.S. jobs – and technology is making us and our jobs safer and more efficient. Through our 21st Century Workforce Council, we’ll share how our industry is taking action today and creating millions of high-skilled employment opportunities for all Americans.”
The following CTA member companies have confirmed their participation in the 21st Century Workforce Council: Bosch, Canon USA, EVERFI, HARMAN, HP, OperationsInc, Panasonic, Sony Electronics, Sprint, TeamPeople—a division of System One, Toyota, 3D Connected Printing and Twentieth Century Fox. The Council will be staffed by Jennifer Taylor, vice president of U.S. Jobs, CTA.
“There’s a crucial need to train and develop skilled workers to perform alongside technology innovations, delivering better efficiency, effectiveness and safety,” said Mike Fasulo, president and COO, Sony Electronics Inc. “We see the growth of our own employees as a crucial aspect of our management foundation and sustainable growth. And CTA’s new 21st Century Workforce Council will address the tech talent pipeline, ensuring companies have diverse, qualified, incoming talent – American workers who want to work with technology.”
“The 21st Century Workforce Council brings together industry and government to address the significant challenges we face in preparing the U.S. workforce for continued growth in the technology sector,” said Charlie Ackerman, senior vice president, Human Resources – North America, for Bosch. “We will be most impactful when industry, government and academia can come together in a collective and connected effort to address the skills gap facing our workforce.”
“I regularly talk with tech companies that are looking for talented employees with tech backgrounds, degrees, credentials and certifications – but they just can’t find enough workers with the right skills,” said Taylor. “According to CTA’s Future of Work survey, 86 percent of tech industry leaders say they’ll need more employees with technical skills in the coming years. The Council’s goal is to close our nation’s skills gap by seeking policies which prepare American workers – regardless of age, gender or background – to secure and succeed in good, quality jobs in the 21st Century.”
Last year, CTA hosted its inaugural New American Jobs Summit in Washington, DC, convening innovators and policymakers to discuss the future of work. You can watch video highlights of the event here.
CTA partners with Monster.com and the Northern Virginia Technology Council to offer U.S. Tech Vets, a career portal connecting veterans and military spouses to quality employment opportunities at tech companies nationwide.