WH to Jobless: Find Something New      07/14 06:29

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new White House-backed ad campaign aims to encourage 
people who are unemployed or unhappy in their jobs or careers to go out and 
"find something new."

   The opening ad in the "Find Something New" campaign beginning Tuesday 
features ordinary people sharing their stories. A companion website provides 
links to training and other resources.

   The Trump administration has long emphasized skills-based job and vocational 
training as an alternative to two- or four-year college degree programs, 
arguing that college isn't for everyone and that many jobs don't require a 
degree.

   But the long-in-the-works effort has taken on a new sense of urgency after 
the coronavirus outbreak cost millions of people their jobs, many of which may 
be lost forever.

   The campaign is a product of the White House's American Workforce Policy 
Advisory Board, which President Donald Trump created in 2018. The board is 
co-chaired by Trump's daughter and White House adviser, Ivanka Trump, and 
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

   "There has never been a more critical time for Americans of all ages and 
backgrounds to be aware of the multiple pathways to career success and gain the 
vocational training and skills they need to fill jobs in a changing economy," 
said Ivanka Trump, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton 
School.

   The nonprofit Ad Council on Tuesday was announcing "Find Something New," 
which it created in collaboration with IBM, Apple and members of the Business 
Roundtable, along with the White House and the workforce policy advisory board.

   The initial 30-second spot features ordinary people talking about their 
experiences with career challenges and transitions. Among them are a fitness 
instructor who completed an apprenticeship program and became a welder after 
her gym went under, and a man who lost his job twice in one year, took online 
certification courses and now works as a tech consultant.

   "I got laid off twice, but you got to keep going," the man says, adding 
later on in the ad: "I'm now a consultant in the tech space."

   Another woman says she had no career plan after finishing high school, but 
"I found a medical course online" and became a phlebotomist. "You will find 
something," she says.

   The companion website offers links to education and training options, 
including online and virtual learning.

   Additional ads are expected to be produced. All will appear nationwide 
across TV, digital and print platforms in time and space donated by various 
media companies, the Ad Council said.

   Funding was provided by more than 20 corporations and organizations, 
including Apple, IBM and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

   The Ad Council declined to disclose the cost of the campaign. which will run 
at least through the end of the year.