make adult career training and skills development universal

What We Can Do Right Now:

America needs to invest in programs right now that will help any American to intentionally build a life of peace, opportunity and prosperity through learning. The issue is, many of us don't know where to turn to develop and demonstrate the key skills that today's employers want, or to get the technical now-how it takes to pursue a solid, long-term career one can have a passion for. 

So where can we start?  The programs are out there dispersed in different sectors and locations. How best to pull them together and begin a national learning initiative open to all Americans?  

Here are some ideas we can all agree on in Congress in 2021: 

• A Federal Open E-University for Workplace Achievement: Fund a federally subsidized Learning Management System in partnership with 21st Century job creators and our best Adult Education/Training professionals that can offer a wide array of adult E-Learning programs that can enable any American to acquire key skills they can use to expand their careers, improve their hire-ability,  and pursue their professional passions. Make this menu of E-learning programs adaptable so that any American with a desire to succeed can pursue a positive direction in their professional lives. Gathering these existing adult education resources into one national Open University for Achievement will go a long way toward opening up opportunity to all of our communities. 
• A National Effort Led By Members of Congress to Bring Customized, On-Site Professional Development/Job Skills Classes to Each District: Work with industry, the Department of Education and state governments to create a broad array of easy-access on-site adult learning programs throughout the nation that any citizen can use to intentionally pursue professional and career development. Customize these on-site learning opportunities to the specific regional challenges and opportunities workers and businesses face in building stable careers and long term prosperity. (And so we know the programs address local needs, let's make each Member of Congress responsible for overseeing the success of these on-site learning programs in his or her district!)
• Have E-Learning on Disaster Recovery On-Hand and Ready to Deploy Before The Next Crisis! Work with states and localities to create a bank of learning tools that can be quickly deployed electronically to help citizens cope with crisis, disruption and changing circumstances. 
• Before we Consider Major Shifts in Economic Activity Driven by Technology, Sustainability, Etc. Do a Full Court Re-Training Press  First! In industries and regions that face major challenges and change, implement a full-court-press on worker re-training and career development to ensure that no community is left behind as the economy evolves due to technology change, sustainability challenges and market cycles. 
• Revive Apprenticeship Opportunities for All American 18-year-olds in Trades and Industry: Create a joint federal/industry/union partnership to enable renewed work apprenticeship opportunities for all high school graduates as part of a new "13th Grade" National Service commitment that is discussed on this website.
• Seed the Ag Sector With New Blood to Ensure Long-Term Competition and Sustainability: Endow a comprehensive training and apprenticeship infrastructure in the agricultural sector to ensure the future of American farming and ranching and to energize the economies of rural, agriculture-dependent communities.

These kinds of new commitments to prepare America's workers, farmers, ranchers and professionals for the 21st Century economy make more sense than ever: Learning programs stimulated by this federal initiative will immediately benefit workers, business owners, at-risk communities, new entries to the workplace, the currently unemployed or under-employed, career-changers, aspiring entrepreneurs, and working parents. 

Large and small U.S. businesses seeking to compete globally are already asking governments to help them build a 21st century skilled workforce throughout the United States that will be able to transform seamlessly into the high-tech economy of the future. Congress can lead the way on this initiative by funding partnerships between job creators, adult educators and government to devise and distribute a world-class curriculum of career development tools applicable to the vocations of today and tomorrow.  Here is the way to give every American the opportunity to thrive in the new economy.

Some time in 2021 we will be asking ourselves why has it taken us so long as a nation to make federally subsidized, world-class, online and seminar-based job-skills training and career development counseling as freely available to all adult citizens in 2021 as public K-12 schools have been for American kids since the 19th Century.

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