By Louis J. King II
President and CEO, OIC of America
“Uncertain” doesn’t even begin to describe the times we’re living through right now.
There are shifting alliances and allegiances. Rules and regulations are here today but gone tomorrow … and then back a few days later.
Tariffs implemented and then postponed and then reinstated … all in a matter of hours. Anyone could be forgiven for feeling a bit of whiplash these days. At times like these, we crave stability, consistency and a plan for the way forward.
At OIC of America, a nonprofit founded by Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan 61 years ago, we are moving his established and future-proof formula forward:
- Work to achieve economic justice and reduce poverty.
- Transform lives and communities through no-cost skills training.
- Address the systemic barriers that keep people from fully participating in the modern economy.
A reliable recipe for uncertain times.
In more than 20 states around the country, our nearly 50 partners and affiliates take different approaches to this mission, but every strategy ultimately boils down to those three elements. By following our founder’s model, we minimize uncertainty when we future-proof the workforce.
Because getting a job isn’t enough anymore. A job alone won’t provide a lifelong map toward prosperity—that kind of promise comes only from a transformation in thinking and in opportunity.
Look at construction, where we have an ever-worsening shortage of workers. In just 2025 and 2026, America will need a million new construction workers just to keep up with the pipeline of work. More than four in 10 construction workers are retiring by 2031, and more than a third of construction workers are foreign-born populations whose absence from the U.S. workforce is becoming more acutely felt every day.
Match that shortage with continually increasing demand. Hyper-expensive natural disasters, which require skilled laborers to recover and rebuild from, hit an all-time high in 2023. We have a national housing shortage of 4.5 million homes. Data centers, which require armies of workers to build, experienced a 34% year-over-year growth last year, and the power industry needs 510,000 new workers by 2030.
The demand is there. And we are helping our community answer the call.
It’s incumbent upon all of us to give kids the skills, interests and networks for family-sustaining careers, and prepare adults for economic opportunities that will provide a pathway to the middle class.
We have to—because we know that amid our ever-changing country, the demand for skills that allow families to enter the middle class is constant. Everyone is looking for a workable path. It’s up to all of us to provide it.
That much is certain.
Louis J. King II is president and CEO of OIC of America, a national nonprofit with more than 60 years’ experience building economic power for people. Strategically located in the hearts of forgotten places, OICA transforms the lives of individuals and strengthens communities through meaningful participation in today’s economy. http://www.oicofamerica.org
