U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced today that the IPEF Upskilling Initiative has surpassed its initial goal, delivering over 10.9 million upskilling opportunities through in-person, hybrid, and online formats. This achievement exceeds the original target of 7 million opportunities by 2032.
The initiative, launched in September 2022 in partnership with The Asia Foundation, aims to support sustainable and inclusive economic growth by providing digital skills training to emerging and middle-income partners within the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). Notably, it has benefited over 5.2 million women and girls across eight participating countries.
"Two years after the launch of the IPEF Upskilling Initiative, we are delivering on our promise for real progress to build a more inclusive, sustainable economy," said Raimondo. "I am thrilled that our public-private partnership already exceeded our commitment to provide 7 million upskilling opportunities in the digital economy to our IPEF partners."
The program reflects strong U.S. support for long-term economic development in IPEF partner countries and highlights effective collaboration between government and industry.
Laurel Miller, President and CEO of The Asia Foundation, emphasized the importance of digital skills: "Limited internet access, low digital literacy, and unequal access to advanced digital skills remain pervasive challenges... The IPEF Upskilling Initiative is an exciting example of how the private sector can contribute collectively to overcoming these challenges."
Several major companies have participated in this initiative:
- Apple CEO Tim Cook stated: "We’re proud to support education programs around the world that help people learn the skills to excel in the modern workforce."
- Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins highlighted their success: "We’re thrilled to have exceeded our goal of connecting 50,000 women annually with free digital skills training."
- Google’s Scott Beaumont noted: "Google is honored to participate... committed to provide inclusive digital skills training for women and women-led small businesses."
- IBM Chairman Arvind Krishna reported significant progress: "IBM has made significant progress on our goal to train 1 million women and girls... with nearly 650,000 learners already engaged."
- Mastercard’s Jon Huntsman Jr. discussed their mission: "Programs like our Girls4Tech initiative... are designed for exactly this reason."
- Visa CEO Ryan McInerney mentioned their efforts: "We are working with a network of partners that will enable more women entrepreneurs to access the digital economy."
- HP Inc.’s Enrique Lores underscored their commitment: "We are proud to support the IPEF Upskilling Initiative as part of our commitment to accelerate digital equity for 150 million people by 2030."
- Amazon's Shannon Kellogg reiterated their dedication: “Digital skills training will help more women climb the economic ladder through increased career opportunities.”
The success of this initiative underscores a collective effort towards equipping underserved communities with essential digital skills needed for economic participation.
