Workforce Matters Video Library
Please see below for our video recording archive. Videos are arranged from newest to oldest.
Access to some recordings in the Workforce Matters video archive is restricted to current members of our network. If you are a member of Workforce Matters who would like to access one of the restricted videos below, please email us to request the password. If you are not a current Workforce Matters member, please visit our Get Involved page to learn more about our membership requirements and application process. Membership is free for qualified applicants.
Funder Briefing: National Career Cluster Framework with AdvanceCTE
In December 2022, Advance CTE launched the Advancing the Framework initiative to modernize the National Career Clusters Framework in response to growing feedback from the field about the need to align the Framework to the realities of learning and work today and for the future. Join us for an Education + Workforce Funder Briefing about the newly updated National Clusters Framework. Learn more about the robust process to update this framework, how it has been used by state partners and how you can support this effort.
** ONLY AVAILABLE WITH PASSWORD. Please email info@workforce-matters.org for the password.
Fund for Workforce Equity - Round 2 Applicant Webinar
A webinar recording of our applicant webinar for the Round 2 application cycle of the Fund for Workforce Equity. Learn more here: https://www.workforce-equity.org/current-funding-opportunities/
DALE Webinar with USDOL Acting Secretary Su
This webinar features Funders for a Just Economy, Workforce Matters, Chicagoland Workforce Funders Alliance, and Raise the Floor Alliance on deferred action for labor enforcement, aka DALE.
In October 2021, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would approve immigration relief for workers participating as witnesses in labor agency enforcement investigations. By making deferred action and temporary work authorization available to undocumented workers—who disproportionately labor in low-wage, high-violation industries—DALE ensures workers can enforce their rights without fear of immigration-based retaliationand can uphold labor laws. On July 22, DHS updated its guidance to indicatethat DALE protections can now extend up to four years.
Featuring keynote remarks by U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, during this educational webinar, you will hear from immigrant workers, worker center organizers, and funders about how labor-based immigration relief has enhanced efforts to uphold workplace rights, build lasting worker power, and promote labor law compliance. Join philanthropic partners from across the workforce and immigration fields to learn about opportunities align and scale this critical work.
Supporting Native Workforce Development – A Guide for Funders
Workforce Matters is excited to announce our newest resource: Supporting Native Workforce Development: A Guide for Funders.
This video features a discussion with Workforce Grantmaking in Native Nations and Communities Advisory Committee members and funders that highlight ideas and resources from the guide. Learn how funders can establish and grow impactful philanthropic partnerships with Native Nations and communities and support policies that expand and strengthen Native-led workforce approaches and providers.
Workforce Grantmaking in Native Nations and Communities (WGNNC) is an emerging funder collaborative focused on supporting workforce development in Native Nations and communities.
FWE Round 1 Learning & Next Steps
On June 12, 2024, we hosted a webinar to share key themes from the Fund for Workforce Equity's final evaluation, Round 1 lessons learned and to share the plans for Round 2 funding opportunities. If you missed the webinar, we invite you to watch the video using this link. You're also invited to review the PowerPoint overview with the evaluation themes and Round 2 grant parameters. To stay updated on news about Round 2, sign up at www.workforce-equity.org.
Learn & Work Ecosystem Platforms - Briefing & Workshop
The Workforce Almanac, launched in November 2023 by the Harvard Project on Workforce is
an open-source, interactive portal of nearly 17,000 workforce training providers across the U.S. The portal maps providers of short-term, post-high-school workforce training, including institutions of higher ed, federally registered apprenticeships, nonprofit organizations, and WIOA-eligible training organizations. The Almanac combines four publicly available data sources (IPEDS, RAPIDS, IRS 990 and TrainingProviderResults.org) into one new dataset. The Almanac has created interactive visualizations for field practitioners and funders to interact with and export the data for learning.
The Learn & Work Ecosystem Library (“the Library”) launched in December 2022. Built on a Lumina-supported map of various funder initiatives in the credentialing reform space within the learn-and-work ecosystem between 2018-2020, the Library now comprises some 300+ glossary terms; more than 300 initiatives and more than 275 organizations working to improve components of the learn/work ecosystem; and 95+ topics addressing key subjects. The Library also includes relational maps that help depict how different efforts are connected.
WGNNC Applicant Webinar
Our team is thrilled about our inaugural Workforce Grantmaking in Native Nations and Communities (WGNNC) grant that launched on December 7th. The grant was structured to provide Native-led workforce entities with maximum flexibility to support programming that aligns with their community vision of Nation-building. Workforce Matters is proud to support self-determined programs, projects, and initiatives designed to meet the distinct workforce development needs of Native Nations, and Native workers and learners.
WGNCC will issue 7 to 9 grant awards ranging from $50,000 to $70,000 with grant terms up to 24 months. The WGNNC grant awards are designed to enhance the capacity of Native-led workforce development entities to design, implement, refine, and/or expand programmatic systems and solutions that cultivate the skills, knowledge, and readiness of Native people to enter, thrive, and advance in their chosen career fields.
Letters of Inquiry are due Friday, January 19, 2024 by 11:59 pm CT.
If you are a funder interested in supporting this exciting new fund, send us an email at nativenations@workforce-matters.org.
Q4 Policy Update
Tune in for information on policy updates related to workforce development from Workforce Matters and our partners at the Department of Labor.
Native Workforce Development Policy and Data: The Current Landscape and Ways Philanthropy Can Strengthen Them
This webinar provides a comprehensive overview of the main federal policies governing Native workforce development and their degree of effectiveness, the nature and extent of the data explaining the current state of the Native workforce nationally and locally, and how increased philanthropic focus and resources can strengthen Native workforce policy and data, leading to better outcomes on the ground. Attendees will hear from Indian Country policy and data experts about specific policy and data issues and the ways their organizations can help Native nations and communities address them.
Speakers: Lora Ann Chaisson, Principal Chief of the United Houma Nation; Casey Lozar, Vice President at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Director of the Center for Indian Country Development (CICD)
Peer Learning Strategy Session - CSR
In this Peer Learning Strategy Session, Workforce Matters was joined by Laura Roberts and Shericca Hill from Jobs for the Future to discuss CSR and HR priorities in workforce development.
The Opportunity to Expand Apprenticeships - A Funder + Field Briefing
During National Apprenticeship Week, we had a funder and field conversation on systems, policies and models around expanding apprenticeship opportunities in an equitable way.
Speakers include:
Jennifer Carlson - Apprenti
John Colborn - Apprenticeships for America
Ryan Craig - Apprenticeships for America
Tamara Johnson - Per Scholas
Mary Alice McCarthy - New America
Matt Muench - JPMorgan Chase
Skills-Based Talent Practices - A briefing from Jobs for the Future
Cat Ward from Jobs for the Future tees up a funder conversation in October 2023 on skills-first talent practices like skills-based hiring with an overview of the landscape and current trends.
Developing the Native Workforce on Native Terms: Success Stories from Indian Country and Their Lessons for Philanthropy
This webinar shares two leading approaches to Native workforce development as well as an overview of the innovation movement that is emerging across the Native workforce development landscape. Native workforce development practitioners will provide attendees with deep insights into how Native definitions and criteria for success fundamentally differ from those of workforce development elsewhere across the country, and what those distinctions mean for how philanthropy should develop and support workforce development partnerships with Native nations and communities.
Developing the Native Workforce: Understanding Indian Country and the Role of Philanthropy
This webinar provides attendees with a broad overview of Native Nations and communities (“Indian Country”); how the self-determined development of the Native workforce advances overarching Native cultural, social, and economic imperatives; the role of philanthropy in supporting and scaling Native workforce development efforts; and how philanthropic organizations can develop partnerships with Native workforce development entities that expand and enhance the quality, accessibility, and cultural relevance of workforce development programs designed by and for Native people.
Speakers: Michael Johnson, Illuminative; Alvin Warren, LANL Foundation; Natasha Hale, Workforce Matters
Community College Webinar: Innovative Financing Strategies
Q3 Workforce Policy Briefing with USDOL
Workforce Matters and colleagues from the US Department of Labor met for an update on federal workforce policy and investments and potential roles and opportunities for workforce grantmakers. This quarter's call had a particular focus on the Good Jobs, Great Cities initiative, as well as other efforts that the Department is investing in under their "Places, Pathways, and Programs" approach.
September 13, 2023 | No Password Required
Affirmative Action Briefing and Discussion for Workforce Grantmakers
The recording is an interactive funder briefing and discussion of the recent Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action. What are the implications of the recent rulings for the workplace and for workforce development initiatives? How can funders continue to lean into and support diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice? Guest speakers include Art Coleman, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Education Counsel, Sally Chen, Education Equity Policy Manager of Chinese for Affirmative Action, and Alex Camardelle, Vice President of Research and Policy at the Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative.
NOTE: A password is required to view this video.
Intro to Journey Mapping
In this session, learn more about Journey Mapping from Greater Good Studios, a design firm dedicated to the social sector.
Promoting Inclusion for People Disabilities in the Workforce Helps All Workers
"Promoting inclusion for people with disabilities in the workforce helps all workers," is a briefing for workforce funders with the Office on Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) at the U.S. Department of Labor. This conversation features Taryn M. Williams, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy and is moderated by Elaine Katz of the Kessler Foundation.
Learn about federal funding opportunities to ensure policies are implemented with diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility principles in mind, including timely considerations about the impact of long COVID and the increase in the prevalence of mental health conditions. The conversation also features ways that funders can help grantees and communities integrate people with disabilities into the design and implementation of employment programs and funding.
May 10, 2023 | No Password Required
Selected Resources & Links Mentioned in the Webinar
Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN)
Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
LEADCenter for WIOA Policy Development
Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT)
Center for Advancing Employment Policy for Youth (CAPE-Youth)
Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship (PIA)
National Trends in Disability employment Report (nTIDE)
Employment of People with Disabilities in Skilled Trade Professions | U.S. Department of Labor Blog
Community Colleges Webinar
Workforce Matters kicked off a new virtual learning and discussion series on community colleges and workforce development, spearheaded by our Community College Working Group. In this inaugural conversation, the Lumina Foundation shared about its grantmaking strategy in this space and introduced grantees from California that are bridging higher education, workforce, labor, and employer sectors to improve community college outcomes for High Road Construction Careers participants.
May 4, 2023 | No Password Required
Resources & Links Mentioned in the Webinar
More information about Talent Pipeline Management
More on the MC3 curriculum from North America’s Building Trades Unions
More on the LCP tracker – labor compliance software
For more information on how the federal government is characterizing good jobs, please see USDOL’s Good Jobs Principles
Spring 2023 Workforce Policy Update
Workforce Matters and colleagues from the US Department of Labor met for an update on federal workforce policy and investments and potential roles and opportunities for workforce grantmakers. This month's call had a particular focus on job quality and on the federal budget for workforce development.
April 25, 2023 | No Password Required
Fund for Workforce Equity Applicant Webinar
A new pooled fund organized by Workforce Matters members, The Fund for Workforce Equity, will provide flexible resources and support to workforce development organizations seeking to pilot, adopt, and learn from new strategies as well as innovate on or extend existing strategies that center workers and learners of color in workforce policy and program design and implementation. Up to $1,000,000 will be awarded as part of our first round of funding in 2022. During this webinar, Workforce Matters supporters and staff talked about the goals for the fund, described the application process, and answered questions from prospective applicants. Applications are due July 31, 2022.
June 16, 2022 | No Password Required
2022 Workforce Policy Update
During this webinar, Workforce Matters was joined by leaders from three national networks who shared their insights on how the current social, economic, and political context is shaping the needs and priorities of their members; key federal policy debates, including WIOA reauthorization and short-term Pell proposals; and opportunities to align workforce policies and investments with racial equity and job quality priorities. Our panelists were:
- Jee Hang Lee, President & CEO, Association of Community College Trustees
- Kate Kreamer, Deputy Executive Director, Advance CTE
- Ron Painter, President & CEO, National Association of Workforce Boards
Crystal Bridgeman, Senior Director of Workforce Development Programs at the Siemens Foundation, and Kermit Kaleba, Strategy Director for Employer Aligned Programs at the Lumina Foundation, moderated the panel discussion and Dr. Lauren N. King, Program Officer for Employment Equity at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, provided opening remarks.
May 24, 2022 | No Password Required
Virtual Info Session: The Fund for Workforce Equity
(No Password Required)
The Fund for Workforce Equity is a new pooled fund organized by Workforce Matters to spark innovative strategies to center workers and learners of color in the design and implementation of workforce policies and programs. In this brief introduction, Workforce Matters Co-Director Loh-Sze Leung provides an overview of the Fund and special guests Dina Emam of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Adrian Esquivel of the Chicagoland Workforce Funders Alliance discuss examples of centering workers and learners from their own grantmaking.
Interested in learning more? Click here for more information on the Fund for Workforce Equity.
January 26, 2022
Workforce 101: An Introduction to the US Workforce System
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Are you new to workforce development and struggling to wrap your head around the complex US workforce system? A seasoned workforce grantmaker who needs a refresher on how to decipher the WIOA/CTE/TANF/SNAP E&T alphabet soup? Looking for basic information to help you ensure that your grantmaking is aligned with (or differentiated from) public funding streams?
In Part I, we're joined by Nancy Snyder, who briefly describes how the system is structured and funded. Snyder's deep workforce experience includes serving as President & CEO of Commonwealth Corporation, as interim Secretary of Labor & Workforce Development in Massachusetts, and as the Deputy Director for Workforce Development at the Boston Private Industry Council.
(17 min)
In Part II, Kermit Kaleba of the Lumina Foundation provides a funder's perspective on opportunities for philanthropy to both align and work in partnership with the public workforce system.
(7 min)
May 14, 2021
2021 Workforce Budget and Policy Outlook
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With Melissa Johnson, Managing Director of State Strategies, National Skills Coalition and Mary Gardner Clagett, Senior Director of Workforce Policy, Workforce and Education Policy Group, Jobs for the Future.
April 21, 2021
35 min
Remarks by Dr. Dominique Harrison to the Workforce Matters Steering Committee: Digital Equity
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Dr. Dominique Harrison, Director of the Technology Policy Program at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, joined the Workforce Matters Steering Committee for a conversation about digital equity. In this short video, she discusses how broadband access alone cannot resolve all of the challenges around digital equity, yet remains a critical component to realizing opportunities to increase earnings, job growth, educational attainment, and healthcare, particularly in the Black Rural South.
22 minutes
April 19, 2021
An Introduction to A Racial Equity Framework for Workforce Development Funders
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Workforce Matters published A Racial Equity Framework for Workforce Development Funders in January. In this webinar, you'll learn about the history and contents of the Framework, and have a chance to hear from fellow workforce funders about real-world examples of racial equity practices.
Overview (10:52)
Practice Examples
- Ashley McIver, Communities Foundation of Texas (2:58)
- Elaine Katz, Kessler Foundation (2:34)
- Jen Racho, Northwest Area Foundation (3:18)
- Rob Hope, ReWork the Bay (2:31)
- Jonathan Njus, W.K. Kellogg Foundation (3:16)
Full Webinar (53:58)
March 24, 2021
Remarks by Rebecca Dixon to the Workforce Matters Steering Committee: Occupational Segregation
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Rebecca Dixon - Executive Director of the National Employment Law Project - joined the Workforce Matters Steering Committee's Annual Meeting for a discussion on occupational segregation. In this short video, she provides historical context for occupational segregation in the United States, provides an update on current circumstances, and briefly describes opportunities to address continued disparities.
24 minutes
February 24, 2021
Getting to Know STARs - Highlights from a Conversation with Opportunity@Work
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Workforce Matters invited Byron Auguste, CEO and Co-Founder of Opportunity@Work and LaShana Lewis, CEO of L.M. Lewis Consulting and a technologist who also works on diversity, equity and inclusion in tech, to join our Steering Committee for a conversation about STARs -- the 70+ million adults in the U.S. labor force that are Skilled Through Alternative Routes such as community college, workforce training, bootcamps, certificate programs, military service or on-the-job learning, rather than through a college degree. Gayatri Agnew, Senior Director of Corporate Philanthropy at Walmart.org and co-chair of Workforce Matters, moderated.
February 23, 2021
10 min
The Road Up: Film Screening and Discussion
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The Road Up follows four participants in Cara, a Chicago job-training program, as they seek to make the long journey to stable employment in good jobs. Throughout, they are guided, goaded, and challenged by their impassioned mentor, Mr. Jesse, whose own experiences drive him to help others find hope in the face of poverty, addiction, homelessness, and trauma. Taken together, their stories create a powerful mosaic of the struggles millions of Americans face every day in a precarious and unforgiving economy, the daunting and often interconnected challenges that prevent so many from getting—and keeping—a job.
Workforce Matters provided a private screening of the film for our members in October 2020.
On October 8th, we viewed clips from the film and discussed the intersection of housing, homelessness, and employment during a discussion with:
- Filmmaker Greg Jacobs, Siskel/Jacobs Productions
- Jesse Teverbaugh and Maria Kim, Cara
- Deborah Bennett, Polk Bros. Foundation
- Gayatri Agnew, Walmart.org
- Loh-Sze Leung, Workforce Matters
- Tabitha Blackwell, Funders Together to End Homelessness
On October 27th, we visited additional clips from the film and hosted a second discussion, which focused on the intersection of the criminal justice system and employment and featured:
- Tameshia Bridges Mansfield, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
- Sheena Meade, Clean Slate Initiative
- Esther Franco-Payne, Cabrini Green Legal Aid
- Maria Kim, Cara
- Kristen Robinson, Cara Alumna
- Greg Jacobs, Co-Director, The Road Up
Resources:
- Cara Chicago and Cara Institute
- Clean Slate Initiative
- Cabrini Green Legal Aid
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation
- Film: The Road Up from Siskel/Jacobs Productions
October 2020
Approaches to Virtual Work-based Learning and CTE: Practices and Considerations
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Workforce Matters, Economic Opportunity Funders, Grantmakers for Thriving Youth, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Hispanics in Philanthropy, and Youth Transition Funders Group co-sponsored this webinar exploring approaches to virtual work-based learning and career technical education. Speakers shared about how programs around the country are adapting their approaches as work and learning have shifted to virtual environments; what we have learned; implications for equitable access to these programs; and what funders might consider. Featured speakers: Kate Kreamer, Advance CTE; Brent Parton, New America/Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship; Jennifer Zeisler, ECMC Foundation.
Resources:
- COVID-19’s Impact on CTE – Defining the Challenge and Opportunity (AdvanceCTE)
- A Learner-Centered Approach to Early Postsecondary Opportunities Amid COVID-19(AdvanceCTE)
- Youth Apprenticeship Programs Adapt to Meet Crucial Needs in Pandemic(New America)
- With Labs Closed, N.H.'s Career And Technical Students Try To Continue Hands-on Learning(NH Public Radio)
- Supporting Hands-on Education During a Pandemic(New America)
- Resources for Teaching Trades Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic(Harbor Freight Tools for Schools)
June 30, 2020
Digital Inclusion 101: Who has internet access, why, and what can funders do about it?
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Remote learning and working are creating opportunity for some while widening the digital divide for others. Workforce and economic opportunity funders have an opportunity to learn more about digital access and inclusion research and policy and roles that philanthropy can play in this space to increase equitable access to the tools that facilitate economic opportunity.
Join Workforce Matters and our partners at Economic Opportunity Funders, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Grantmakers for Thriving Youth, and Youth Transition Funders Group for a conversation about Pew Research Center's research and findings; the work of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance and the DigitalUS coalition; and work being funded and spearheaded by the Cleveland Foundation.
Featured speakers include:
Monica Anderson, Pew Research Center
Angela Siefer, National Digital Inclusion Alliance
Leon Wilson, The Cleveland Foundation
Alison Ascher Webber, World Education/ DigitalUS Coalition
June 17, 2020
Resources from the Webinar:
Remote Learning: Building CBO Capacity and Supporting Learner Success
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Interested in learning about how to support and build the capacity of community-based organizations and other education/training partners as programs transition to online formats? How about tried-and-true methods of supporting clients and participants in remote learning programs?
Join Workforce Matters and our partners at Economic Opportunity Funders, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Grantmakers for Thriving Youth, and Youth Transition Funders Group to learn about the work that Microsoft, World Education's EdTech Center and TechSoup have been undertaking to support an equitable and successful transition to remote learning.
Featured speakers include:
- Joshua Winter, Microsoft
- Priyanka Sharma and Alison Ascher Webber, World Education EdTech Center
- Gray Harriman, TechSoup
Webinar Links + Resources:
Microsoft COVID-19 Resource Guide for Nonprofits
- Report: Leveraging Technology to Increase Opportunity and Economic Security for Adults: Field Testing Tools that Break Barriers to Learning and Employment
- Tool Evaluation Criteria
- Online Tool/Resource Evaluation Rubric
- Digital Navigators: Lynchpin in Equitable Reskilling & Recovery Efforts
- English Now! Learning Circles
June 11, 2020
Towards an Equitable Response and Recovery – Grantmaking Strategy Under COVID-19
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Join Workforce Matters and our partners at the Children, Youth, and Family Funders Roundtable; Economic Opportunity Funders; NFG’s Funders for a Just Economy; Funders Together to End Homelessness; Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Hispanics in Philanthropy; and Youth Transition Funders Group for this webinar on the strategies three foundations are using to respond to working families’ near-term needs related to income, employment, job training, and supportive services while sustaining their long-term work to reduce disparities and injustices and advance family economic security. Featured speakers and initiatives included:
- Rachel Korberg- a Program Officer with the Ford Foundation’s Future of Work(ers) initiative - will share information about the Families + Workers Fund, a new response fund Ford helped to launch alongside Schmidt Futures, Open Society Foundations, The JPB Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Amalgamated Foundation. With initial commitments over $7 million, the fund ultimately aims to raise $20 million to provide flexible funding to organizations working to prevent workers and families from sinking deeper into poverty during the initial months of the pandemic, and to support policy and advocacy efforts that center workers and families in long-term economic recovery.
- The Mariam Assefa Fund at World Education Services' Senior Director, Monica Munn, will discuss the framework her team used to rapidly analyze potential responses WES’ philanthropic fund could take to the COVID-19 crisis, as well as share highlights from recent grantmaking that aims to advance strategies and organizations supporting the immediate and longer-term needs of over 12 million immigrants and refugees who are either working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic or facing significant economic hardship as they are displaced from or trying to reenter the workforce.
- The James Irvine Foundation's Jeanne Sakamoto(Chief of Staff and Planning) and Casey Budesilich (Director of Finance & Administration) will share highlights from Irvine's Recession Resilience Project, a $20 million investment which will provide immediate emergency funding to core grantees in their Better Careers, Fair Work, and Priority Regions initiatives; technical assistance for financial planning and recovery; and longer-term strategic recession-response grants for these grantees as well as approximately $2.5 million in additional funds to help other grassroots organizations in California to weather this crisis.
Additional materials from this webinar:
Grantmaker Registration Survey + Webinar Live Polling Results
May 28, 2020
Power and Light: Enlightened Approaches for Accountable and Equitable Grantmaking
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Don’t let your processes undermine your foundation’s ability to serve the public good. In our current climate, there has been an increase in distrust and criticism about the power philanthropy wields and how it uses or misuses it. In this timely session, speakers shared approaches that some funders are using to be more accountable, inclusive, and right the power balance in their relationships with grantees, applicants, and community stakeholders. From opening up the knowledge that they are learning, to organization-wide efforts to improve transparency, and creating mechanisms for feedback and participation, we dug into a variety of practices that can serve as a model for others.
Featuring case studies from Candid’s GlassPockets and GrantCraft platforms, speakers highlighted pain points in the field and the funders who are working to overcome them through a commitment to transparency and openness. Case examples highlighted best practices in participatory grantmaking, organizing and openly sharing knowledge, and transparency efforts that lead to greater accessibility, equity, and inclusion.
View the presentation with Janet Camarena, Director – Transparency Initiatives, Candid
The following guest funders shared case studies from their own work:
- Megan Morrison, Strategy and Learning Officer, Ford Foundation
- Daphne Moore, Communications Director, Walton Family Foundation
- Claire Peeps, Executive Director, The Durfee Foundation
A list of resources can be downloaded here.
This webinar was co-sponsored by Workforce Matters, Economic Opportunity Funders, and Candid.
February 26, 2020
Innovations in Workforce Mobility
In this webinar, the Fund for Our Economic Future shared information about the Paradox Prize and its mission to inspire innovations through an open call for ideas aimed at generating sustainable solutions to eradicate the ‘no car, no job; no job, no car’ paradox in Northeast Ohio. In addition, Uber’s head of global policy for public transportation shared about the company’s partnerships with regional transit agencies and community-based organizations to provide last mile and direct-to-destination solutions that connect underserved communities to jobs and community resources like healthcare. Speakers include:
- Bethia Burke, Vice President - Fund for Our Economic Future
- Chris Pangilinan, Head of Global Policy for Public Transportation - Uber
February 19, 2020
Integrating Workforce Benchmarking and Race Equity in Philadelphia: A Case Study
Looking for concrete ways to connect racial equity with improving workforce outcomes? Interested in building the data disaggregation and analysis capacity of your workforce grantees? Join Workforce Matters, Philadelphia JOIN, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, and Government Alliance for Race and Equity (GARE) for a conversation about how these partners are working together to integrate racial equity, workforce benchmarking and capacity building in Philadelphia. We’ll leave plenty of time for Q&A and conversation. Speakers include:
- Carniesha Kwashie, Director – Job Opportunity Investment Network
- Kysha Frazier, Sr. Policy Associate – Corporation for a Skilled Workforce
- Matthew Woodruff, PowerCorps PHL/Americorps
- Nicole Bullock, PowerCorps PHL/Americorps
February 12, 2020
Career Academies and Work-Based Learning
Building on a site visit our Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning learning network made to the Academies of Racine in May 2019, Workforce Matters created this follow-up learning opportunity for grantmakers interested in learning more about the Career Academy model. In this webinar, you'll learn what workforce grantmakers need to know about the career academy model, how “real-world” learning experiences are integrated into career academy programming, and to explore some of the key lessons learned from implementation of this model across the country. You'll also have an opportunity to learn more about the Ford NGL Career Academy model as one example and to hear from a fellow funder who is investing in the career academy approach. Our guests included:
Pam Daly, Board Chair, National Career Academy Coalition
Cheryl Carrier, Executive Director, Ford Next Generation Learning
Kirstin S. Toth, Senior Vice President, GAR Foundation
In addition, Alex Harris of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation provided introductory comments.
November 21, 2019
2019 Federal Policy Update and Higher Ed Policy Primer
This recording begins with a brief update from Kermit Kaleba, Federal Policy Director at the National Skills Coalition. Kermit discussed recent developments related to federal appropriations, apprenticeship policy, Perkins, and WIOA. Following Kermit's federal policy overview, Sameer Gadkaree of The Joyce Foundation kicked off our higher education reform discussion with three national experts: Jennifer Mishory, Senior Fellow/Senior Policy Advisor, The Century Foundation; Katie Brown, Senior Federal Policy Analyst, National Skills Coalition; and Lexi Barrett, Associate Vice President, Jobs for the Future. During this recording, you'll have an opportunity to explore some of the higher education policy debates that have important implications for low-income workers' access to high-quality, affordable education and training and learn more about the status and components of several pending policy proposals.
October 28, 2019
Racial Differences and the Future of Work
Workforce Matters and Economic Opportunity Funders jointly hosted a webinar with the Joint Center for an overview of their new report, Racial Differences on the Future of Work, and a discussion about the implications of their research and findings for workforce development and philanthropic approaches to the future of work.
October 18, 2019
Grantmaking with a Racial Justice Lens
Workforce Matters hosted the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE) for an overview of PRE's forthcoming report, Grantmaking with a Racial Justice Lens. Lori Villarosa presented on overview of the report, including the recommendations, and participated in a discussion with workforce grantmakers on applying these principles to their work.
October 11, 2019
The Work and Learn Ecosystem: An Update on the U.S. Credentialing Landscape
The ever-shifting work and learn landscape has made selecting an education and training program a more high-stakes choice for students and workers than ever before. Meanwhile, businesses struggle to understand what the 334,000+ credentials available to US workers mean, making it difficult for them to make smart, efficient hiring decisions and often leading them to default to proxies for skills (like a college degree) that both exclude potentially qualified workers and sometimes result in bad hires.
With hundreds of thousands of credentials available in the U.S. alone, and little easily-accessible data available about the majority of them, the credential marketplace is confusing and chaotic. While many initiatives are working hard to bring order and understanding to this key piece of the nation’s economy, coordination among efforts has been challenging to track. To improve coordination and collaboration, more than 30 funders joined a discussion hosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co., Lumina Foundation, Markle Foundation, and Schmidt Futures in fall 2018 to consider key questions about the credential marketplace. To understand the scope of work currently in action, the group began work on a map that describes the work of several initiatives, identifies the key players, and lists the mileposts they seek to reach with projected timelines.
Workforce Matters hosted a webinar on Friday, May 10th to share an overview of the resulting Guide to Key Initiatives for the Connected Learn and Work Ecosystem, hear from several funders who are currently investing in this space, and learn about two programs that have multiple initiatives featured in the guide. Our speakers included:
- Emilie Rafal, Director of Programs, Credential Engine
- Andrew Dunckelman, Head of Economic Opportunity, Google.org
- Sarah Steinberg, Vice President, Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
- Jason A. Tyszko, Vice President, Center for Education and Workforce, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Center for Education and Workforce
- Holly Zanville, Strategy Director for the Future of Learning and Work, Lumina Foundation
In addition, Danielle Goonan of the Walmart Foundation joined us to talk about how this work aligns with the interests of Workforce Matters’ Employer Practices working group.
May 10, 2019
Criminal Justice Reform and Economic Mobility: Intersection and Action
Through this recorded webinar, learn about efforts that are underway at the federal, state, and local levels to take a closer look at the inequities in the criminal justice system and take steps to address them. From ending money bail to prosecutorial reform, the options for action vary and it can be hard for workforce development funders to know where to get involved. Join Tameshia Mansfield of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to learn how they are stepping into this space through the work of two of their grantees:
- Rebecca Vallas of the Center for American Progress will share information about the Clean Slate Campaign, a national effort to automatically clear or expunge the criminal records of millions of justice-involved individuals across the country.
- Will Heaton will talk about the work of JustLeadershipUSA, a group led by individuals who are directly impacted by the justice system, which ensures that their voice, expertise, and needs are central to campaigns that advocate for policies that end structural racism and ensure that underinvested communities receive and can access the resources they need. Through its #workingfutures campaign, JustLeadershipUSA is working at the intersection of criminal justice reform and economic justice.
May 2, 2019
Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship Funders Q&A
Workforce Matters hosted a call with Brent Parton of New America to share information about the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA). PAYA will award 4-8 grants later this year of up to $200,000 each to support partnerships of employers, education institutions, community partners, and policy leaders who are working together to build high-quality youth apprenticeship programs to meet local economic need. PAYA was launched with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Ballmer Group, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Joyce Foundation, JP Morgan Chase & Co. and the Siemens Foundation. national funders group. February 21, 2019
Equity in Apprenticeship
Workforce Matters hosted a webinar with Laura Dresser and Mariah Young-Jones of the Center on Wisconsin Strategies at UW Madison. COWS shared information about Equity in Apprenticeship, a new collection of resources developed with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Equity in Apprenticeship highlights programs that use apprenticeship to extend occupational opportunity to historically marginalized groups, especially people of color and women. The series consists of four case studies and an overview document with policy and practice principles for equity in apprenticeship. January 24, 2019.
North Carolina's Apprenticeship Ecosystem
The Workforce Matters Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning learning network hosted three guests to learn more about how apprenticeship and work-based learning are being deployed in North Carolina: Tony Marshall, President and CEO of Innovative Systems Group; Allan Freyer, Director of Workers' Rights at the North Carolina Justice Center; and Pam Howze, Program Director for the National Fund for Workforce Solutions' Apprenticeship Initiative and the former Statewide Director of Apprenticeship, Business, and Veterans Services for the North Carolina Department of Commerce/NC-Works. December 12, 2018
A conversation for Workforce Funders on Proposed Changes to Public Charge
A brief overview of proposed changes to public charge, featuring expertise from Amanda Bergson-Shilcock of the National Skills Coalition. December 4, 2018
2018 Federal Workforce Policy Update
A Workforce Matters webinar with National Skills Coalition, CLASP, and Advance CTE on federal workforce policy, with a focus on the Perkins Act and Higher Education Reauthorization. Also briefly addresses Farm Bill and TANF. November 29, 2018
Philanthropic Approaches to Employer Practice Change
In Philanthropic Approaches to Employer Practice Change, Danielle Goonan of the Walmart Foundation and Haley Glover of the Lumina Foundation share insights and lessons learned from their foundations' work to strengthen employer practices. November 13, 2018
Accelerating Employer Practice Change
A webinar and conversation with The Rockefeller Foundation and their partners at FSG. Our speakers share background on the impetus for their Accelerating Employer Practice Change work as well as a summary of FSG’s findings from a series of conversations that spanned December 2017 – May 2018 and engaged stakeholders across the workforce development system around the question “How might we accelerate employer adoption of practices that increase competitiveness and access to opportunity?” Presenters included: Alyson Wise, Associate Director, The Rockefeller Foundation; and Laura Roberts, Head of Programs - Workforce, FSG. October 23, 2018
Accessing Maryland’s Wage Record Data
In 2016, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and local partners started exploring how to gain access to the state’s wage record data to simplify the process of tracking long-term outcomes for workforce program participants. Learn how the partners set up agreements with the state of Maryland and with grantees, provided technical assistance to grantees, and determined what data they could access. Presenters included: Marci Hunn, Program Director, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation; Linda Dworak, Director, Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative; Dr. Richard Clinch, Director, and Susan Christiansen, Research Economist, Jacob France Institute, University of Baltimore. September 6, 2018
Inclusive Growth: How economic development organizations can support talent development
A webinar with the Brookings Institution on lessons learned from its Inclusive Economic Development Lab. This webinar featured Joseph Parilla from the Brookings Institution sharing the findings and lessons from Brookings’ Inclusive Economic Development Learning Lab, which worked with economic development entities in three U.S. cities to develop evidence-driven narratives to lay the groundwork for new commitments to economic and racial inclusion. Nikia Clarke of the San Diego Economic Development Corporation, who helped lead San Diego’s participation in the Lab, discussed how her organization is supporting talent development locally. October 2, 2018.
Mobilize 101: An Introduction to Workforce Matters Online Communities
A brief tutorial on current Workforce Matters learning networks and our new online community, Mobilize.io. May 1, 2018
How to Engage Banks in Workforce Development
Elizabeth Sobel-Blum from the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank and co-author of Engaging Workforce Development: A Framework for Meeting CRA Obligations joined Workforce Matters Members for a conversation about how funders can help local communities and workforce organizations partner with financial institutions. December 8, 2017
Highlights: New America Youth Apprenticeship Study
With the support of the Siemens Foundation, New America completed research to answer some key questions about the possibilities and challenges of connecting more American high school students to apprenticeship. During this webinar, New America shared its key findings and reflected on new possibilities in this emerging field. That includes the important roles of policymakers, industry, as well as philanthropy to support the expansion of meaningful, high-quality youth apprenticeship. December 7, 2017
Community Voice and Breakout Innovation
A growing number of workforce development grantmakers are interested in incorporating the voice and perspective of workers in the design, implementation, and evaluation of their grantmaking. In this webinar, Workforce Matters explored this nascent field via conversations with four national leaders in this space: Joanna Levitt Cea and Jess Rimington, whose article - Creating Breakout Innovation - recently appeared in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and Kelly Ryan and Jenny Riggenbach of Incourage Community Foundation, who have been endeavoring to apply these principles in their own work. November 2, 2017
Income Volatility and the Platform Economy
Workforce Matters held a webinar on August 28 with Fiona Greig of the JPMorgan Chase Research Institute, who provided members with an overview of the Institute's research in this area and discussed implications for workforce development. August 28, 2017
Investing in Entry-Level Talent
Danielle Goonan from the Walmart Foundation and Fay Hanleybrown and Kimberly Gilsdorf from FSG share highlights from their report, Investing in Entry-Level Talent: Retention Strategies that Work, and the Impact Hiring Employer Learning Community they are facilitating to help employers put these retention strategies in action. Includes highlights from companies like Verizon Wireless, Gap, Inc. and Wegmans Food Markets. They will also share reactions to the report from the nine major companies participating in the Impact Hiring learning community, and what they are learning about employer engagement in the process. May 16, 2017
Investing in Change: Philanthropy and Advocacy 101
Workforce Matters members joined a special webinar with Keely Monroe, Counsel at Alliance for Justice. This web presentation discussed rules that funders should keep in mind to comply with federal tax law while helping to maximize the effectiveness of their nonprofit grantees' advocacy work. Please Note: This is a 3rd party recording, so you must contact us to request access to the link. This recording is reserved for current Workforce Matters members. April 25, 2017
Becoming Bilingual in Immigration & Workforce: What Philanthropic Leaders Need to Know
Fast-moving policy developments are reshaping the landscape for both workforce development and immigration issues. Join Workforce Matters and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) for a webinar that will provide a practical grounding in key aspects of both fields from a philanthropic perspective. Understand how new federal and state policies are influencing the prospects of immigrant workers—both documented and undocumented—and how changing demographics are affecting workforce initiatives, including those without an explicit immigration focus. August 2, 2016