Workforce and skills

Every American should be able to learn the skills they need to compete and succeed.

“If you do your part, then you ought to be able to get ahead. You ought to be able to reap the rewards of your work. And when everybody does his or her part, then America gets ahead.”

HILLARY, JUNE 17, 2015

Americans need to be able to get ahead and stay ahead—that means putting the next generation of well-paying jobs within reach for everyone who is willing to work hard. Hillary believes that every American—especially young people—should be able to learn the skills they need to get hired, seize new opportunities at work, get promoted, and contribute in a 21st-century workforce.

Hillary’s workforce and skills agenda will help people get good jobs with good wages throughout their careers.

•For workers and job-seekers, this means providing more robust, coherent, and accessible training programs and resources that are up to date for 21st-century technology and that lead to good jobs and lifelong skills and credentials.

•For training providers, Hillary will ensure that good programs that provide high quality training, including at community colleges, are given the support they need to scale up and respond to the needs of the local workforce and employers—while insisting on accountability, transparency, and results.

•For government, Hillary will make sure federal, state, and local workforce development resources are used to bring together workers, unions, employers and training providers at every level, in order to prepare workers for good jobs.

•For employers, this plan encourages businesses to invest in their workers for the long term through training, apprenticeships, and creating good jobs.

As part of this agenda, Hillary is calling for a tax credit for businesses that hire apprentices, providing much needed on-the-job training—especially for young Americans.

•Her plan would put forward a tax credit for businesses of $1,500 per apprentice and would insist on accountability for employment and earnings outcomes for programs receiving the credit. Hillary’s plan will also grant a bonus on that tax credit to businesses for providing opportunities specifically for young people.