Establishing the President's National Council for the American Worker

Executive Order 13845 of July 19, 2018

Establishing the President's National Council for
the American Worker

By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, and in order to provide a coordinated process
for developing a national strategy to ensure that
America's students and workers have access to
affordable, relevant, and innovative education and job
training that will equip them to compete and win in the
global economy, and for monitoring the implementation
of that strategy, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Purpose. Our Nation is facing a skills
crisis. There are currently more than 6.7 million
unfilled jobs in the United States, and American
workers, who are our country's most valuable resource,
need the skills training to fill them. At the same
time, the economy is changing at a rapid pace because
of the technology, automation, and artificial
intelligence that is shaping many industries, from
manufacturing to healthcare to retail. For too long,
our country's education and job training programs have
prepared Americans for the economy of the past. The
rapidly changing digital economy requires the United
States to view education and training as encompassing
more than a single period of time in a traditional
classroom. We need to prepare Americans for the 21st
century economy and the emerging industries of the
future. We must foster an environment of lifelong
learning and skills-based training, and cultivate a
demand-driven approach to workforce development. My
Administration will champion effective, results-driven
education and training so that American students and
workers can obtain the skills they need to succeed in
the jobs of today and of the future.

Sec. 2. Policy. It shall be the policy of the executive
branch to work with private employers, educational
institutions, labor unions, other non-profit
organizations, and State, territorial, tribal, and
local governments to update and reshape our education
and job training landscape so that it better meets the
needs of American students, workers, and businesses.

Sec. 3. Establishment and Composition of the
President's National Council for the American Worker.
(a) There is hereby established the President's
National Council for the American Worker (Council), co-
chaired by the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of
Labor, the Assistant to the President for Domestic
Policy, and the Advisor to the President overseeing the
Office of Economic Initiatives (Co-Chairs).

    (b) In addition to the Co-Chairs, the Council shall
include the following officials, or their designees:

(i) the Secretary of the Treasury;

(ii) the Secretary of Education;

(iii) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;

(iv) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;

(v) the Administrator of the Small Business Administration;

(vi) the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy
Coordination;

(vii) the Director of the National Economic Council;

(viii) the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers;

(ix) the Director of the National Science Foundation; and

(x) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Sec. 4. Additional Invitees. As appropriate and
consistent with applicable law, the Co-Chairs may, from
time to time, invite the heads of other executive
departments and agencies (agencies), or other senior
officials in the White House Office, to attend meetings
of the Council.

Sec. 5. Council Meetings. The Co-Chairs shall convene
meetings of the Council at least once per quarter.

Sec. 6. Functions of the Council. (a) The Council shall
develop recommendations for the President on policy and
strategy related to the American workforce, and perform
such other duties as the President may from time to
time prescribe.

    (b) The Council shall develop recommendations for:

(i) a national strategy for empowering American workers, which shall
include recommendations on how the Federal Government can work with private
employers, educational institutions, labor unions, other non-profit
organizations, and State, territorial, tribal, and local governments to
create and promote workforce development strategies that provide evidence-
based, affordable education and skills-based training for youth and adults
to prepare them for the jobs of today and of the future;

(ii) fostering close coordination, cooperation, and information exchange
among the Federal Government, private employers, educational institutions,
labor unions, other non-profit organizations, and State, territorial,
tribal, and local governments as related to issues concerning the education
and training of Americans; and

(iii) working with agencies to foster consistency in implementing policies
and actions developed under this order.

Sec. 7. Initial Tasks of Council. Within 180 days of
the date of this order, the Council shall:

    (a) develop a national campaign to raise awareness
of matters considered by the Council, such as the
urgency of the skills crisis; the importance of
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
education; the creation of new industries and job
opportunities spurred by emerging technologies, such as
artificial intelligence; the nature of many careers in
the trades and manufacturing; and the need for
companies to invest in the training and re-training of
their workers and more clearly define the skills and
competencies that jobs require;
    (b) develop a plan for recognizing companies that
demonstrate excellence in workplace education,
training, and re-training policies and investments, in
order to galvanize industries to identify and adopt
best practices, innovate their workplace policies, and
invest in their workforces;
    (c) examine how the Congress and the executive
branch can work with private employers, educational
institutions, labor unions, other non-profit
organizations, and State, territorial, tribal, and
local governments to support the implementation of
recommendations from the Task Force on Apprenticeship
Expansion established in Executive Order 13801 of June
15, 2017 (Expanding Apprenticeships in America),
including recommendations related to:

(i) developing and increasing the use of industry-recognized, portable
credentials by experienced workers seeking further education, displaced
workers seeking skills to secure new jobs, students enrolled in
postsecondary education, and younger Americans who are exploring career and
education options before entering the workforce;

(ii) increasing apprenticeship, earn-and-learn, and work-based learning
opportunities;

(iii) expanding the use of online learning resources; and

(iv) increasing the number of partnerships around the country between
companies, local educational institutions, and other entities, including
local governments, labor unions, workforce development boards, and other
non-profit organizations, in an effort to understand the types of skills
that are required by employers so that educational institutions can
recalibrate their efforts toward the development and delivery of more
effective training programs.

    (d) consider the recommendations of the American
Workforce Policy Advisory Board (Board) established in
section 8 of this order and, as appropriate, adopt
recommendations that would significantly advance the
objectives of the Council. The Council shall continue
to consider and, as appropriate, adopt the Board's
recommendations beyond the initial 180-day period
provided by this section;
    (e) recommend a specific course of action for
increasing transparency related to education and job-
training program options, including those offered at 4-
year institutions and community colleges. The Council
shall also propose ways to increase access to available
job data, including data on industries and geographic
locations with the greatest numbers of open jobs and
projected future opportunities, as well as the
underlying skills required to fill open jobs, so that
American students and workers can make the most
informed decisions possible regarding their education,
job selection, and career paths. The Council shall also
propose strategies for how best to use existing data
tools to support informed decision making for American
students and workers;
    (f) develop recommendations on how the public
sector should engage with the private sector in worker
re-training, including through the use of online
learning resources. In developing these
recommendations, the Council shall examine existing
private sector efforts to re-train workers or develop
them professionally, and consider how investments in
worker training and re-training programs compare to
investments in other human-resource related areas, such
as recruitment, health benefits, and retirement
benefits; and
    (g) examine public and private-sector expenditures,
including tax expenditures, related to providing
Americans with knowledge and skills that will enable
them to succeed in the workplace at various stages of
life (such as during primary and secondary education,
postsecondary education, continuing professional
development, and re-training), consider the
effectiveness of those expenditures, and make
suggestions for reforms in order to serve American
workers and students better.

Sec. 8. Establishment of the American Workforce Policy
Advisory Board. (a) There is hereby established the
American Workforce Policy Advisory Board.

    (b) The Board shall be composed and function as
follows:

(i) The Board shall be composed of the Secretary of Commerce and the
Advisor to the President overseeing the Office of Economic Initiatives, and
up to 25 members appointed by the President from among citizens outside the
Federal Government, and shall include individuals chosen to serve as
representatives of the various sectors of the economy, including the
private sector, employers, educational institutions, and States, to offer
diverse perspectives on how the Federal Government can improve education,
training, and re-training for American workers;

(ii) The Board shall be co-chaired by the Secretary of Commerce and the
Advisor to the President overseeing the Office of Economic Initiatives;

(iii) Members appointed to the Board shall serve for a term of 2 years. If
the term of the Board established in subsection (a) of this section is
extended, members shall be eligible for reappointment, and may continue to
serve after the expiration of their terms until the appointment of a
successor;

(iv) The Board shall advise the Council on the workforce policy of the
United States. Specific activities of the Board shall include, to the
extent

permitted by law, recommending steps to encourage the private sector and
educational institutions to combat the skills crisis by investing in and
increasing demand-driven education, training, and re-training, including
through apprenticeships and work-based learning opportunities;

(v) Members of the Board shall serve without any compensation for their
work on the Board. Members of the Board, while engaged in the work of the
Board, may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of
subsistence, to the extent permitted by law for persons serving
intermittently in Government service (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707), consistent with
the availability of funds;

(vi) The Board shall terminate 2 years after the date of this order, unless
extended by the President; and

(vii) Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C.
App.), may apply to the Board, any functions of the President under that
Act, except for those in section 6 and section 14 of that Act, shall be
performed by the Secretary of Commerce, in accordance with the guidelines
issued by the Administrator of General Services.

Sec. 9. Administrative Provisions. (a) The Department
of Commerce shall provide the Council and the Board
with funding and administrative support as may be
necessary for the performance of their functions.

    (b) The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with
the Co-Chairs of the Council, shall designate an
official to serve as Executive Director, to coordinate
the day-to-day functions of the Council.
    (c) To the extent permitted by law, including the
Economy Act (31 U.S.C. 1535), and subject to the
availability of appropriations, other agencies may
detail staff to the Council, or otherwise provide
administrative support, in order to advance the
Council's functions.
    (d) Agencies shall cooperate with the Council and
provide such information regarding its current and
planned activities related to policies that affect the
American workforce as the Co-Chairs shall reasonably
request, to the extent permitted by law.

Sec. 10. Termination of Council. The Council shall
terminate 2 years after the date of this order, unless
extended by the President.

Sec. 11. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.

    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.

    (Presidential Sig.)

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    July 19, 2018.