7/19/2018

COMMERCE/CRISIS/ECONOMY/EDUCATION/JOBS/LABOR/TECHNOLOGY/TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS/UNION: “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to provide a coordinated process for developing a national strategy to ensure that America’s students and workers have access to affordable, relevant, and innovative education and job training that will equip them to compete and win in the global economy, and for monitoring the implementation of that strategy, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1Purpose.  Our Nation is facing a skills crisis.  There are currently more than 6.7 million unfilled jobs in the United States, and American workers, who are our country’s most valuable resource, need the skills training to fill them.  At the same time, the economy is changing at a rapid pace because of the technology, automation, and artificial intelligence that is shaping many industries, from manufacturing to healthcare to retail.  For too long, our country’s education and job training programs have prepared Americans for the economy of the past.  The rapidly changing digital economy requires the United States to view education and training as encompassing more than a single period of time in a traditional classroom.  We need to prepare Americans for the 21st century economy and the emerging industries of the future.  We must foster an environment of lifelong learning and skills-based training, and cultivate a demand-driven approach to workforce development.  My Administration will champion effective, results-driven education and training so that American students and workers can obtain the skills they need to succeed in the jobs of today and of the future.

Sec. 2Policy.  It shall be the policy of the executive branch to work with private employers, educational institutions, labor unions, other non-profit organizations, and State, territorial, tribal, and local governments to update and reshape our education and job training landscape so that it better meets the needs of American students, workers, and businesses.

Sec. 3Establishment and Composition of the President’s National Council for the American Worker.  (a)  There is hereby established the President’s National Council for the American Worker (Council), co-chaired by the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Labor, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, and the Advisor to the President overseeing the Office of Economic Initiatives (Co-Chairs).

-Donald Trump, “Executive Order Establishing the President’s National Council for the American Worker,” whitehouse.gov, Jul. 19, 2018

[Note: Read the full Executive Order signed by Donald Trump.]