Education, Training and Workforce Development

Early Education Expansion

The Chamber supports public policies that increase the availability of affordable, quality, early childhood learning opportunities and career advancement opportunities for professionals in the early childhood industry, to meet the growing demand and critical importance of early childhood education.

Alignment of Education and Employment

The Chamber supports the strategic development of a skilled workforce that aligns with regional employment opportunities and encourages consistent communication between employers, students and educators. The Chamber supports policies and programs that encourage internships, mentorships and on-thejob training opportunities. The Chamber supports initiatives that increase the understanding of post-secondary education opportunities including costs, employment prospects, and realistic lifetime earning potential in their chosen fields.

21st Century Workforce Skills

The Chamber encourages a curriculum that emphasizes science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) as well as the acquisition of resources necessary to support the STEAM disciplines. Additionally, The Chamber encourages the modernization of education to incorporate effective new technologies and cutting-edge teaching methods beginning with middle and high school learning.

Diversity

The Chamber supports an educational and employment environment that embraces a diverse and equitable workforce and capitalizes on unique talents.

Education Finances

The Chamber supports the allocation of financial resources to support student success. Funding should leverage programs that increase retention and on-time graduation, attract and retain the most effective teachers and accurately reflect population growth. Regarding higher education, The Chamber supports increased programs that increase students understanding of postsecondary education including costs, employment prospects and earning potential in their chosen fields. The Chamber recognizes quality career academy and higher education as one of its top priorities that ensures the economic vitality of our region. The Chamber advocates for a funding level that reflects the importance of higher education and the workforce shortage in order to see the continued success of higher education in North Dakota adequately preparing middle and high school, academy and college students for the workforce. The Chamber advocates for the continuation of the current higher education funding formula in North Dakota and the ability of students to transfer credits they have earned, which lead to timely graduation. The Chamber advocates for continuous and, if necessary, bold improvements to higher education governance.

Workforce Development, Recruitment and Rentention

The Chamber recognizes the continued need to train, recruit and retain a talented workforce, and encourages an integrated approach to meet the workforce needs of employers and employees. The Chamber supports the development and expansion of public and private outreach efforts to promote local opportunities. The Chamber supports programs that provide access to digital skills training, tailoring our workforce strategy to include highly -skilled immigrants, and the strengthening of career counseling programs to reflect all options and opportunities available to students and graduates during and after high school. Furthermore, The Chamber supports developing quality of life programs and initiatives in order to attract and retain a dynamic workforce. In addition, The Chamber supports efforts to reduce the regulatory burden on occupational licensing and reciprocity.