ABC of Florida signed on to President Trump’s “Pledge to America’s Workers” at an event celebrating career and technical education in Tampa, Florida, yesterday, committing to educating and developing at least 5,000 construction workers over the next five years. ABC members attended the president’s speech on workforce development at Tampa Bay Technical High School and participated in a roundtable discussion with area business leaders convened by the White House to highlight the need to expand apprenticeship programs.   

The pledge calls for organizations to advance work-based learning, continuing education and re-skilling programs to enhance career opportunities and economic security for America’s workforce. In total, the nearly 50 businesses and trade associations that attended the event pledged to train more than 155,000 people over the next five years for new positions in Florida alone.

On July 19, Trump signed an executive order to establish the President’s National Council for the American Worker and the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board to develop a national strategy to expand workforce opportunities. On that day, ABC National pledged to educate and up-skill at least 500,000 construction workers over the next five years, joining more than a dozen leading domestic companies and industry trade associations for a total commitment of 3.8 million U.S. workers over the next five years. 

ABC chapters have set up more than 800 apprenticeship, craft training and safety programs across the United States and invest $1.1 billion on workforce development to educate more than 475,000 industry employees annually. And as more than 80 percent of ABC members report they have trouble finding skilled labor, prioritizing apprenticeship and workforce development program is a key priority for ABC members.