Trump: Pledge for more career opportunities helped 6 million

WASHINGTON — Four months after signing an executive order creating the National Council for the American Worker, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that more than 160 companies and organizations have pledged to provide more than 6 million new career opportunities for Americans.

Trump said that since unveiling his "Pledge to America's Workers," businesses and groups have promised to create 6.39 million new opportunities for workers. The pledge includes apprenticeships, continuing education, on-the-job-training and retraining.

When the pledge was unveiled in July, Trump announced that more than 20 companies had promised to provide career opportunities to more than 3.8 million people. Since then, an additional 120 companies and associations have joined the effort.

"This represents an enormous opportunity for us to think about making sure that every American worker is equipped with the skills they need, whether they're in high school and they're looking to graduate and have a job ready for them upon graduation, or whether they're a mid- to late-career worker who is looking for an opportunity to learn a new skill or learn a new trade," said Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter and senior adviser.

"No federal funds are involved in this at all," she added.

The president's 2016 Republican campaign included a pitch to help the "forgotten men and women" who have suffered amid globalization and a shifting economy.

AP