5 Steps to Gain New Skills Training During and After a Pandemic

With millions of people unemployed due to COVID-19 and a new generation emerging, what is the vision for the next 10 years and who will provide the skills training for future builders?

This new year, 2021, will pose a great challenge to millions of Black and Brown youths and adults who are seeking job skills and employment while many companies are having difficulties retaining skilled workers or providing training for current employees during this pandemic. The manufacturing industry, well before COVID-19, in the United States was experiencing, what has

been called, a “skills gap” dilemma, meaning the industry lacked qualified applicants or talent,

capable of properly, and safely, performing the required tasks for the job. This global pandemic

now affecting every economy has forced all industries to rethink the way in which they conduct

business and training.

Knowing that the global impact of a failing economy will disproportionately affect Black and

Brown people, there are several urgent questions facing us: what is the vision for our next 10

years, who will provide the skills training for future builders, and when can we start? Our children

and grandchildren can not, and should not, have to wait until they mature to address this concern

themselves. Our elders who endured horrific circumstances and overwhelming challenges has

now passed the torch to us and we must do right by them and provide knowledge the future can

use to sustain their families and communities. We must build.