The successful implementation of a North American Workforce Development Agenda depends on joint collaboration and multistakeholder involvement among national and subnational governments, businesses, academia, and other relevant groups, including unions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The three governments should identify and work to scale up successful partnerships and programs already underway across the continent.  This collaboration might best start by building on the needs of sectors of particular importance in existing production networks that link the economies, such as the vehicle sector, and those of emerging importance such as “greener” energy production.  By sharing workforce solutions, North America will be able to strengthen its critical coproduction and value chains and bolster its ability to compete in a global marketplace, including against powerhouses like China, while helping the continent’s workers.

This policy brief is part of our series "North America 2.0: Forging a Continental Future". The policy briefs will be released individually and published as a volume in 2021.