On Tuesday, July 14, the Ad Council — in collaboration with the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board (AWPAB), Apple, IBM and more than 200 members of the White House’ Business Roundtable — launched a new campaign that encourages those whose jobs have been impacted by COVID-19 or who are in search of new careers to seek retraining in other fields, which include trade and vocational training.
The campaign encourages Americans to “find something new” at FindSomethingNew.org, which offers resources to explore a wide range of education and training options, including online and virtual learning., including links to job training and other resources and a 30-second video where speakers discuss the challenges involved with job and career transitions. The interactive site helps people hone a new career and education pathway, obtain information about rising careers according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook , and peruse resources including services for child care, food assistance and internet access.
The Find Something New campaign will appear nationwide in donated time and space across all platforms, including TV, digital, print and out of home. Omnicom media agency OMD is donating media strategy and outreach to support the campaign. Acxiom, Cox Communications, The CW Network, Facebook, Fox Corporation, NBCUniversal and Snap Inc. are among the media organizations who have committed significant support.
The ads direct audiences to FindSomethingNew.org, a new website with resources to help students and adults across the U.S. identify and pursue the right path for their career goals. The website offers an interactive tool that recommends education pathways for each user, information about rising careers to consider and a directory of resources for life services like childcare, food assistance and internet access. Pathways featured include online learning, professional certification programs, associate’s degrees and vocational, technical and trades education.
The campaign ads feature stories from real individuals who found fulfilling careers after embracing new ways of learning. The ads were created pro bono by EightBar, a collective of WPP talent dedicated to IBM, and were filmed remotely to accommodate social distancing.
The AWPAB and Business Roundtable are mobilizing their members and additional leading private companies, policymakers and nonprofit organizations to amplify the campaign’s message and share their commitment to training and hiring workers with these valuable skills. Through the White House’s Pledge to America’s Workers, over 440 leading corporations and trade associations have committed to offering over 16 million training opportunities for American workers over the next five years.
Funding for the campaign is provided by 20 organizations who are committed to promoting workforce readiness for the American public:
- Apple
- AT&T Inc.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America
- Business Roundtable
- Cisco Systems, Inc.
- Duke Energy Corporation
- General Motors Company
- The Home Depot
- IBM
- Johnson & Johnson
- JP Morgan Chase & Co.
- Lockheed Martin
- National Association of Manufacturers
- SAP America
- SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management)
- United Technologies Corporation
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
- Visa
- Walmart
- Western Governors University
“The job market has been shaken in ways none of us have ever seen,” said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “Many Americans need a new way forward and developing their career skills can expand their opportunities. Our Find Something New campaign, backed by an extraordinary coalition of supporters, will empower people all across the country to find the education and training path that’s right for them.”
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple and co-chair of the AWPAB working group responsible for this campaign, added, “Now more than ever, we need to ensure that everyone has the tools they need to succeed and seize new opportunities. To invest in our future, we have to invest in people, in education and the many paths to a well-paying job or starting a new business. This initiative is about empowering people across the nation to discover a more hopeful future for themselves and their families.”
