U.S. Chamber's Institute for a Competitive Workforce Receives $2.6 Million Grant From Gates Foundation

Receives $2.6 Million Grant From Gates Foundation

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) today announced a $2.6 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop and train a network of business leaders dedicated to improving education in communities nationwide.

"Educating and training Americans for the jobs of the 21st century is essential to long-term economic growth in this country," said Arthur J. Rothkopf, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "This grant will allow the business community to play an active role in improving student success and the United States' ability to compete globally."

A key element of the business network will be a three-day course offered at the Chamber to train the next generation of business leaders to reform our education system. The purpose of the course is to help the business community utilize its assets to drive positive transformation in communities across America. The course will launch this summer with two sessions in 2009 and three sessions in 2010.

"All young people—regardless of race or income—deserve the opportunity to graduate from high school college-ready and to earn a postsecondary credential with real value in the workplace," said Vicki Phillips, director of education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "ICW is uniquely positioned to engage the private sector in this effort and help prepare the next generation of young people for a rapidly changing world."

The Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) is the education and workforce nonpartisan, non-profit, 501(c)3 affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. ICW promotes the rigorous educational standards and effective job training systems needed to preserve the strength of America's greatest economic resource, its workforce.

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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