The CEW team are pioneers. We conceive and lead long-term, systems change in education and workforce, the underpinnings of American competitiveness and prosperity. Our work is differentiated by our ability to knit together the entire spectrum—from early childhood education, childcare and k-12 education, to employment, skills, and training.

We develop game-changing thought leadership for the employer community, and we produce solutions that employers need to take action and to address some of their most pressing challenges. In everything we do, we aim to create more opportunities and options for people and communities to thrive.

 

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Key Programs

As a center within the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, a 501(c)(3), and affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a 501(c)(6), our programs and research address issues that impact economic prosperity and opportunity. Several members on our CEW team are dual hatted as Chamber lobbyists, which creates a one-stop-shop for for members and employers by providing a unique programmatic perspective to building solutions that inform public policy.

 

Early Childhood Education and Childcare

Promoting access to high quality childcare as a critical workforce issue and enabler of economic recovery from the pandemic. Activities include producing research on economic impact at the state level and working with the Chamber to introduce a federal policy agenda.

K-12 Education

Helping the business community participate effectively in education reform activities at the local level, where most education decisions are made. Key issues include standards, measuring learning, creating strong accountability systems, ensuring broadband access, and public school choice options. Our work also focuses on measuring the impact of learning loss created by the pandemic, to ensure education standards are kept in place and necessary viewpoints from the business community are considered.

Business Leads

The Business Leads Fellowship Program develops business leaders to be education and workforce champions within their community. The backbone of the program is to better connect education systems and students to opportunity and equip chambers of commerce and associations with the tools necessary to implement change in the education and workforce pipeline.

Employment, Skills, and Training

Talent Pipeline Management^®

TPM® is designed to solve a persistent issue for the business community – what is taught in the classroom doesn’t match what is required for careers. Currently running in 40 states, the TPM Academy® delivers a curriculum based on principles of supply chain management and teaches employers how to rethink how they acquire human talent.   

T3 Innovation Network™

The network comprises more than 500 organizations working together to solve a crux issue in workforce – the interoperability and seamless sharing of data across employers, higher ed, community colleges, vocational schools, the military, and job seekers.  The vision: job seekers will have a portable “learner/employer version” of electronic health records.

JEDx

The Jobs and Employment Data Exchange (JEDx) initiative will give real-time data about the labor market, so employers know what jobs and skills are available and needed today. JEDx will streamline and improve how employers report data to government agencies, produce better longitudinal data about jobs and employment to power new workforce analytics while protecting privacy, and empower Americans with data and trusted records to verify their work history and eligibility for benefits.

Talent Finance

CEW’s newest initiative launched in 2020 to solve a third persistent issue in workforce – how we finance and invest in education, training, and upskilling. Student debt, for example, is hindering prosperity and the American Dream, so this initiative is bringing together experts and companies like JPMC to reimagine and pilot new finance tools and policy agendas.