February 20, 2024, 11:00-12:00 CST
Earl Anthony Wayne is a Public Policy Fellow at the Wilson Center, distinguished diplomat in residence at American University, and Career Ambassador, with posts including U.S. Ambassador to Mexico (2011-15) and Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs. The U.S. Senate confirmed him as a Career Ambassador, the highest rank in the US Foreign Service, in 2010. Collaborating with the Wilson Center’s Canada and Mexico Institutes, he also leads work on the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and North America cooperation.
Speaker presentation
North American Workforce Development and Education Cooperation
The North American workforce suffers from alarming skills gaps and mismatches, while its educational sectors have little systematic cooperation. In part, these deficits stem from a lack of cooperation across different levels of workforce development and education. Workers face in relocating to take advantage of opportunities—and of having their education and credentials recognized—while companies struggle to locate and retain a qualified workforce. Similarly, research collaboration and higher educational opportunities in the region have failed to keep pace with the sector’s growth in each country. If left unaddressed, these challenges could undermine North American economic competitiveness. But, despite their significant impacts, these issues have rarely received the sustained, high-level attention accorded to trade and investment. The speakers illustrate how the interlinked questions of workforce development, training, and higher education present great possibilities for cooperative gains; drawing on decades of experience, they advance a vision and specific recommendations for enhancing North America’s competitive edge through greater cooperation in workforce development and tertiary education.