The National Network of Business and Industry Associations (the National Network) launched in late 2013 with the mission to improve economic opportunity and quality of life for Americans by better connecting the working world and the learning world. The National Network is pioneering this new movement to eliminate the divide between “school” and “work” and extend clear pathways to and from learning opportunities and good jobs.
The National Network includes leaders in the manufacturing, retail, health care, energy, construction, hospitality, transportation and information technology sectors, which represent the source of nearly 75 percent of projected job growth by 2020 (an estimated 30 million new jobs). These leaders are united in their commitment to help individuals understand and gain the skills they need to enter into and advance in the jobs of today and tomorrow. This unprecedented collaboration of typically competitive industries signals a commitment to support a better prepared and more fulfilled workforce.
The National Network is led by a collaborative partnership between Business Roundtable and ACT Foundation, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Joyce Foundation and Lumina Foundation. Its five-point plan to connect learning to successful careers and lives includes:
- Developing the blueprint of knowledge, skills and abilities needed to succeed in today’s and tomorrow’s jobs and careers, beginning with a set of foundational skills necessary for employment in major economic sectors;
- Defining clearly the attributes of quality, valid industry credentials, making it easier for students, learning centers and employers to know which credentials and certifications matter;
- Expanding business-led work-and-learn models that give people the hands-on skills and real-world work experiences they need to prepare for a successful career and an improved quality of life;
- Increasing 21st century competency-based human resource practices across industry sectors, job functions and career levels; and
- Expanding awareness of, and participation by, students and workers in work-and-learn pathways that lead to industry credentials and employment.
Inaugural Members
- Aerospace Industries Association
- American Health Information Management Association
- American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute
- American Land Title Association (ATLA) and ALTA’s Land Title Institute
- American Moving & Storage Association
- American Petroleum Institute
- American Public Transportation Association
- American Welding Society Center for Energy Workforce Development
- CompTIA
- Food Marketing Institute
- Home Builders Institute
- Interstate Renewable Energy Council
- The Manufacturing Institute
- National Apartment Association Education Institute
- National Center for Construction Education and Research
- National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence
- National Institute for Metalworking Skills
- National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
- National Retail Federation Foundation
- Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute
- TechAmerica/TechAmerica Foundation
- Western Association of Food Chains
For more information, visit actfdn.org, businessroundtable.org/closingtheskills gap or contact Jacey Wilkins at jwilkins@national-network.org.