The way the world works is changing at a rapid pace and workers will need to develop new skills to prevent being left behind. Inclusive, high-quality skills training is one critical job quality intervention that’s needed to ensure that people have access to a better life and local businesses can experience sustained growth.
More than half of the jobs in the U.S. require skills training beyond a high school diploma, but not a four-year degree. However, only 43% have had access to the skills training necessary to fill these careers. This lack of access creates barriers for individuals to succeed and for local businesses to expand.
As CEO of the National Skills Coalition, Robert Espinoza leads a national effort to provide this high-quality skills training—along with viable career pathways, supportive services, and other good jobs measures to promote economic mobility and racial equity—through expert analysis and technical assistance, broad-based organizing, targeted advocacy, and communications. This work has transformed the lives of workers across the country and grown local businesses and economies.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Robert about working with the public and private sectors and the growing older workforce. Below is our conversation, edited for clarity.
Rhett Buttle: As a relatively new CEO, tell us a little bit about yourself and the National Skills Coalition. How do you all think about engaging the public and private sectors?
Robert Espinoza: For nearly 25 years, National Skills Coalition has been advocating for public policies that equip workers with the skills, career pathways, and supportive services to thrive in our economy. Millions of essential jobs nationwide require more than a high school diploma but not a four-year degree, yet we haven’t invested enough in the workforce development infrastructure to support workers in filling these jobs. As a result, too many workers struggle, and local businesses can’t find the talent they need in an ever-changing economy.
That’s where National Skills Coalition comes in. We bring together skills advocates, business leaders, students, and workers to push for bipartisan policies—at both the state and federal levels—that ensure more people can access better opportunities and local businesses can thrive. Our work is grounded in a commitment to racial equity, recognizing that workers and business owners of color have long faced systemic barriers in education and employment.
I joined National Skills Coalition after nearly a decade of advocating for better jobs for home health care workers and nursing assistants and developing smart policies shaped by workers, employers, and policymakers on both sides of the aisle. The direct care workforce, which is larger than any other single occupation in the country, is a powerful example of what workers—often women of color, immigrants, and increasingly older workers—need from our country and what they can give in return.
Rhett Buttle: One of the things we’re hearing more about is the transition to skills-based hiring. Can you describe what that is and how it could reshape how we think about skills?
Robert Espinoza: Skills-based hiring is based on the idea that employers should prioritize a candidate’s skills, competencies, and relevant experience rather than focusing solely on whether they have a college degree. This approach is gaining traction among business and government leaders who realize that degree requirements often prevent capable workers from filling jobs they’re qualified for, especially when they can access quality short-term training and education programs.
A great example of this is the enactment of three major federal laws focused on clean energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure that have poured over $2 trillion into our country’s infrastructure. These laws are projected to generate an average of 2.9 million jobs per year, resulting in 19 million job-years over their lifespan. This is an incredible and much-needed dedication of resources. However, many of the jobs created by these laws require specific skills that can be developed through shorter-term or on-the-job training, highlighting the urgent need for public policies that resource inclusive education and training programs, support a more diverse workforce, and strengthen job standards and protections.
Rhett Buttle: People are living longer, which means many are also working longer. You recently spoke at an AARP conference focused on working with the private sector to support older workers. Can you share more about why this is important to your organization?
Robert Espinoza: It’s baffling to me that policymakers and the workforce development field don’t talk enough about older workers. Research shows that people aged 55 and older made up about 14% of the labor force in 2002, and that number is projected to rise to 24% by 2032. Many of these workers are forced to keep working into their 70s and 80s, often because the jobs they’ve held and the economic challenges they’ve faced haven’t allowed them to save enough for retirement. And let’s not forget, age discrimination in the workplace can start as early as age 40. If our workforce—and our country—is aging so rapidly, why aren’t the needs and strengths of older workers front and center in policy discussions? It’s ageism, plain and simple.
At National Skills Coalition, we’re pushing for policies that ensure workers have access to the skills, career pathways, and supportive services they need to succeed in good jobs throughout their entire lives. This helps workers enter their 50s, 60s, and beyond with greater financial security. We’re also shining a spotlight on the unique needs and opportunities of both older and younger workers—two critical groups that face distinct challenges. However, if they were properly supported, they could help address the labor shortages we’re seeing across the economy.
Rhett Buttle: Historic inequality has impacted nearly every aspect of our society, including the workforce. How does NSC think about creating equitable skills training and career pathways?
Robert Espinoza: It’s crucial to highlight that Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other workers of color have endured racist policies for generations—and this continues today. As a result, a wealth of research shows persistent racial disparities in education, employment, and other areas that can only be explained by this long history of unequal treatment.
Take my paternal grandfather, Charles Espinoza, for example. He was a Latino, unionized steelworker in my hometown of Pueblo, Colorado, from the 1930s until he retired in the early 1970s. He helped grow the railroad industry, which provided stable jobs for generations of workers. Yet, he grew up in the Southwestern part of the country, where Mexican Americans for decades faced discrimination and segregation under “Juan Crow” laws, similar to the Jim Crow laws that harmed Black Americans. Generations of Latinos in the Southwest and beyond have experienced unequal opportunities and constant discrimination, despite the immense contributions we’ve made to this country. This is evident in the higher rates of poverty, significant hardship, and stark wealth disparities: Latino workers earn just 73 cents for every dollar earned by White Americans.
Rhett Buttle: Half of the U.S. workforce is employed by small businesses. What are some of the policies and strategies that can support small businesses and their employees?
Robert Espinoza: Many of the policies championed by National Skills Coalition benefit small and medium-sized businesses, which often struggle to meet the talent demands of a rapidly changing economy. They also face challenges from an underfunded short-term training system that leaves both businesses and workers without access to the skills needed for specialized jobs. And they struggle to offer benefits like childcare, transportation, and other economic supports that help workers succeed on the job. We can address these challenges by supporting training programs like pre-apprenticeships, registered apprenticeships, and postsecondary education, especially for women and workers of color.
Another important strategy is sector partnerships—collaborations among multiple employers, education providers, labor, and community organizations within a specific industry—designed to address both businesses’ workforce needs and workers’ skills development. Finally, networks like National Skills Coalition’s Business Leaders United bring together diverse business leaders to advocate for effective workforce solutions that could serve as national models.
Rhett Buttle: The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is up for reauthorization in Congress. Are there any provisions that NSC is advocating for with this reauthorization?
Robert Espinoza: The reauthorization of WIOA is one of our top priorities, and it must reflect the major changes our country has experienced since it was first enacted. This includes a restructured labor market, the economic impact of the global pandemic, accelerated technological advancements, and the renewed focus on addressing structural racism. WIOA needs significantly more funding and should prioritize equitable, high-quality skills training, economic supports, and pathways to quality jobs. One way to achieve this is by offering new Skills Training Grants and creating a 21st Century Sector Partnerships Grant Program to develop a national network of industry partnerships that promote workforce equity and job quality.
Additionally, WIOA should expand programs like Digital Skills at Work grants and Integrated Education and Training (IET), which help workers build digital, literacy, and language skills in the context of occupational training. It’s also essential to implement better outcome measures, disaggregate data, and bolster evaluation systems to ensure the programs are advancing racial equity and job quality. Strengthening the delivery of WIOA career services is also crucial, with a focus on funding career navigation services, training frontline workers, and partnering with culturally responsive service providers to ensure equity-driven support.
Rhett Buttle: How can the private sector work better with the workforce development ecosystem and why is this beneficial for everyone?
Robert Espinoza: At National Skills Coalition, we’ve shown the value of partnering with the private sector to shape skills policies for workers in two key ways. First, our Business Leaders United network brings together employers from various industries nationwide who collaborate with local partners to train and hire residents for skilled jobs. These employers are also advocating for policymakers to move the needle on workforce development and other job-quality policies. We bring them to Washington, DC, to share their insights and experiences directly with federal lawmakers.
In addition, our state coalition partners in 20 states are working closely with business leaders to push for policies that address the needs of both businesses and workers. One of our core strategies is building consensus by working across differences, and the private sector plays a crucial role in arriving at these solutions.
Rhett Buttle: Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Robert Espinoza: We’re at a pivotal moment for both workers and the economy. We can either maintain the status quo, which leaves millions of workers and their families struggling in poverty and local businesses unable to stay competitive. Or we can envision and fight for a new reality—one that sees all workers as valuable assets who deserve better access to skills training, successful careers, and the supportive services that help both them and their employers thrive.
The choice is clear: invest in workers, and we all succeed.
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