NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, at the
Council on Foreign Relations, United Technologies' (NYSE: UTX)
Chairman & CEO Gregory Hayes said that employee education and
skills training needs to be a priority for our country, as he made
the case for business to take the lead in educating today's workers
for tomorrow's jobs. Business should provide employees the
opportunity to gain new skills and should partner more closely with
state, local and federal governments, unions and educational
institutions, Hayes explained.
"When business takes the lead in providing employees with the
opportunity to gain new skills, it is the ultimate public-private
partnership—delivering benefits to companies, employees and broader
society as a whole," he said. "Employee education and skills
training need to be a priority for our country."
NOTE: To read full the remarks, as prepared, for today's
Council on Foreign Relations CEO Speakers Series event, click
here. The Council on Foreign Relations will post a full
video of the conversation on their CEO Speaker Series page
here.
Using United Technologies' Employee Scholar Program as an
example of the value education and lifelong learning bring to
business and society alike, Hayes called on the private sector to
provide education and skills retraining and the government to
reform the tax code to "give education the gravitas it deserves."
This includes incentivizing employees to participate in education
programs:
- Tuition reimbursement should not be treated as taxable income
for employees. "We should encourage and celebrate those who have
the initiative to expand their education," Hayes said.
- Higher education costs should be tax deductible, the way
mortgage interest is tax deductible to encourage home
ownership.
"We have great reason to be optimistic about the future, here in
the U.S. and around the world," Hayes said. "We have to do more...
We all need to do a better job of helping our workforce adapt to
change and seize the opportunities that are and will be out there."
About United Technologies
United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides
high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace
industries. By combining a passion for science with precision
engineering, the company is creating smart, sustainable solutions
the world needs. For more information about the company, visit our
website at www.utc.com or follow us on Twitter: @UTC.
Contact:
Alberto Canal
(860) 728-6392
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SOURCE United Technologies Corp.