Training America’s Workers for the Future: Rallyware Signs the White House Pledge

Prior to the pandemic, the US economy was moving full steam ahead. Job growth was at a near all-time high. The GDP was expected to grow by almost 2% over the course of the year. And overall, economists were highly optimistic about the nation’s financial future. And then…

A worldwide pandemic no one could have predicted, and here we are. Business bankruptcies are expected to come in droves. Workers have been laid off or let go in historically high numbers. Companies are bracing for an economic picture that is uncertain—and that is putting it lightly. Which is why the White House’s Pledge to America’s Workers comes at such a crucial juncture. And why Rallyware did not hesitate to sign this pledge which will ensure a broader commitment when it comes to workforce upskilling and reskilling in the years ahead.

A Changing Mindset Looking Toward the Future of Work

The purpose of this sweeping initiative as far as workforce training and engagement is concerned is to:

“make sure that all Americans are equipped with the skills they need to secure and retain good-paying jobs, whether they’re…looking for their first career or entering their first career, or later on in their life cycle, needing to learn a new skill or a new trade because of the consequences and effects of automation in this rapidly changing, technological environment.”

And now of course, add to the above statement the drastic changes propelled by COVID-19, and what we are faced with is an American workforce that needs to be better prepared, period. In terms of upskilling and reskilling—a definite focus of the White House—Rallyware has vowed to train 500,000 workers in the next 5 years. The scope of what we are pledging is certainly large, and yet given today’s cutting edge tools and resources, highly attainable due to the high scalability of our technologies. 

Even during this period of lockdown, we have seen the monumental benefits of what a platform like Rallyware has been able to do for firms that might have otherwise had to cease operations all together. Worker participation in training is up by 160%; this, in turn, has led to better productivity for numerous businesses. It’s all about finding ways to reach workers that are now disbursed and remote and still keep everyone actively involved with the company’s day-to-day operations. From delivering personalized learning experiences to administering daily tasks, the technology available has thus far helped so many organizations avoid disaster during this period of crisis.

A Specific Plan for Helping Workers Adapt

Given the changes hastened by the coronavirus, we, of course, have witnessed the need for many businesses to be able to quickly switch to a remote work mentality. Beyond this and moving forward, many individuals will also have to acquire and consequently develop the kinds of skills that are aligned with, as the White House noted, automation and the rapidly changing technological environment. Failure to do so will ultimately lead to numerous jobs becoming obsolete.

Specific to the White House’s Pledge:

• Encouraging companies to invest back into their workforce
• Enhancing efforts when it comes to on-the-job training
• Offering continuing education and more work-based learning opportunities
• Expanding apprenticeships

And this just scratches the surface. As far as workforce upskilling and reskilling in particular, the initiative seeks to access better and more job data. Such data will help raise awareness of workforce issues. On both a micro and macro level, this will become key as companies and their teams move toward the future of work. Again, those firms that already had tools and systems in place to help them better identify any issues that their team members may have been experiencing, were more effectively able to address the problem and thereby enable individuals to achieve their goals. Especially in the midst of something like COVID-19, victories like this can be so important to worker morale and overall company productivity.

A Nation Coming Together in Support of Its Workers

Many states, governing bodies along with scores of private sector companies (Rallyware among them) came together to support this significant White House pledge. For instance:

• IBM pledged 100,000 training opportunities in light of the initiative.
• Salesforce pledged to give 500,000 Americans the skills they need to get top jobs in the Salesforce ecosystem.
• Udactiy has vowed 100,000 opportunities.
• Walmart, one of the early signers, pledged–in terms of workforce upskilling and reskilling—one million new training opportunities.

All told, thus far more than 300 companies have signed on to the White House’s pledge. Many signing this initiative applauded the fact that the federal government was strongly aware that in this changing climate, workers need better, comprehensive, more personalized training experiences. Not only that, but individuals need to be able to evolve with their roles and responsibilities and of course this is where workforce upskilling and reskilling most definitely come into play.

While it is hard to say exactly what the landscape will look like when the pandemic has run its course, one thing is certain, what traditional “work” entails will be reshaped—in fact, it is changing every single day. Rallyware is invested in seeing the US workforce come out of this stronger than ever. Which is why we firmly believe in this pledge and what it means as far as helping individuals be the best they can at their jobs while offering the best to their companies. 

You can schedule a free demo in order to better understand how exactly Rallyware’s comprehensive platform scales and delivers truly personalized reskilling and upskilling experiences.