Tell us a little bit about your background and why you joined Workforce Matters. My entire professional career has been dedicated to workforce development, beginning with my role supporting returning citizens in partnership with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office in my native Boston. I worked closely with individuals navigating Read more…
As our members are aware, the Trump Administration’s actions this week around federal funding assistance have caused no small amount of disruption and confusion across the country. A funding freeze communicated via a memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on January 27 had the potential to impact Read more…
Workforce Matters hosted a post-election/2025 preview workforce policy briefing for funders last month with representatives from the National Skills Coalition, Unidos US, and the Joint Center. We are pleased to share key takeaways from the conversation below and welcome members to follow up with us on the next steps. In Read more…
Last month, Workforce Matters hosted an end-of-year workforce policy briefing with staff from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to receive updates on ETA’s most recent investments about which philanthropic partners may want to inform their grantees and community partners. Highlights from the conversation are included Read more…
This week (November 17-23, 2024), the U.S. Department of Labor celebrates the 10th anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week. Over the past 9 years, the Office of Registered Apprenticeships has seen tremendous growth, including over 2.3 million new Registered Apprentices representing over 80% growth, over 23,000 new Registered Apprenticeship programs and Read more…
Recapping our time at the SHIFT Conference In September, members of the Workforce Matters team joined hundreds of workforce leaders and practitioners in Memphis, Tennessee to participate in the SHIFT Conference hosted by the National Fund for Workforce Solutions (NFWS). Together with peers from around the country, we laughed, danced, Read more…
Many have called the 2024 election one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, and perhaps they’re right. However, without understating the importance of this 2024 election and its results, it’s possible that Americans in previous centuries felt the same way, and they too were right. Whether you believe Read more…
Over the last year, Workforce Matters has launched two surveys in order to collect and respond to your feedback: one of our field partners and Fund for Workforce Equity Round 1 applicants (Sept. 2023-Jan. 2024) and one of our grantmaking members (April 2024-July 2024). Our spring member survey also included Read more…
In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month this October, Workforce Matters asked two of our members, Elaine Katz from the Kessler Foundation and Tuquan Harrison from the James Irvine Foundation, to briefly share about their work to invest in and advance opportunities for workers and learners with disabilities. People Read more…
On Aug 12, 2024, Funders for a Just Economy, Workforce Matters, Ford Foundation, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Chicagoland Workforce Funders Alliance, Raise the Floor Alliance, Arriba Las Vegas, Warehouse Workers for Justice, and the International Association of Bridge Structural Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers co-sponsored an educational webinar Read more…