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The Association for Career and Technical Education is the largest national education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for careers.  ACTE is proud to announce its commitment to train 10 million workers by the year 2020 as part of the Center for America’s “10 by 20 Pledge for America.” Once the campaign officially kicks off, ACTE will send an announcement encouraging members to sign the petition.

Jan Bray, Executive Director         www.ACTEonline.org

As President of the Milwaukee Building and Construction Trades Council, I support the 10 by 20 Pledge for America Campaign which is being launched by John Ratzenberger and the Center for America.  Our goal is to sign up Americans in who will pledge to take action in their communities to support training a new generation of skilled workers in America.  This Campaign will bring together unions, businesses, and school systems to reach out to workers, leaders, parents, students, educators, and ordinary people who have a stake in the prosperity of America.  I am pleased to lend my name and voice to the Campaign and urge you to do to the same.

Lyle A. Balistreri, President

American Electric Power enthusiastically endorses the 10 By 20 Campaign that the Center for America is launching to generate support for training 10 million new skilled workers in our nation by the year 2020. Our company has approximately 19,000 employees and provides electric service to portions of 11 states.  The success of our enterprise depends upon the skilled workers we have in a multitude of critical positions… …Several thousand of our employees have either retired within the past few years or will become eligible to retire within the near future.  Bob Powers, the president of AEP Utilities, is currently serving as chairman of the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD).  CEWD recently selected eight states to participate in the launch of a national program to train low-income, young adults for skilled jobs in the energy industry.  CEWD has formed partnerships with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Utility Workers of America, and we are optimistic about its prospects.  Too many Americans -- particularly young people -- are simply unaware of the well-paying jobs that currently are or will become available for skilled workers in the energy industry, in manufacturing and in other fields.  We applaud CFA’s campaign to ramp up training opportunities so that people can become qualified for these positions.  We will be publishing a news story about AEP’s support for the 10 By 20 Campaign on our employee intranet, which will give our employees a convenient opportunity to sign the pledge and join this initiative. 

Carl English, Vice Chairman         Read Full Endorsement Letter

On behalf of 3,000-plus business members from across Texas and over 200 chambers of commerce, the Texas Association of Business (TAB) wholeheartedly supports the 10 X 20 Pledge Campaign by the Center for America (CFA). We agree with the campaign that rebuilding America's prosperity in the global marketplace of the 21st century requires us to work hard to keep jobs in America and to create new generations of skills.  TAB knows that the CFA's campaign goals are reachable, and we know that we must do a better job of providing more training opportunities that will help to build a strong workforce. In Texas, the oil and gas industry, as well as the manufacturing and electric industries, are expanding at rapid rates. All of these growing industries present enormous opportunity for job growth in the Lone Star State. However, just because Texas is creating jobs, does not mean that it has the individuals to fill these jobs. TAB knows that we need an educated workforce because our employers are in critical need of highly-skilled workers who have an understanding of today's tools, technologies and processes. For years, TAB's top priorities have been both public and higher education. TAB has supported initiatives that, we believe, work towards the goal of producing educated and highly-trained individuals. We have been the frontrunners in supporting changes in fiscal policy that would, for example, allocate limited dollars to producing more welders and fewer anthropologists.  TAB applauds CFA's effort to increase awareness and increase training opportunities in order to allow people to become qualified for the jobs of the future. TAB thanks you for all that you are doing and we look forward to partnering with you.

Bill Hammond, President     www.txbiz.org    Read Endorsement Letter

On behalf of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, I write to express support for the Center for America's 10 By 20 Pledge to add 10 million new skilled workers in the United States by 2020. The PA Chamber is the largest broad-based advocacy association in the Commonwealth. We represent business of all sizes ranging from Fortune 100 companies to sole proprietors crossing all industry sectors. Our members know that in order to compete in a national and increasingly global economy it is necessary to maintain a well-trained, superior workforce. Workers must be able to adapt to new economic realities and learn the best practices and skills required by modern, flexible businesses… … it will be critical for quality training programs to be available to provide workers with the skills necessary to fill this new niche in the job market. Clearly there is a tangible need for skilled workers in Pennsylvania and throughout the nation that will only increase in the years and decades to come. The PA Chamber supports the Center for America's effort to bring awareness to this challenge and provide resources to communities and suggestions for how groups might contribute to the goal of training 10 million skilled workers by 2020.

Gene Barr, Vice President, Government and Public Affairs    www.pachamber.org    Read Letter
 

On behalf of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, I write to express support for the Center for America's 10 By 20 Pledge Campaign. The national campaign's goal is to mobilize the American public to support local efforts to expand vocational skills training opportunities in local communities to address me projected shortage of 10 million skilled workers by 2020. The growing manufacturing sector in South Carolina presents an extraordinary opportunity to create thousands of jobs that will require significant technical expertise to fill emerging technology positions. It is critical for quality training programs to be available to provide workers with the necessary skills.  The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce supports the 10 By 20 Pledge to bring awareness to this challenge and will assist in any way possible to meet me goal of training 10 million skilled workers by 2020.

Otis Rawl, President and Chief Executive Officer    www.scchamber.net    Read Letter

The Jackson Area Manufacturers Association (JAMA) fully supports the 10 By 20 Pledge for America campaign and its goal of adding 10 million new skilled workers into the U.S. economy by 2020. Through programs like JAMA’s Academy for Manufacturing Careers DOL-certified Registered Apprenticeship Program and a host of hands-on youth educational programs like I Can Make It Camp (4^th-6^th grade), Machining U (7^th-9^th grade), Shop Rat (6^th-10^th grade) and Hot Rod U (9^th-12^th grade), we’re already doing a great deal in south-central Michigan to offer youth and adults opportunities to gain the advanced manufacturing skills needed NOW and in the future by companies in our region. We pledge to do as much as we can to expand our efforts and link those efforts to those of others working to fulfill the 10 By 20 Pledge.

Bill Rayl, Executive Director  www.jacksonjama.org

On behalf of the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA), I am pleased to write in support of the 10 By 20 Pledge Campaign which you are launching… NTMA is the national association representing the $40 billion precision custom manufacturing industry, which employs more than 440,000 skilled workers in the U.S.  We are proud to join other trade associations, businesses, school systems and community leaders who are supporting the 10 By 20 Pledge Campaign to promote the training of a new generation of skilled workers in America and urge others to do the same…. NTMA is also pleased that one of the core goals of this campaign is to improve the image and restore the dignity of skilled work in America as well as remove the stigma from skilled labor which is one of the causes of a growing shortage of young people entering the skilled trades.

Dave Tilston, President   Read the Full Endorsement Letter

On behalf of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and our over 6,000 statewide members, I am writing to express support for the Center for America’s 10 BY 20 Pledge Campaign to add 10 million skilled workers in this country by 2020. In spite of the numerous economic challenges facing our state, Ohio remains a leader in manufacturing and those industries recognize it is essential to have a well trained workforce. We all recognize the global competition that exists in today’s world wide economy and unfortunately the lack of skilled workers is a major challenge. The new technologies involved in all phases of manufacturing from tool and die workers to computer robotics require a pool of workers that is not being filled. Those skill needs will only increase over the coming years and we support your efforts to bring awareness to this challenge.

Andrew E. Doehrel, President and Chief Executive Officer    www.OhioChamber.com    Read Letter

The USA Science & Engineering Festival endorses the Center for America’s 10 By 20 Pledge Campaign’s goal of training 10 million new skilled workers for the US economy by the year 2020.  The USA Science & Engineering Festival shares a common goal to encourage youth to pursue careers in science & engineering by reinvigorating the youth through fun and interactive activities.  We are delighted to partner with the Center for America in making a strong and specific pledge to fill 10 million jobs by celebrating skilled labor in America.  

Larry Bock, Executive Director      www.usasciencefestival.org

On behalf of the Association of Woodworking and Furnishings Suppliers® (AWFA), I am pleased to express support for the 10 By 20 Pledge for America Campaign on the eve of its launch. We represent a national membership of approximately 400 companies … The wood manufacturing and related industries are among those manufacturing segments very hard hit by the lack of a new generation of trained workers to take over as the baby boomers retire. … We sponsor a woodworking competition at our industry trade show for high school and college students that is one of the few opportunities these young people have to showcase their skills – and they are amazing! … We have also given over a million dollars in scholarships and supported WoodLINKS USA, a wood skills program with an industry-education partnership focus, that gets local companies involved in the curriculum of this national organization that has been growing in the U.S. in the last ten years. … We will be sharing your message and the Pledge Campaign with our members, to assist in championing your cause. Congratulations on your success in rallying the industries around your important goal!

Angelo Gangone, Executive Vice President       www.AWFS.org

Read the Full Endorsement Letter

On behalf of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, I want to express our support for the proposal being made to you by the Center for America. … The Bradley Foundation has been a major supporter of CFA since its inception as a 501(c)(3) in 2005 and we believe that their ideas do lead to effective positive change for Americans. … As more and more baby boomers retire, our nation’s training infrastructure will not be able to meet the challenge of training enough workers to meet the projected shortage of ten million skilled workers by 2020. … I hope you'll join the Bradley Foundation in supporting CFA so that the “10 By 20 Pledge for America” campaign can reach its full potential in gaining the support of millions of Americans to expand vocational training opportunities for at-risk youth and adults.

Michael W. Grebe, President and CEO     www.BradleyFdn.org

American Association of Managing General Agents

An insurance trade association with 500 member companies

entrusted with $27 billion in premiums annually.

www.AAMGA.org

Download John Ratzenberger's Article in the AAMGA Magazine

Esquire Corporate Solutions is the leading privately-held court reporting and litigation support services provider in the U.S. We strongly support the 10 By 20 Pledge Campaign and will help Center for America exceed the goal of enlisting people to sign the Pledge indicating their support for expanding local skilled training opportunities. Realistically, it will take several years to expand the skilled worker training system to meet our country’s future needs. By then, with millions of people retiring and taking their skills with them in the next few years, a continuing skilled worker shortage would cause many companies to shrink when we need them to grow. This is a crisis America can avoid if we mobilize now to build our training resources to match the country’s future needs. We encourage everyone to recognize the stake we all have in making the 10 By 20 Campaign successful by signing the Pledge now to help make a difference. A great virtue of America is that all of us can bring our leadership and energy to challenges like this without waiting for government to tell us what to do.

Mike Saltman, President, Esquire Corporate Solutions www.EsquireSolutions.com

I am pleased to support the 10 By 20 Pledge Campaign and was happy to have the opportunity to distribute information about the Pledge Campaign to over 10,000 people in Kentucky who work with the Labor Cabinet, including local unions. I also received support from Tom West, Executive Director of the Kentucky Workforce Investment Board and from Dale Winkler, Executive Director-Career and Technical Education in the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, who distributed the Pledge to the Kentucky Association for Career and Technical Education and the KY Tech Principals.   In Kentucky, we understand the critical importance of training the next generation of skilled workers. I hope that other states will lend support to the Skilled Workers Pledge Campaign because it is vitally important that we spread awareness of our urgent need to train more skilled workers.

Mike Donta, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Workplace Standards in the Kentucky Labor Cabinet and Supervisor of Apprenticeship
 

The Precision Metalforming Association is the full-service trade association representing the $113-billion Metalforming industry of North America… We endorse the goal of the 10 By 20 Pledge Campaign to have one million Americans in the next year sign an on-line pledge in support of training a new generation of skilled workers in America.  We are pleased to join the Pledge Campaign because we understand and endorse the importance of training skilled workers in our industry.  We are proud to join other trade associations, businesses, school systems and community leaders who are supporting the 10 By 20 Pledge Campaign to promote training a new generation of skilled workers in America and urge others to do the same.

William E. Gaskin, President       Read Full Endorsement Letter

GateWay is proud to be part of an effort that supports the Center for America’s "10 By 20 Pledge for America Campaign" to supply a skilled workforce and nurture early stage entrepreneurs and companies. GateWay Community College in Phoenix is one of the leading community colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District, the largest district in the country, that supports programming to educate a skilled workforce. As a fully accredited public institution of higher education, we emphasize both academic and career-training programs in more than 125 degree, certificate and workforce training options … In addition, the Maricopa Skills Center, a division of GateWay, offers 16 self-paced entry-level vocational training programs for high school students and adult learners. … Through a summer youth program called Future Builders, high school age students are introduced to all aspects of the construction industry. And through the GateWay Early College High School, students are able to earn their high school diploma and an associate’s degree or certificate of completion in any of the occupational programs we offer.

Eugene V. Giovannini, Ed.D., President     www.gatewaycc.edu   Read Letter

As CEO of Amigo Mobility International, I am happy to support the CFA Pledge Campaign. Amigo Mobility designs and manufactures a complete line of power operated vehicles/mobility scooters and accessories in Bridgeport, MI to help restore independence for elderly and disabled people. Amigo’s skilled workers play an essential role in producing high quality and reliable products that customers depend on. Recently, the Great Lakes Bay Manufacturer’s Association, of which I’m a board member, created a mission statement to bring focus to our vision: “Attract and develop people for job opportunities in manufacturing.” Our members identified finding skilled workers as one of the key detriments to increased sales and growth. I encourage all Americans to join the CFA Skilled Worker Campaign by signing the Pledge and supporting expanded skills training in their local communities.

Beth Thieme, President    myamigo.com

I enthusiastically endorse the 10 By 20 Pledge Campaign. As a Councilwoman in the Capitol City of Trenton, I see this campaign as a tool by which residents from the community will gain valuable experience to enhance their skills. For too long, many promising out of work and undereducated people lose the opportunity for employment or careers due to barriers that are at times overwhelming. One of my goals is to partner with as many organizations as possible to provide the tools necessary to teach and encourage skilled workers in my community. I am proud to add my name as a supporter of the Campaign and will encourage others to do the same.

Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson      City Council, Trenton, New Jersey
 

On behalf of The Career Building Academy I am proud to give our support to the 10 By 20 Pledge Campaign and its goal of adding 10 million new skilled workers into the U.S. economy by 2020.  We believe that skilled labor represents the heart and soul of the American economy and with the addition of new jobs we can vastly improve the current economic conditions.  The Career Building Academy strives every day to give high school students education and instruction in all areas of the residential and commercial construction industries.  Through our two year program students learn the construction trades, and gain the skills and experience needed to receive a license and career right after graduation.  We are proud to stand with other organizations that support training and education.  Together we will ensure America’s youth have the needed skills to find a career.

Reid Lester, President & Chief Operating Officer   www.tcbacademy.org

The Collectors Foundation takes the 10 By 20 Pledge for America by promising to continue its efforts to develop a new generation of talented and skilled craftsmen to care for America’s historic automotive and boat treasures. Socially responsible and philanthropic collector vehicle and classic boat enthusiasts use their passion to preserve the past and build this country’s future. Investing nationally in vocational education and career development through the Collectors Foundation, these collector vehicle enthusiasts make a difference in the lives of young people every day – by supporting opportunities for youth to experience the joy of learning through the manual arts and to gain first-hand knowledge of the potential they have for a rewarding and successful career within the historic vehicle and classic boat industries. To read more, and to see videos of some exciting programs supported by the Foundation, visit the organization’s website at www.CollectorsFoundation.org.

The New Jersey Institute of Fashion Charter High School in conjunction with the LenGuire Institute of Fashion, Inc. are completely behind the 10 By 20 Pledge program. Our goal is to create a well rounded individual by not providing academic knowledge but hands on skills that will allow them to always be able to earn a living wage. The U.S. became one of the richest countries in the world thanks to the fashion industry. We must re-claim our market by teaching the technical skills that go hand and hand today with the skills associated with the industry. Let’s teach our youth how to use technology for textile design, fashion design, textile composition, merchandising and marketing, visual arts such as publishing, just to name a few. We must work together to get this message out.

Belinda McGuire, M. Ed. Adm.  The LenGuire Fashion Group     www.lenguire.com

Smart Horizons Career Online Education is the country’s first private, accredited, national school district. We are dedicated to providing convenient, affordable, career-based education to prepare both youth and adults for the workplace. Our students earn a career-credentialed certificate in addition to a high school diploma, to help ensure they are prepared for employment. Our programs are online, and enable people to continue to work full time while completing their diploma and certification. We support the 10 by 20 Pledge, and pledge to continue offering career-based educational opportunities to American workers throughout the country.

Wendy M. Kauffman, COO, Smart Horizons Career Online Education    www.shcoe.org

On behalf of The Orchard Foundation, I am pleased to support the 10 By 20 Pledge for America Campaign. In Central Louisiana, steps are already being taken to ensure that our region is “work-ready”. The Cenla Work Ready Network, launched in spring 2011, is a two-pronged system designed to link education and workforce development efforts and align them with regional economic needs. One goal of the Cenla Work Ready Network is for all Central Louisiana high school students, under-employed or unemployed adults, and incumbent workers to receive work-ready certificates. Another goal is to increase the number of students who receive industry-based certifications in our area high schools. The work is being funded by The Rapides Foundation through a grant to The Orchard Foundation, a nonprofit local education fund that works with school districts, businesses and communities to improve educational opportunities in Central Louisiana. … We pledge our continued expansion of workforce development efforts in Central Louisiana. We will be sharing Center for America’s message and the Pledge Campaign with our Cenla Work Ready Network partners to champion your cause and support expanding skills training in our community.

Marjorie Taylor, Ed.D., Executive Director    www.theorchardfoundation.org

Read Letter

The Haberman Educational Foundation is pleased to endorse the Center for America’s 10 By 20 Pledge Campaign to bring national attention to not only looming skill shortages in the trades and manufacturing, but also to the lack of hands-on know-how and entrepreneurialism among too many of today’s young professionals. With millions retiring in these fields over the next few years and dangerously few in the educational pipeline to take their places, a continuing skilled worker shortage would cause many companies to shrink when we need them to grow. Commensurate with the “hands-on nation” solution envisioned by CFA, the Haberman Foundation is pursuing a strategy of practical action that starts with re-training educators to teach more holistically and experientially and to implement programs that replace the century-old “factory model” school design with those that simulate today’s team-oriented high performance workplace. One such model is the Fast Break accelerated learning program. This intensive, computer-assisted, cross-disciplinary, highly experiential and applied program requires instructors to team teach and integrate instruction in math, reading, communications, employability, and computer applications. It also incorporates career planning and soft skills such as teamwork, customer service, interpersonal relations, conflict resolution and other job readiness skills informed by thinking styles and needs-based communication (emotional intelligence). The results are outstanding – 2-3 grade level gains (1-2 WorkKeys levels) in reading and math in just 8-12 weeks, and 80 percent placement into jobs or college without needing remedial training. With enough programs like Fast Break in high schools, colleges, and workforce training agencies, the U.S. can increase dramatically the pool of young people prepared and ready to enter the skilled occupations so necessary for our future prosperity.

Barry E. Stern, Ph.D., Senior Advisor, Haberman Educational Foundation   www.habermanfoundation.org

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