Retail Industry Forums, Employment & Training Administration (ETA)

High Growth
Job Training Initiative
Executive Forum Information

The President's High Growth Job Training Initiative, as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, is designed to provide national leadership for a demand-driven workforce system that ensures no worker is left behind. It is a strategic effort to prepare workers to take advantage of new and increasing job opportunities in high growth/high demand and economically vital industries and sectors of the American economy. The initiative is designed to ensure that worker training and career development resources in the public workforce system are targeted to helping workers gain the skills and competencies they need to obtain jobs and build successful careers in these industries.

The foundation of this initiative is partnerships that include the public workforce system, business and industry, education and training providers, and economic development working together to develop solutions to the workforce challenges facing these industries and to develop maximum access for American workers to gain the competencies they need to get good jobs in these industries.

Retail

In its efforts to meet the workforce demands of the 21st century economy, the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is conducting forums with various targeted high growth industries.

The Executive Forums are opportunities for senior industry executives to communicate the critical workforce issues facing their industry.

Retail Trade Industry Executive Forum
ETA conducted the Retail Executive Forum in New York City, New York, on January 14, 2003. The retail organizations/individuals attending the Forum included representatives of over 1 million employees; a representative from The National Association for Chain Restaurants, an organization that represents 2 million employees; more than 9,500 retail businesses in all 50 states and the territory of Guam; and twenty-nine regional malls. The following retail companies were represented at the Executive Forum:

Boscov's, Inc.
CVS
Dress Barn
JC Penney Co.
KRAVCO Company
Mosher's Ltd.
National Association of Chain Restaurants
PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc.
Pier 1 Imports, Inc.
Sacino's Formalwear
Saks, Inc.
Target Corporation
Weavers, Inc.
Westfield Shoppingtown

Next Steps
ETA has addressed the workforce issues of the retail industry from a national perspective by conducting an Executive Forum with different sectors of the retail industry to gather relevant information from key industry leaders.

This forum provided ETA and the public workforce system with the opportunity to gain further understanding of the overall critical workforce needs of the industry. After meeting with industry leaders, ETA developed and solidified strategic alliances with business, education, and workforce leaders who are focused on the workforce issues confronting the retail industry and engaged them in developing innovative approaches to addressing their needs.

ETA has partnered with employers and education providers to develop and model skills training solutions nationally that can be replicated and sustained throughout the state and local public workforce system. These approaches will help ensure that workers have the right skills for the right jobs at the right time.