Policy Resolution EDU-21-13

WHEREAS, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators has a long history of working to improve education outcomes for all students;

WHEREAS, technology and an evolving job market has forced us to rethink the traditional educational model, and it has compelled us to reckon with the difference between more education and the right education;

WHEREAS, the emerging gig economy, developing industries, the workplace, and the workforce present very different career paths and options than what we knew about decades ago;

WHEREAS, during the bulk of 2020 America has been dealing with a deadly global pandemic that ravaged our economy, and will likely have long term effects on how the economy operates;

WHEREAS, millions of employees were laid off because of the coronavirus and according to a paper published by the Becker Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago around 40% of that employment reduction will be permanent;

WHEREAS, a pre-COVID-19 study from Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, there will be an estimated 55 million job openings created by 2020, and more than 30 percent of predicted jobs were to be in emerging industries or jobs that require education and training beyond high school but less than a bachelor’s degree;

WHEREAS, by the end of 2020 according to the same Georgetown study, it is expected that 65 percent of all U.S. jobs will need postsecondary education and training of some kind;

WHEREAS, these are the jobs that a growing number of top employers, such as Google and Apple to IBM and Ernst and Young that are trying desperately to fill jobs like software engineers, security analysts, computer support specialists, and web developers; and

WHEREAS, there is a lack of enough skilled workers to fill these openings, and there is a disconnect between what public schools are offering and what skill sets and academic programs students are encouraged to pursue.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) fully supports bridging this gap and building a national infrastructure for career readiness programs;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL calls on federal, state, and local governments to create and fund innovative collaborations and partnerships between school districts, companies, unions, community colleges and other higher educational institutions to align their curriculum to meet the needs of businesses and industries based upon the current demands, the foreseeable needs of employers, and economic projections; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials and agencies as appropriate.

• SPONSOR(S): Representative Sandra Scott (GA), Representative Karen Camper (TN), and Representative Debra Bazemore (GA)
  
• Committee of Jurisdiction: Education Policy Committee
  
• Certified by Committee Co-Chairs: Representative  Rufus Straughter (MS) and Representative Sheryl Williams-Stapleton (NM)
  
• Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 3, 2020
  
• Ratification is certified by: Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter (SC), President