Lack of Trained Work Force Could Stymie Tech, Say US Officials, Others
A trained workforce is critical to 5G and other high tech, officials said Monday at a Heritage Foundation event. James Redstone, special assistant to President Donald Trump, said the president fully supports workforce training and is making it a priority.…
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“Even in this midst of this strong and growing economy, workers remain wary about what the future holds,” said Rachel Greszler, Heritage research fellow. "There’s fear that automation could replace workers’ jobs.” Without the 5G network, "we’re going to have a challenge on our hands,” said Grant Seiffert, Wireless Infrastructure Association vice president-workforce development. Training and education won’t work "unless you have employers at the table,” Redstone said. That’s why the administration pushes apprenticeship programs, he said. “Nobody knows better than employers what skills they’re looking for so wherever possible, [we] want them to be at the table.” The problem "is so similar in so many industries,” said Robert Chiappetta, director-government affairs at Toyota Motor North America, which considers itself primarily a tech company. “The school system, the education system, isn’t really keeping pace with what we need,” he said. There are more Latin classes in U.S. high schools than computer science classes, said Suhail Khan, Microsoft director-external affairs. Schools offer “basic” computer science classes, “but they’re not geared to the best and brightest,” he said. Khan said Trump has been "a great champion” of funding for computer science education.