Pillar 6: Empowering 10x Skilled Workforce

Pillar 6 Overview

People innovate, so to build a world-leading innovation economy, and secure it for generations to come, the United States must first build a world-leading innovation workforce. Yet, today, the country faces skills shortages across our economy—from the researchers making discoveries in AI, quantum, biology, and nuclear to entrepreneurs commercializing new technologies to the manufacturers and technicians needed to deploy and operate next-generation technologies and processes. 

There are three key Pillar 6 topics of competitiveness, under which we have identified eight specific recommendations. The three topics include:

Expand people power to propel innovation.

As technology and innovation take center stage in national security and the world’s national, regional, and local economies, global competition for scientists, engineers, high-skilled workers, and entrepreneurs is fierce. China has aggressively sought to recruit this talent and brain power from the United States—for example, through its Thousand Talents program—to build its domestic capacity for cutting-edge technology development, raise its level of innovation, and even steal intellectual property. Many nations are working to increase the education and training pipeline to develop more of this human capital to spur innovation and new high-tech business formation. 

P6, Recommendation 1: Establish an “all of nation talents program” and create incentives for U.S. students to enter critical technology fields to expand the U.S. science and technology talent pipeline. 

• Develop pathways and financial support to enable U.S. citizens to access higher skills training without taking on a heavy debt burden, perhaps echoing the GI Bill, with some national service commitment through careers in government, national laboratories, or performing federally- funded research in academia. 
  
  
• Expand high-skill immigration aimed at making the United States the destination of choice for
  the world’s top and rising scientific researchers and engineers.
  
  
• Even as technology rapidly evolves, foundational skills remain essential to succeeding in business and innovation. Critical thinking, systems thinking, and management and leadership skills have been de-emphasized and are often lacking, especially in young students and workers. K-12 and higher education systems should re-emphasize these skills, including through hands-on learning and collaborations with industry. 

P6, Recommendation 2: Federal agencies (Departments of Energy, Defense, and Education; National Science Foundation; et al.) should provide financial and economic incentives for U.S. students to go into technical fields with significant shortages, offering competitive, paid scholarships and stipends. 

Federal agencies (incl. DOE, DoD, NSF, OSTP, and DOEd) should provide financial and economic incentives for students to go into technical fields with significant shortages. A portion of this funding should also be dedicated to building the infrastructure and curriculum to deliver training and education in these fields, especially in regions where it does not exist. 

P6, Recommendation 3: U.S. Department of Defense Service branches—Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force—should forge new partnerships to connect civilian communities to national security assets and operations in their respective regions.

Many states and regions are home to large military bases, laboratories and centers, and other facilities that employ civilians in a wide range of occupations. These facilities often face recruiting challenges particularly to fill skilled engineering and technician jobs, and jobs in non-urban and rural areas. The military has the resources, facilities, and personnel to provide training in critical areas of national security and technology. Partnerships between the national security apparatus, educational institutions, and other community organizations can engage the civilian workforce and fill workforce gaps in critical national security areas. 

Educate, train, and scale the workforce at thespeed of innovation.

Amidst multiple technology revolutions, technological change is accelerating and opportunities for innovation are expanding. Artificial intelligence is already disrupting science and technology development, and promises to be the most powerful force multiplier for new discoveries and technological solutions ever imagined, likely to create waves of change. For the United States to take fullest advantage of a new age of discovery and technological possibility, our education and training system must move at the pace of change and innovation, and scale workforce skills quickly to capture these opportunities. 

P6, Recommendation 4: Academia and industry need to foster strong links and partnerships for students to attain and rapidly adapt to business-ready skills.

This could include creating and appointing industry representatives to university advisory boards, designating a university liaison to regional employers for routine discussions, frequent employer surveys of current and future skill needs, co-location of university and private sector R&D assets, co-funding of internships and mentorships, co-funding of new curricula development, new channels to distribute labor market information, research center outreach to regional industries, etc. Higher education institutions should put in place processes that enable them to update education and training courses and programming quickly to keep pace with a reorganizing economy, and accelerating technological and labor market change. 

P6, Recommendation 5: Align workforce design and preparation activities across the regional
innovation ecosystem, with the active participation of workforce boards, businesses, and local economic development authorities.

Regions should establish fora that connect education, training, and industry skill demands, employers in the region, industry associations, education institutions, labor unions, and workforce development boards through which they can collaborate, align their efforts, and share information. 

Leverage non-traditional pathways to builda stronger innovation workforce.

States and regions should explore new models of regional workforce development, and creating—from the early ages—brainpower and experiences attuned to participating in innovation. 

P6, Recommendation 6: Increase investment in polytechnic institutions and community colleges
to strengthen and upskill the technical workforce.

Polytechnics and similar institutions are critical for bolstering the workforce in skilled professional trade, which are experiencing large talent shortages. Policymakers should improve mechanisms for grant funding to hire faculty, develop curriculum, and build and improve facilities. Larger universities should engage with community colleges and other institutions to share resources, networks, and technical expertise. 

P6, Recommendation 7: Emphasize experiential learning models and support from employers.

On-the-job experience can accelerate training and education, and complement classroom learning, particularly in technical roles. Policymakers should support more apprenticeship and business cohort models for students, entry-levels workers, and incumbent workers. 

P6, Recommendation 8: Invest in lifelong learning programs, empathizing experimental learning modules with support from employers.

Addressing critical talent shortages will require workers of all ages to be trained to leverage new technologies and fill new roles, especially as emerging technologies like AI transform the nature of work. Policymakers should provide financial incentives and support for lifelong learning programs through industry, community organizations, and educational institutions.