Today, CareerBuilder announced its commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting in New York, which brings together leaders from all over the world to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The commitment is part of CareerBuilder’s ongoing effort to educate job seekers on where to find opportunities and put Americans back to work.

Hope Gurion, CareerBuilder’s Chief Development Officer, is going to be at the annual meeting this week to speak on behalf of CareerBuilder.  She recently answered a few questions for me about the mission and history of the CGI, CareerBuilder’s involvement in the initiative and what she hopes all of us can gain from this meeting.

Can you tell me a little bit about the Clinton Global Initiative?
President Bill Clinton established the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in 2005. Over the years, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together nearly 150 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made nearly 2,000 commitments, which have already improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued in excess of $63 billion.

What role does CareerBuilder play in the CGI?
CareerBuilder is a full member of CGI, and I represent the company at the numerous meetings throughout the year.  I actively participate on the “workforce development” committee, and this week I am in New York City for the annual meeting. The key focus area for the first day of the meeting is jobs, and I’m particularly looking forward to a healthy discussion around the opportunities to empower current and future workers with new skills.  This is an area where there is a lack of transparent and current data to inform both students and workers, and where we are focused to illuminate and inform people in making good choices that will provide them with income and opportunity.

What do you hope to accomplish by participating in the CGI?
CareerBuilder’s commitment provides CareerOneStop centers, sponsored by the U. S. Department of Labor, with complimentary access and usage of CareerBuilder’s online Supply & Demand Portal. The Supply & Demand Portal was designed to help employers zero in on the best markets to recruit hard-to-find talent as well as enable CareerBuilder to help job seekers discover occupations that are in high demand and hone skill sets for areas with great growth opportunities. CareerOneStop Center staff can use information from the portal to assist job seekers in the retraining and “re-skilling” they need for opportunities available today and in years to come. The commitment runs for 12 months starting on October 1, 2011 and offers a single annual license for CareerBuilder’s Supply & Demand Portal, available at no charge, to the 1,819 Comprehensive CareerOneStop centers and 1,095 Affiliate CareerOneStop centers across the U.S.

Want to know more about the Clinton Global Initiative? Follow @ClintonGlobal on Twitter or check out the CGI Facebook page for news and updates; visit live.clintonglobalinitiative.org to view and share session webcasts; or visit CGI’s Flickr page to see photos from the sessions.