Exclusive: IBM to hire 2,000 more veterans, expand tech training schools

IBM CEO Ginni Rometty is among the tech leaders meeting Friday with President Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Axios has learned. They'll discuss worker training. And IBM will announce plans to:

• Open 20 more of its P-TECH schools, which let students get a combined high school degree and associate degree in science and technology in as little as four and a half years. There are already 62 of the schools in six U.S. states and Australia. The 20 new schools are all slated to be in the U.S.
• Hire 2,000 U.S. military veterans over the next four years and expand a program that trains and certifies veterans in the use of the type of IBM software often used by law enforcement, cybersecurity and national security agencies.

Why it matters: Rometty has been on Trump's business advisory committee, defending her engagement with Trump as the best way for the company to advance its positions. Announcing plans to hire veterans could generate further approval from a president eager to show he is creating U.S. jobs.