Charlotte’s mayor is going to D.C. to talk with Trump about the nation’s workforce
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles will be in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, talking about workforce development with President Trump and other top White House officials.
Lyles said Monday that she was appointed by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Ivanka Trump, a special advisor and the president’s daughter, to the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board. The group’s first meeting is set to start at 2 p.m. and run for three hours.
The advisory board of two dozen business leaders and politicians was convened to find “ways to encourage the private sector and educational institutions to combat the skills crisis by investing in and increasing demand-driven education, training, and re-training, including training through apprenticeships and work-based learning opportunities.”
Lyles is the only mayor on the advisory board. The Republican National Convention is scheduled to be held in Charlotte next year, and Lyles has drawn praise from local and national Republicans for leading the city’s efforts to bring the convention to Charlotte.
“We have our big convention in your city, as you know,” Trump told Lyles. “A lot of people wanted it and you got it. So congratulations, and I’ll be seeing you soon.”
“We’re getting ready,” Lyles said.
Lyles also touted Charlotte’s rapid growth, such as adding hundreds of new residents a week — many of them coming for new jobs. But she added that not everyone has been included, and brought up the city’s last-place ranking in economic mobility for the poor.
“We have to remember the many people who live in our city who couldn’t qualify for those jobs,” she said, pointing to higher percentages of minorities who drop out of school and don’t have college degrees or certifications. “We know we have a problem.”
Lyles said the city has promoted apprenticeship programs on large, publicly-funded infrastructure expansions such as those by Charlotte Water and Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Those apprenticeships are designed to reach people who might have trouble finding employment.
“We need a system to connect those folks to jobs,” she said. “If they’re not working, what else are they doing?”
The other politicians on the advisory board are the governors of Indiana and Iowa. Other members include Apple CEO Tim Cook, IBM CEO Ginni Rommetty, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, Home Depot CEO Craig Menear, Siemens CEO Barbara Humpton and Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin.
This story was originally published March 6, 2019 at 10:15 AM.
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