The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated a decade of planned technological change in workplaces around the country in less than one year. Because we don't have a national policy strategy to help workers build digital skills throughout their careers, these shifts threaten to deepen racial inequality and slow economic recovery.
The pandemic demonstrated the urgency of putting high-quality, connected technology in more hands. But it also made clear that we won't close the digital divide or realize our nation's economic potential until we empower all workers to adapt to technology's constant evolution in the workplace.
America needs a comprehensive policy strategy for digital equity at work. Policymakers have the power to put a strategy in place that guarantees foundational digital skills for all, lifelong upskilling for current workers, and rapid re-skilling for those who've lost their job.
A strategy that supports essential work and closes the digital divide should be based in five key principles:
1. High quality hardware in all hands - The pandemic laid bare the connection between access to personal devices and access to education, training, jobs, healthcare, support services, and social networks. We must put high quality hardware in all hands.
2. Every community connected - Like clean water and electricity, broadband is a foundational utility. But the pandemic has revealed that broadband is America's most inequitable utility. We must connect every community.
3. A digital skill foundation for all - Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. need to build foundational digital skills to harness the power of connected devices. Every person must have the opportunity to develop broad-based, flexible digital problem-solving skills for current technologies and ongoing technological shifts.
4. Upskilling for every worker in every workplace - Technology is impacting different industries and occupations in different ways. We must empower every worker with industry- and occupational-specific digital skills to adapt and advance in their careers.
5. Rapid reskilling for rapid re-employment - Each industry has specific technical demands. Overnight the pandemic brought structural shifts to our labor market, reminding us that every worker must have access to rapid reskilling to move from one industry to another.
Will you co-sign these principles and join our movement for digital equity @ work today?