Digital US Launches With a Roadmap to Achieve Digital Resilience for American Workers - Seite 2

Basic digital fluency is a precursor to more advanced technical skills, and digital literacy is a necessary on-ramp to a livable wage and stable career. “We see first-hand, from our work on-the-ground in states across the US, the importance of helping workers gain new skills in order to get good jobs in the digital economy,” said Beth Cobert, CEO Skillful, a Markle initiative. “Making it quicker, easier and more affordable to acquire those skills is key to opening opportunities and helping our workforce adapt to the new economy.” Creating a workforce with the digital skills employers seek requires a holistic effort and ongoing investment.

A new landscape analysis by Digital US highlights that tens of millions of U.S. workers who lack basic digital literacy skills also lack access to opportunities to develop them.

“We believe equity is at the center of this work. In an increasingly high-tech world, gaps in tech literacy can actually exacerbate existing disparities and constrain the U.S. economy. We need to build on-ramps, especially for frontline workers, through new training delivery models that meet learner-workers where they are,” said Kermit Kaleba of the National Skills Coalition, a Digital US Coalition partner.

The “Building a Digitally Resilient Workforce: Creating On-Ramps to Opportunity” report:

• Shares models to address persistent inequities in access to technology – both hardware and connectivity- and supports for digital skills development.
• Previews pilot programs to provide high-quality and effective training including in the workplace as commonly used service delivery areas, including support for job seekers, healthcare settings and other social services.
• Elevates the need to prioritize digital skills, as well as connect and scale existing programmatic efforts.

Digital US represents a growing coalition of 25 diverse, national organizations working to ensure that all learner-workers in the U.S. have essential technology skills to thrive in work and life. Members include U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, JFF, ISTE, Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, EdSurge, Markle Foundation, National Skills Coalition, National Urban League, National Digital Inclusion Alliance, New America, Goodwill Industries International, Opportunity@Work, World Education and Wiley. These employers, policymakers, funders, educators and workforce development leaders have come together in a collective effort to advocate for and develop a more equitable digital training ecosystem.