[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 195 (Friday, October 8, 2010)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 62309-62311]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-25579]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 195 / Friday, October 8, 2010 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 62309]]


                Memorandum of October 4, 2010

                
Establishing a Task Force on Skills for America's 
                Future

                Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and 
                Agencies

                In order to compete in the global economy, the United 
                States needs the most educated workforce in the world. 
                The high-wage jobs of the 21st century will require 
                more knowledge and skills than the jobs of the past. We 
                therefore must develop innovative strategies to train 
                more Americans with the skills that businesses and the 
                economy will need to ensure American competitiveness.

                Community colleges are a key part of our education 
                system, providing a flexible and affordable place to 
                sharpen relevant workforce skills and align them with 
                the needs of employers in their communities. 
                Traditional four-year colleges, on-line institutions, 
                and nontraditional educational outlets also can play an 
                essential role in providing training opportunities. To 
                prepare students for 21st-century jobs, these 
                institutions need to develop flexible, affordable, and 
                responsive training programs that meet regional and 
                national economic needs. An important way to ensure 
                that training programs meet such needs is through 
                partnerships between these institutions and labor 
                unions, small businesses, and other regional employers. 
                As educational institutions develop these innovative 
                programs, we should assess what works and what does 
                not, so that we reward excellent outcomes and true 
                innovation that meets the needs of entrepreneurs and 
                other employers in every part of the country, from 
                rural communities to urban centers.

                Therefore, I am establishing a task force to develop 
                skills for America's future by identifying, developing, 
                and increasing the scale of promising approaches to 
                improving the skills of our Nation's workers. By 
                coordinating the work of relevant agencies with that of 
                nonprofits, labor unions, and private sector 
                organizations, and by leveraging the assets of these 
                entities, this effort will build better partnerships 
                between businesses, community colleges, and other 
                training providers to get Americans trained for the 
                jobs of today and tomorrow.

                Section 1. Establishment. There is established an 
                interagency Task Force on Skills for America's Future 
                (Task Force) to ensure that Federal policies promote 
                innovative training programs and curricula, including 
                successful public-private partnerships, at community 
                colleges as well as in other settings, that will 
                prepare the American workforce for 21st-century jobs. 
                The Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, the 
                Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and the 
                Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall 
                serve as Co-Chairs of the Task Force.

                Sec. 2. Membership. In addition to the Co-Chairs, the 
                Task Force shall consist of the following members, or 
                any senior official designated by one of the following 
                members who is a part of the member's department, 
                agency, or office, and who is a full time employee of 
                the Federal Government:

                    (a) the Secretary of Defense;
                    (b) the Secretary of Agriculture;
                    (c) the Secretary of Commerce;
                    (d) the Secretary of Labor;
                    (e) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;

[[Page 62310]]

                    (f) the Secretary of Transportation;
                    (g) the Secretary of Energy;
                    (h) the Secretary of Education;
                    (i) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
                    (j) the Director of the Office of Management and 
                Budget;
                    (k) the Administrator of the Small Business 
                Administration;
                    (l) the Director of the Office of Science and 
                Technology Policy; and
                    (m) the heads of other executive departments, 
                agencies, or offices as the Co-Chairs may designate.

                Sec. 3. Administration. The Council of Economic 
                Advisers shall provide administrative support for the 
                Task Force to the extent permitted by law and within 
                existing appropriations.

                Sec. 4. Mission and Functions. The Task Force shall 
                work across executive departments and agencies to 
                ensure that Federal policies facilitate, and offer 
                incentives for, innovative career-training and 
                education opportunities at community colleges as well 
                as in other settings, and that these opportunities are 
                directly related to skills and job requirements across 
                a range of industries. Using the best evidence 
                available regarding effective practice, the Task Force 
                shall develop recommendations and options for meeting 
                the following objectives:

                    (a) improved public-private collaboration to 
                develop career pathway and training programs with 
                effective curricula, certifiable skills, and industry-
                recognized credentials and degrees;
                    (b) identification of opportunities to amplify, 
                accelerate, or increase the scale of, successful 
                public-private partnerships that match trained workers 
                with prospective employers;
                    (c) identification and development of stackable 
                credentials that provide entry to and advancement along 
                a career pathway in an in-demand occupation;
                    (d) outreach to relevant stakeholders--including 
                industry, the adult workforce, younger students, 
                educational institutions, labor unions, policymakers, 
                and community leaders--with expertise in skill 
                development;
                    (e) alignment of workforce training programs funded 
                by the Departments of Education and Labor, as well as 
                other Federal agencies, with innovative practices and 
                regional market demands, to build on effective skills-
                based training for adult workers and younger students, 
                including individuals with disabilities;
                    (f) partnership with appropriate non-profit 
                entities to engage the private sector in developing 
                effective training programs that provide students with 
                recognizable and portable skills that are needed in the 
                marketplace; and
                    (g) greater use of technology to improve training, 
                skills assessment, and labor market information.

                Sec. 5. General Provisions.

                    (a) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent 
                with applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                any necessary appropriations.
                    (b) This memorandum is not intended to, and does 
                not, create any right or benefit, substantive or 
                procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any 
                party against the United States, its departments, 
                agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or 
                agents, or any other person.
                    (c) The heads of executive departments and agencies 
                shall assist and provide information to the Task Force, 
                consistent with applicable law, as may be necessary to 
                carry out the functions of the Task Force. Each 
                executive department, agency, and office shall bear its 
                own expenses of participating in the Task Force.

[[Page 62311]]

                    (d) The Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers 
                is hereby authorized and directed to publish this 
                memorandum in the Federal Register. 
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    Washington, October 4, 2010

[FR Doc. 2010-25579
Filed 10-7-10; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-W1-P