what we're up to
Looking to get more involved with Workforce Matters? Join us for our July Office Hours!
Are you new to Workforce Matters? Just looking for information about how to get more involved? Join us for one of our monthly Office Hours, where you'll have an opportunity to share information about your interests, learn more about Workforce Matters, and connect with other workforce grantmakers who are also seeking out learning and partnership opportunities. Our next Office Hours will be Friday, July 9th at 12:00 pm eastern.
"In order for you to learn and be successful, you have to get out of your comfort zone and do things you wouldn't normally do."
Internships are important because they provide us with the opportunity to learn new things in the workplace while gaining experience in the field. Looking to enhance your understanding of student interns? Read what our intern, Kesmyre Smalls, has to say about her experience with interning so far.
in case you missed it
Asset-Framing for Workforce Development
Last month, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a Workforce Matters supporting member, sponsored a workshop for Workforce Matters members on Asset-Framing strategies led by Trabian Shorters, Founder and CEO of BMe Community. BMe Community’s work on Asset-Framing is critically important and connected to recommendations in our Racial Equity Framework for Workforce Development Funders. Changing the narrative about workforce development programs and participants is a key part of our equity journey.
#FundWorkforceEquity: Advancing Equity In The Workforce Development Ecosystem
The tweets were fast and furious when funders and other workforce development stakeholders got together to chat.
Join the Conversation on Twitter
on our calendars
The Global Fight to Derail Worker Misclassification—a Transatlantic Conversation
June 22 | 11:00 AM EDT | Economic Policy Institute | Virtual
How Can Retail Businesses Help Frontline Workers Advance?
June 28 | 3:00 PM EDT | Urban Institute | Virtual
new information + resources
Training as a Path to an Equitable Post-pandemic Recovery: Considerations Based on an Analysis of Washington State’s Short-term Training Participants and Outcomes
New America
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Racial representation in professional occupations: By the numbers
Economic Policy Institute
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A Style Guide for a Good Jobs Economy
Newsweek
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Advancing Workforce Equity: A Guide for Stakeholders
National Fund for Workforce Solutions
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America has a jobs problem--there aren’t enough good ones
The Hill
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Closing Digital Skill Gaps Created by Structural Inequities Could Enhance Young Workers’ Economic Resilience
Work Rise
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Politicians should set common rules for digital markets: Tech companies have too much economic power over workers and consumers when they set their own parameters
Financial Times
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Power is at the Root
ReWork the Bay, Working Partnerships USA, Jobs with Justice SF
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Op-ed: How the federal government can help create the good jobs workers want
CNBC
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Training as a Path to an Equitable Post-pandemic Recovery: Considerations Based on an Analysis of Washington State’s Short-term Training Participants and Outcomes
New America
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Workers Should Have the Power to Say ‘No’: Policy makers should not ensure a flood of low-wage workers for America’s businesses
The Atlantic
announcements
WorkRise invites Letters of Inquiry for research projects that better define a challenge facing economically vulnerable workers and/or generate new evidence about potential solutions, meaning practices, policies, or programs that could increase the economic resilience and mobility of such workers. The deadline to respond to the RFP is 11:59 pm EDT, June 27, 2021.
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The WES Mariam Assefa Fund is looking to identify promising new ideas from organizations working with employers to advance more inclusive practices that improve economic mobility for immigrants and refugees in the U.S. For funding in 2021, please submit letters of intent (LOIs) through their application portal by July 7. Since the Fund first launched in 2019, they have been learning from their grantee partners who are working to improve employer practices, including through high-road partnerships and employer-driven training programs. The Fund is now building on this work and are looking for additional partners to learn alongside them and who are committed to creating a more inclusive economy for all. Selected organizations will be awarded up to $150,000 in flexible, multi-year funding. Learn More
Do you have a new idea for workers? The Workers Lab’s Innovation Fund 2021 application cycle opened on June 1. This year, there will be one funding cycle that will award grants of up to $150,000. In addition to receiving funding to give their new idea a chance to succeed, awardees will receive a full year of mentorship, training, and other forms of organizational support. Learn More
The Rework America Alliance, a Markle initiative, studied the job histories of 29 million people across more than 800 occupations to look at how to realize the potential of the more than 5.8M workers from low-wage roles currently unemployed and without a college degree. The findings are detailed in “Unlocking Experience-Based Job Progressions for Millions of Workers”. In addition, two new tools have also been developed so stakeholders can take action based on these insights:
- A new Job Progressions tool developed by McKinsey & Company to help career coaches use historical job progression data to connect job seekers to good jobs, aligned with their experience.
- A new Rework Community Insights Monitor from The Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta to provide a metro-level view for policymakers and workforce development leaders.
