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the president: chancellor,thank you very much. such a great honor to getto know you, to be with you. i want to thank all of thebusiness leaders who have joined us to discussa subject that's very important to me --training our workforce for the 21st century,especially with respect to manufacturing jobs. we're working every dayto bring back jobs to our

country, and thousandsand thousands are already coming back. you're seeing it, you'rereading about it in the papers every single day. we want to make sure thatwe have the workforce development programs weneed to ensure these jobs are being filled byamerican workers. germany and the unitedstates have incredible opportunity to deepen ourpartnership as we continue

to develop a strongworkforce in both of our countries. both germany and theunited states are pioneeringjob-training programs. here in the united states,companies have created revolutionary high-techand online courses. and, of course, fordecades, germany has been a model for highlysuccessful apprenticeship -- that's a name ilike, "apprentice" --

apprenticeship programs. as a result, germany'syouth unemployment rate is much lower than many ofthe other countries, especially theeu countries. i welcome collaborationbetween our two countries and our industry leaders. we have some of our greatindustry leaders here, as you know, chancellor. great people.

we must embrace new andeffective job-training approaches, includingonline courses, high school curriculums, andprivate-sector investment that prepare people fortrade, manufacturing, technology, and otherreally well-paying jobs and careers. these kinds of options canbe a positive alternative to a four-year degree. so many people go tocollege, four years, they

don't like it, they're notnecessarily good at it, but they're good at otherthings, like fixing engines andbuilding things. i see it all the time, andi've seen it -- when i went to school, i saw it. i sat next to people thatweren't necessarily good students but they couldtake an engine apart blindfolded. companies across thecountry have a chance to

develop vocationaltraining programs that will meet their growingneeds and to help us achieve greaterprosperity. the german apprenticeshipmodel is one of the proven programs to developing ahighly skilled workforce. germany has been amazingat this, and i'm glad that the leaders of so manycompanies represented today have recentlylaunched successful programs right herein the united states.

and we need that becausewe're training people as the jobs are pouring backin -- and they are coming back in big league. i believe that bothcountries will be stronger if we continue to deepenour bilateral cooperation on vocational trainingas we build off the best ideas, create the greatestopportunity for growth, and improve the livesof so many workers. i want to thankeverybody in the room.

i want to thank mydaughter ivanka, who's with us today. and mostly -- and most ofall, i want to thank -- chancellor, i want tothank you very much. it's a great honor to haveyou in the white house. it's a great honor to haveyou in the united states. and i look forward tospending time with you. thank you. chancellor merkel: (speaksgerman.)

the president: maybe before the press leaves i'd like to ask some of the folks around-- the great leaders of industry and business tointroduce themselves, say a couple of words. and then we'll get onto alittle bit more private meeting, okay? ginni. ms. rometty: okay. i'm ginnirometty with ibm.

and we're going to talkabout two programs. one is a certificationprogram, which, mr. president, today,we're going to announce 2,000 veterans thatwe're certifying in cybersecurityto be employed. and then the second issomething called p-tech, a public-privatepartnership. think of it as a six-yearhigh school, but the graduates come out with anassociate degree and with

a curriculum thatbusiness will hire. and we will have 100schools by the end of the year. and you'll meet one ofour recent graduates. in a second, janielrichards will introduce herself and tell you aboutherself -- trained at the intersection of businessand technology. the president: great job. participant: we'vefound that a lot of the

private-sector companieshave done a great job trying to train theworkforce for the jobs that they need, thejobs of the future. in a lot of cases inamerica, we're finding that we don't have enoughqualified applicants for the jobs that we haveavailable, so in working with the private sector --and ginni has been a great leader of that -- thewhite house has been trying to get behind a lotof these programs that can

help make sure we'retraining the american people for the jobs thatwe're hopefully going to be producingin the future. secretary ross: our hopeis that, today, we really come with a way forward,some specific programs where we can interactbetween the educational community, the businesscommunity, and the government. because this is amonumental problem that

needs a monumentalsolution. ms. richards: thank youfor the introduction. good afternoon, all. thank you for theopportunity to share my story. it is both an honor and apleasure to be here today. as mentioned, my nameis janiel richards. in am 19 years old, andi am from east new york brooklyn. enrolling in ibm's p-techschool was the best

decision for me personallyand professionally. i did not fully realizethe weight of the opportunity i was given;however, looking back, it was a life chance. p-tech strengthened myconfidence and provided me with mentors whohelped me strive. i learned the importanceof understanding computers, and gained newskills in both coding and programming.

i graduated the program infour and a half years -- relatively early -- andi graduated with my high school diploma andassociate's degree in computer science, as well as internship experience at ibm. i learned that technologyis omnipresent and opens endless doors. i am now a digitalcommerce design developer at ibm, where i use myskills to create website

pages and checkout pagesfor the marketplace. i'm also pursuing mybachelor's degree at early college. without the support ofp-tech and ibm, i would not be where i am today. i believe that everystudent should be offered this chance. thank you all. the president:that's a great job.

thank you very much. great job. wow. who wants to follow that? (laughter.) mr. kaeser: mr. president, chancellor, vice president, my name isjoe kaeser, and i work for siemens. it's a company which hasbeen in this great country

for more than 160 years. we produce revenues andservices worth $24 billion every year, and 60manufacturing sites in all 50 states in the country. so thank you forwhat you're doing. (inaudible) in thataspect we brought the apprenticeship to thecountry, which has, in the meantime, also (inaudible)department of labor, so we roll it out everywherein the community.

and i feel very honoredtoday to be part of an initiative that brings notonly the apprenticeship and the training for thecurrent manufacturing into play, but also thenext generation of manufacturing goingforward so we combine the present and the futurefor our great america and great manufacturing. great companytoo, by the way. great company.

marc. mr. benioff: well,thank you very much, mr. president, i amdelighted to be here, and great to see you and thevice president as well. salesforce, as you know,is the fastest-growing of the top five softwarecompanies in the world today, and we're on a pathto create 2 million jobs and add 200 gdp to theworld economy through our platform.

our software, as you know,90 percent is engineered here in the united states,and, as the vice president knows, handmade inindianapolis and in san francisco, where i'm from. and i'll tell you, as wehave kind of created these jobs all over the world,i see a great opportunity right here in theunited states to create apprenticeships. and we'd love to encourageyou to take a moonshot

goal to create 5 millionapprenticeships in the next five years. and i think the key is,is that we see all these great programs and allthese great companies doing workforcedevelopment. but if we all cametogether, if we all unified and created agreat program with your leadership, i think wecould create this 5 million extrajobs in the u.s.

and you know, ourcompanies are some of the greatest universitiesin the world. we shape these employees,we train them, we educate them, we bring them in,and i think we can do this. i think this isreally exciting. the president: well,congratulations, and you're going anincredible job. and nice to know you.

and really, what you'vedone is just amazing. and let's do that, let'sgo for that 5 million. okay? very good. ivanka, go ahead. say something. ms. trump: thank you. and welcome, chancellor,and to the many u.s. and german ceos who arehere today to discuss

vocational education andworkforce development. i applaud my father'scommitment to creating millions of jobs, andspecifically making sure that all americans havethe skills required and necessary to fill the jobsboth of today and of the future. as many of us realize,ingenuity, creativity often comes from thedetermination of the private sector, so it'sgreat to have such great

private sector leadershere to share their thoughts and bestpractices with us today. and thank youfor being here. the president: klaus. mr. rosenfeld: mr.president, madam chancellor, ladies andgentlemen, my name is klaus rosenfeld. i am the ceoof schaeffler. schaeffler is a globalautomotive and industrial

supplier with morethan $14 billion u.s. sales, around 87,000people globally and 75 clients. we manufacture bearingsand other high-precision components and systemsfor a broad variety of applications and sectors. our products areeverywhere where things turn, be it in cars,machines, airplanes, trucks, or even inwashing machines.

the company isfamily-owned, so we place great value on a culturewhere we think long-term and focus on quality,technology, and innovation. for us, the employee hasalways been critical, and will always be critical. we have started businessin 1969 in south carolina. since then, the schaefflerfamily has invested more than a billion inthe palmetto state.

we have grown throughacquisitions. we're about to finishmultimillion expansions in ohio and south carolina. for us, the u.s. is critical. we have started our firstprogram here in the '80s -- 1980 in wooster, ohio-- and since then we have spent a lot of money invocational dual training. thank you very much,mr. president.

the president: thank you. thank you,klaus, very much. mr. kruger: thank you,mr. president and mr. vice president. from my side, thankyou for inviting us. yeah, it's a greatpleasure for us, for me. i would like to explainwhy, at bmw, we call the united states of americaour second home. i'm proud to be herebecause we were -- nearly

25 years ago we werefounding our biggest plant in the bmw group networkin south carolina. we created 9,000 jobs, andwe know that in the area around south carolina,i know we created an additional 4 to 5 to 6, 7jobs -- the 9,000 people we employ at bmwin south carolina. we have invested heavilyin the further education and training andvocational training. it was around about $200million in the last five

years, and i can committhat we will invest another $200 million intotraining in the we are proud, as we arethe biggest net exporter of vehicles inthe united states. we have an annual net(inaudible) of $10 billion -- exported fromsouth carolina. seventy percent of ourproduction is being exported. and i'm proud to be herebecause we have one

apprentice who's with usfrom -- we have two main programs at spartanburg, abmw scholar program, which was founded in 2011 andhas around about 100 people in the program, andthey graduate and create -- get a great job at bmw. we are very proud on theskillset -- we need them for maintenance jobs. and i would like to talkabout as well employment of skilled veterans, whichwe are setting up with our

dealers in the unitedstates to have their highly qualified veteransworking for bmw dealers in the future. the president: well, i'veseen your plant in south carolina. it is incredible. and congratulations,that's really great. mr. kruger: thank you. may i invite you for the25th anniversary in june?

the president: i know i shouldn't have said that. you know what, if i can, i will do it. mr. kruger: thankyou very much. the president: i wish icould, but if i can i'll do it. absolutely. ms. davis: mr. president,madam chancellor, ladies and gentlemen, my name ismarie davis, and i work at

schaeffler's automotiveand industrial plant in cheraw, south carolina. cheraw is a small townwith a population of 5,800, and is nicknamed"the prettiest town in dixie." it is a great honor forme to be here today along with my peers --apprentice chad robinson with siemens gas turbineplant of charlotte, north carolina, and mariapuckett with bmw, from bmw

plant spartanburg, southcarolina -- and to be able to share my experienceswith you regarding the schaefflerapprenticeship program. bmw and siemens also havevery similar programs. i joined the air forceafter high school and served for four years. after returning home,i applied to and was accepted into theschaeffler apprenticeship program.

this is a very uniquethree-year program of classroom and hands-onexperience, completed in conjunction withnortheastern technical college, which provided mewith special skills for my career. as part of the program,i also received an associate's degree inmachine tool technology and a department of laborcertificate as a certified journeyman apprentice.

after completing myapprenticeship, i worked as a cnc operator,was then promoted to (inaudible) leader, and amnow planned maintenance supervisor. i am very glad that suchan apprenticeship program existed in cheraw, whichallowed me to start and build my careerwith schaeffler. i hope that more companieswill follow bmw, siemens, and schaeffler and offerapprenticeship programs to

develop skills thatwill allow for more manufacturing inthe united states. it is an incredibleprivilege to be invited here today. thank you so muchfor listening to me. the president:thank you very much. very nice. i know this one. mr. liveris: mr. president and madame chancellor,

what an honorit is for me to be here. i'm andrew liverisfrom dow chemical. i feel like germany isour home, to match my bmw colleague's pointabout the u.s. being home. we have been in germany,and in fact the chancellor's backyard offormer eastern germany for a long time. and the chancellor gracedus with a visit to our

apprenticeship programthere which -- mr. president, the twothings i want to talk about today is in factapprenticeship, and -- there's a book here that ican show which has dow and siemens' name on it. and just to let you knowthat we are working already together as twocollaborators across the atlantic to actually scaleup programs like the one that was mentioned by theyoung lady to my right.

so i want to talk aboutthat and how we can scale it up through this greatleadership that you're showing. and i also want to talkabout veterans and displaced workers,especially in places like michigan, wherewe are based. we have community collegework called fast start, which is taking displacedworkers and reskilling them.

when new tech meetsindustrial tech, as madame chancellor says,opportunity is there. but we've got to createit by scaling right. so i want to alsotalk about that. and my last comment is, abig thank you for lending us or giving usivanka and jared. they've been a tremendousduo in making this program real in very short weeks. the vice president: thankyou, mr. president.

let me just express myappreciation, along with the president, for theparticipants in this important conversation. all the businesses thatare gathered here from across the united statesand across germany are an inspiration, and theinnovation that you're bringing to career andtechnical and vocational education and toapprenticeship. i'm especially impressed,mr. president, with

janiel, and i don't knowthat i've seen a more inspiring debut at thecabinet table than anyone. let me also express my appreciation to the chancellor forsuggesting that we bring together, across theatlantic, business leaders who have really beenbreaking new ground in this area, for whichgermany is so celebrated. we're grateful for yourleadership and look forward to sharingideas about how we can

strengthen the workforcein both of our countries. and lastly, let me justthank the president. as a former governor froma great manufacturing state, i can tell you thatone of our very first conversations was aboutthe innovation that indiana was bringing tocareer and technical and vocational education. i can assure you that thepassion that you see at this table today by thepresident is authentic,

and at his direction,we're going to work as an administration tostrengthen the opportunities fromsecondary education on forward to open the doorsfor more vocational education, more technicaleducation, and more apprenticeships acrossthe united states to the betterment of thepeople of this country. and we look forwardto working with our international partnersto drive greater

opportunitiesfor americans. so thank you,mr. president. the president: thankyou very much, mike. appreciate it.

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