National News: Apprenticeships in Tech
Reprinted from United States Dept. of Labor News Brief, April 2, 2015
Published: April 3, 2015
Photo Courtesy of DOL News Brief 4.2.15
America has five million available jobs; more than half a million of them are in information technology. With that in mind, Deputy Secretary Lu took part in a roundtable with Rep. Mike Honda and Silicon Valley business leaders on March 27 in San Jose. He discussed ways for businesses to invest in their workforce, highlighting the administration's TechHire initiative, which helps provide Registered Apprenticeships to workers while maintaining and expanding a competitive edge across a range of industries that rely on IT. He shared the same message in San Francisco during a tour of the TechSF training academy with Mayor Ed Lee, and at a Tech 4 America apprenticeship roundtable, where he met with business leaders from companies such as Glassdoor, Craigslist, LinkedIn and Salesforce. Lu wrapped up his day with a fireside chat at St. Mary's College, during a conference on responsible business and addressing the challenges of inequality. He spoke about the importance of skills training, increasing the minimum wage, and developing a diverse workforce that strengthens the middle class and creates a prosperous, broadly shared economy.