This group of thought leaders endeavors to play a key role in pushing for meaningful policy change (such as investing in industry-sector partnerships and quality apprenticeships skills training strategies) to support successful clean energy projects and provide economic opportunities for workers in a growing industry.   

“It’s important for public agencies, companies, community colleges, and workforce development stakeholders to come together to envision skills training and registered apprenticeship policies that will not only maximize infrastructure investments and expand benefits, but also create new pathways to good jobs for underrepresented groups including, black and brown workers, women, young people, veterans and re-entry citizens” said Victoria Johnson, Global Equity Director at HDR Engineering, Inc– an employee-owned, professional services firm specializing in architecture, engineering, environmental and construction services. Johnson is also a BLU Executive Committee Member.  

Recent analysis commissioned by NSC, BlueGreen Alliance and conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Political Economy Research Institute shows that the combined investments of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the CHIPS and Science act will create millions of new jobs – but does so without investing enough in education and training to equip workers with these skills.

In the clean energy sector specifically, tax credits passed through the Inflation Reduction Act provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to grow our clean energy infrastructure. But Congress did not provide new apprenticeship resources to meet the credit’s requirements, and policymakers did not provide significant, dedicated funding for skills training to support this growth. Reaching the clean energy goals of federal investments will require expanding the talent pipeline to bring new workers into the field, especially women, workers of color, and young people. 

Fortunately, as projects begin across the country, states can prioritize skills training investments to support business growth and economic opportunity for workers. The day-long policy discussion focused on identifying state policies that are already working for business leaders – particularly those policies that build and diversify the registered apprenticeship pipeline and those that help local businesses hire apprentices to take advantage of the IRA tax credits. Participants also focused on how industry-sector partnerships between employers, training providers and community colleges, community-based organizations, and labor organizations are critical to meeting the needs of employers and workers alike. These models can inspire legislation in other states and further investment at the federal level.

Following the policy discussion, business leaders met with Congressional and committee staff. It was an important moment for policymakers to hear from the clean energy sector about their skills training challenges and successes. Participants shared their experiences and insights about what federal action is needed to meet the workforce needs of employers. “Bipartisan policies that advance workforce development on-the-job training programs are critical to ensuring that disadvantaged citizens have equitable opportunities for sustainable, good paying green jobs and careers that align with federal initiatives to address the climate crisis,” said Tina White, CEO of TINA’s Green Energy Solutions – a company that sells and installs electric vehicle charging stations.  

Lindsay Blummer is President and CEO of WRTP/Big Step in Milwaukee Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership has programs and services that focus on green construction and clean energy. “Convenings focused on the next iteration of the clean energy economy like this one are imperative for understanding and lifting the voices of all stakeholders,” Blummer says. “We have the opportunity to build a robust and diverse workforce to meet the demands of high road employers and our nation’s need for clean energy. These discussions must continue to include workforce best practices, worker voice and employer engagement as this is an opportunity to create a responsive, diverse, safe, and effective sector for generations.”

BLU plans to use the momentum from this event to build support for federal and state investments in pre-apprenticeships and industry sector partnerships – particularly bringing the business voice to state-level advocacy efforts. 

For photos, check our flickr page.

The post Empowering the Clean Energy Workforce appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

Fortunately, in 2022, our country invested roughly $2 trillion in infrastructure through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Chips and Science Act. And thanks to new research from NSC, Blue Green Alliance and the Political Economy Research Institute at UMass Amherst, we know those laws will support nearly 3 million jobs per year over the life span of the laws. That’s 19 million job-years**.  

Nearly 70% of the direct jobs supported by these new laws won’t require a college degree. Rather, they’ll require some kind of skills training – like a certificate, credential, apprenticeship or on-the-job training beyond high school. 

Hiring trained workers for these jobs (and of course the success of planned infrastructure projects) hinges on a new generation of workers having access to the education, skills training, economic supports, and hiring and career advancement opportunities they need to land jobs in the booming infrastructure and clean energy sectors. 

If we are serious about training the next generation of infrastructure workers – as well as ensuring that these investments contribute to an inclusive economy – we need to intentionally open the door to millions of workers who want to train for a new career in infrastructure – particularly women and workers of color. 

That’s why NSC launched our People Powered Infrastructure Campaign – to urge federal and state policymakers to: 

• Expand access to skills training offered through registered apprenticeship programs and workforce programs at community and technical colleges. 
   
• Invest in industry partnerships in the infrastructure field and support their capacity to engage in equity-advancing practices. 
   
• Provide economic support like childcare and transportation to make skills training and career transitions possible.

• Incentivize and support training, hiring, and career advancement of local residents.
    
• Collect data and report on jobs outcomes of federal infrastructure spending with attention to race, gender, and geography.  

Thanks in part to our coalition’s steady advocacy – including the influence of NSC and Business Leaders United’s expert industry recovery panels (and the perspectives we offered to the Biden Administration and Congress) these historic, once-in-a-generation infrastructure investments present many opportunities to invest in skills training and workforce – but those training-specific investments won’t be realized without our advocacy.  Policymakers have a lot of work left to do to truly support people powered infrastructure and drive an inclusive economy – and that’s what our campaign will be focused on through 2024. 

Implementing infrastructure and clean energy investments in the states 

In the states, NSC is turning our attention to assisting state coalitions and state network partners to influence implementation of the law through policy and advocacy campaigns and technical assistance. At the end of last year, we released Building the Future Workforce – a playbook for state policymakers, governors, advocates and state agency leaders who want to cultivate a strong, diverse, multigenerational infrastructure workforce. The playbook will be a north star for our planned assistance to state partners. It offers six recommendations and four case studies that illustrate how state policymakers can connect more working people to quality infrastructure and clean energy jobs and create benefits for residents, businesses, and communities that rely on the implementation and maintenance of critical infrastructure.  

Our Business Leaders United for Workforce Partnerships campaign plans to leverage business voices in support of equitable skills training policies in the states, particularly to expand and diversify the clean energy workforce. For example, the Inflation Reduction Act includes several tax credits to incentivize and finance clean energy projects, but employers must meet apprenticeship requirements to maximize the value of the credits. In April, BLU leaders will be hosting clean energy employers and a range of stakeholders to examine how states can expand apprenticeships and other investments in inclusive skills training to meet the demand for a skilled and diverse workforce in this growing industry.   

Influencing federal policymakers 

NSC is also focused on implementation at the federal level and plans to bring the expertise of our coalition partners to policymakers at four key agencies – the departments of Energy, Transportation, Commerce and Labor to inform and guide implementation of the federal infrastructure laws through the regulatory process. We’ll be reaching out to our coalition with opportunities for comment and other occasions for advocacy. 

On Capitol Hill this year, we’ll be following the progress of the BUILDS Act, bipartisan legislation introduced in the House by Representatives Bonamici (D-OR) and Thompson (R-PA) (There’s a companion bill in the Senate by Senator Kaine (D-VA)).  The BUILDS Act would provide workers with skills needed to fill infrastructure jobs by creating new grants for industry partnerships in the infrastructure sector. The bill includes funding for support services like childcare and transportation to help workers to complete the program. Passing the BUILDS Act would be a step toward meeting our nation’s infrastructure workforce needs. This year, we’ll be advocating for BUILDS or for its language to be included in WIOA authorization. 

We’ll also be closely following the appropriations process and the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).  While investments from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Chips and Science Act included some workforce development programs, the laws were not accompanied by the robust package of investments that NSC coalition partners advocated for.  NSC will be looking for opportunities for our coalition to influence the annual appropriations process and WIOA reauthorization conversations to ensure that the workforce system can support the infrastructure jobs being created. And we’ll be urging against proposed cuts to non-defense discretionary spending that would impact the workforce system’s ability to support training and supportive services for individuals trying to access infrastructure careers.  

Join our Campaign for People Powered Infrastructure! 

Throughout 2024, we’ll be calling upon our network – workforce advocates and business leaders alike – to weigh in on implementation and legislation – including meeting in person with legislators on Capitol Hill at the 2024 Skills Summit. You can register for the Summit to learn more about upcoming skills legislation and share your expertise with federal policymakers and their staff. 

If you haven’t joined our People Powered Infrastructure Campaign yet – sign our petition today and stay tuned for opportunities to shape investments in local, state, and federal skills training policy that will build an inclusive infrastructure workforce. 

** A job-year is one person working at one job for one year.  

The post Shaping Infrastructure Investments: People Powered Infrastructure Campaign Update appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

Last fall, President Biden signed into law a historic, nearly $1 trillion bill to invest in American infrastructure. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) will spur tons of projects that rebuild our nation’s roads and bridges, expand broadband, and upgrade public transit, utility, and clean energy systems.  

 This investment can meet the demand for resilient, sustainable, and equitable infrastructure, which will only increase in the midst of global transformation and climate change. But investing in hard infrastructure isn’t enough – we must also invest in a diverse, multigenerational workforce trained to power our infrastructure.  

Indeed, the IIJA has the potential to create millions of good-paying jobs that could offer new careers to workers impacted by the COVID-19 recession, as well as by longstanding structural inequities. Workers of color and women experienced disproportionate job loss during the pandemic and are underrepresented in infrastructure jobs. These dual trends reflect established patterns of occupational segregation that need to be disrupted to fully tap the talent of all workers.  

If jobs created by the IIJA are going to contribute to an inclusive economic recovery, we need new policies aimed at developing the next generation of infrastructure workers. Policymakers at all levels – federal, state, and local, can take action now to invest in people-powered infrastructure.  

People-powered infrastructure policies will benefit both workers and businesses in infrastructure industries. Even before the pandemic, employers in fields from construction to utilities faced challenges of an aging, retiring workforce. The federal infrastructure investment will only heighten the demand for trained infrastructure workers. 

We are putting forward five policy recommendations build an inclusive infrastructure workforce for the 21st century. 

1. Significantly expand access to skills training offered through registered apprenticeship programs and workforce programs at community and technical colleges. 

Apprenticeship is a known model for training workers in infrastructure fields. Due to its “earn and learn” approach, apprenticeship can be a particularly powerful job training strategy for workers who have lost their jobs during the pandemic and need to train for a career while also earning a paycheck. Public policies intended to expand apprenticeship can diversify infrastructure hiring pipelines if they invest in equity-advancing practices, such as pre-apprenticeship and mentoring programs. Pre-apprenticeship programs that are aligned with industry needs and provided in partnership with culturally and linguistically competent organizations can provide valuable on-ramps to apprenticeship programs for workers of color and women. Likewise, investments aimed at diversifying apprenticeship mentors can foster workplace inclusion and leadership for underrepresented workers.   

Policy leaders can also make debt-free financial aid more readily available for short-term training programs that meet quality assurance standards and are offered by public community and technical colleges. Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce estimates that 60 percent of jobs created through the federal infrastructure bill will require six months of training or less. Debt free financial aid is important for building the infrastructure workforce in an equitable way since Black and Latinx students take on a disproportionate amount of student debt due to the racial wealth gap.  

Industry-recognized, short-term training programs can support workers who are just entering the infrastructure field, as well as frontline workers looking to further build their skills so they can advance their careers. Training pathways are key for creating advancement opportunities for women and people of color who are concentrated in entry level utility and transportation roles. To support workers throughout their careers, these programs should result in credentials that lead to good jobs, continued education and training, and career advancement.  

2. Invest in industry partnerships in the infrastructure field and support their capacity to engage in equity-advancing practices. 

Industry partnerships bring together local businesses, unions and worker organizations, community colleges, training providers, and community organizations, to develop local and industry-specific workforce strategies. Industry partnerships are a proven model for helping workers enter and advance in a local industry and helping local companies support an inclusive talent ecosystem. Industry partnerships also address specific challenges identified by industry stakeholders representing both workers and businesses. 

Industry partnerships have the potential to expand access to quality infrastructure careers for people of color and women. Since industry partnerships intentionally broker training, hiring, and advancement opportunities between workers and employers within a particular sector, they can be used to disrupt occupational segregation if they are equity focused. They can also broker apprenticeship strategies, validate industry-specific credentials, and connect community college workforce programs with employers. 

Policymakers can specifically invest in industry partnerships’ capacity to assess industry needs, convene partners to develop and align workforce strategies and programs, and broker services. While these activities are critical, they are rarely directly funded by public dollars.   

Policymakers can also fund infrastructure industry partnerships to develop training, hiring, and advancement strategies intentionally designed to increase opportunities for people of color and women, and to help employers, unions, and training providers adopt and measure equitable, inclusive practices. Such funding can be coupled with technical assistance and learning communities that build partnerships’ capacity to engage in equity-advancing practices. 

3. Provide economic supports to make skills training and career transitions possible.

The costs of training for an infrastructure job go beyond tuition or training fees. Expenses like books and supplies, equipment, transportation, and childcare add up; and they can be prohibitive for adults who are already covering the costs of supporting a family on a limited budget following one of the greatest economic crises in our history.  

Policymakers can invest in economic supports for services like childcare and transportation and supplies and equipment to make skills training and career transitions possible for people who are trying to get by financially.  

Economic supports can fill resource gaps caused by structural racial and gender inequities and exacerbated by pandemic-related job loss. Indeed, investments in affordable, accessible, high-quality childcare will be essential if we want women to be part of the 21st century infrastructure workforce. Similarly, investments in transportation supports are key for construction and infrastructure workers who need to travel to project worksites. These economic supports are particularly important for workers who are entering an apprenticeship or a first job in the field and have not yet realized the full earnings potential of an infrastructure career. 

4. Incentivize and support training, hiring, and career advancement of local residents

The IIJA is intended to invest in local communities –including those that have been under-resourced– so that everyone has access to rails and roads, clean water, high-speed internet, clean energy and climate resilient infrastructure. We can bring even more benefit to local communities by incentivizing training, hiring, and career advancement of local residents for newly created infrastructure jobs.  

Federal, state, and local officials can incentivize the training and hiring of local workers through the bidding process for federally funded infrastructure projects. The U.S. Employment Plan – developed by Jobs to Move America and approved by the Department of Transportation – is a possible model. The plan encourages bidders to include workforce training, employment, and jobs in proposals, with a focus on good jobs and equity. Investments in the capacity of local training programs are also key to supporting local hire. 

Additionally, policymakers can ensure that skills training opportunities are available throughout local workers’ careers so people can train for a first job and a sustainable career in the field. Strategies like industry partnerships and short-term workforce programs are key to supporting workers in getting a first job and through the life of their career.  

5. Collect data and report on jobs outcomes of federal infrastructure spending with attention to race, gender, and geography

When we have good data, we can use it to hold our policymakers accountable for better, more equitable outcomes.  

To track the progress of efforts toward building an inclusive infrastructure workforce, federal agencies can mandate data collection on who is trained and hired through federal infrastructure spending, disaggregated by race/ethnicity, gender, geography and other factors.  

The federal government can also report on long-term employment outcomes—particularly for workers of color and women who are underrepresented in the infrastructure field. 

There must be an investment in the capacity to collect and report data, where local training and community organizations are part of data collection.  

Join our Campaign! 

The policy agenda laid out here was informed by the  recommendations of an Infrastructure Industry Recovery Panel — leading experts working in local communities — convened by National Skills Coalition and Business Leaders United in 2021 (an Initiative of National Skills Coalition). Panelists represented business, labor, education and training organizations, and others working in construction, utilities, transportation, and clean energy fields. 

In partnership with the Industry Recovery panel and network members like you, we have influenced federal policy. The IIJA included $1 billion-plus in workforce investments connected to infrastructure that will engage the Departments of Transportation, Energy and Labor. 

While our advocacy has fueled progress, policymakers have a lot of work left to do to truly support people powered infrastructure and drive an inclusive economic recovery.  

Will you join our campaign and urge policymakers to support people powered infrastructure today? Sign our petition now and we’ll be in touch with opportunities to influence federal, state, and local policies that give people access to training for careers in infrastructure.  

The post As the infrastructure bill is implemented, NSC pushes training for the next generation of infrastructure workers appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

• Oregon’s Pathways to Opportunity Coalition celebrated the passage of Oregon HB 2835. Known as the Benefits Navigator Bill, HB 2835 allocates $5 million in state funding so that every community college and public university will have a Benefits Navigator position to help students access SNAP food benefits, STEP (SNAP Employment & Training program), housing assistance, and other basic needs resources. Coalition leaders from Oregon’s community colleges, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, Oregon Food Bank, and the Oregon Student Association also centered student and worker voices in the policy development and design. They ensured this would continue through implementation by including requirements in the bill for students to be involved in the program design.

Students have been integral in advocating for the bill: testifying, meeting with legislators, and sharing their insights on the All In: Student Pathways Forward Podcast.  Dray Aguirre, a Central Oregon Community College student shared, “I am grateful to have provided testimony in support of HB 2835. I know from my own experience that providing students with access to a full-time benefits navigator that would help direct students to services and programs, will greatly improve our success in school, and provide us with peace of mind so that we can achieve our goals of graduating.”

• The Illinois team successfully advocated with two state agencies and their Governor’s office to launch two barrier reduction funds. First, they worked with the Illinois Department of Human Services to establish a Barrier Reduction Fund Pilot Program, which dedicated $2 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funding. The funds are administered through the IL Association of Community Action Agencies (IACAA) and cover emergency needs of job seekers seeking to meet an employment goal. The pilot began in Fiscal year 2021 and has been approved to continue in fiscal year 2022. Additionally, the team advocated with the Governor’s office and state legislator to allocate American Rescue Plan Act funds to a new barrier reduction fund administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development. This Barrier Reduction Fund is attached to newly revived state-funded job training grant program called the Job Training and Economic Development Grant program (JTED), which was allocated $50 million. The Barrier Reduction Fund will be accessible as an additional line item to JTED grants, or to any job training program grant recipient. The funds can be used to cover the emergency needs of program participants.

Longer term, they have taken the initial steps toward building a legislative campaign to establish a publicly funded State Barrier Reduction Fund. They also drafted and conducted a supportive services survey of community- based workforce service providers where they will be summarizing the results into a report that can be shared with funders, policymakers, and practitioners with recommendations for how to improve supportive services and barrier reduction policy and resources to better support marginalized job seekers.

• The Louisiana team successfully advocated to transition the Department of Children and Family Services’ SNAP E&T programming from a model that was primarily mandatory and limited to 5 of the state’s 64 parishes, to a model that is entirely voluntary and without geographic limitations. This change eliminated a significant source of SNAP sanctions that cut mandatory E&T participants off from food assistance and from the possibility of receiving additional E&T-funded supportive services. They executed a data sharing agreement to identify students eligible for supportive services through SNAP E&T to better connect those students with important resources to help them meet their basic needs while pursuing a degree or credential. The Louisiana team also conducted a focus group with allied health students from Baton Rouge community college with the goal of building the public case for the importance of robust supportive services for participants in career training programs. They plan to publish a report highlighting findings from that focus group.
• The Ohio team focused their efforts on Ohio’s significant digital divide and engaged with Advocates for Ohio’s Future in support of their work on a broadband expansion bill for the state. They achieved a major victory when the House and Senate committee added $250 million to expand broadband access to their state budget.  Additionally, the Ohio team will be advocating for a flexible supportive services fund and will be targeting new and existing sources for its development over the next biennium.
• The Mississippi team supported legislation and developed a policy agenda with specific, actionable recommendations to share with legislators and agency officials. These recommendations include
  1. Establishing an Emergency Supportive Services Fund that could be available to community-based organizations and workforce training providers,
  2. Advancing House Bill 17, the MS Child Care for Working Families Study Committee, that would potentially create systems alignment around childcare and would task a committee with identifying cross-sector/agency revenue that can couple supportive services and training. House Bill 17 will likely be reintroduced during the 2022 session where they will continue to advocate and support their advancement.
  3. Amending the MS Department of Human Services policy to minimize sanctions from critical human services for not meeting arbitrary work requirements and to remove policies that obstruct access to child care assistance as a work support. The team’s recommendation to increase access to child care assistance by removing an obstructive policy was supported through MS House Bill 65. The bill will likely be reintroduced during the 2022 session where they will continue to advocate and support its advancement

The post Wrapping up National Skills Coalition’s First Supportive Service Academy appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

Investments in Industry Partnerships

The legislation authorizes funding to support the administration and expansion of apprenticeship – up to $400 million in funding in 2021 and $800 million by 2025 for grant contracts to partnerships between workforce and education stakeholders. Expanding apprenticeship programs by prioritizing investments in industry partnerships is an approach that National Skills Coalition has long championed. It’s also an approach that is consistent with the bipartisan PARTNERS Act, which was introduced by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Drew Ferguson (R-GA), Davis (D-CA), and Brett Guthrie (R-KY). Bringing together different stakeholders – from businesses, education and training providers to human service organizations and labor – who have the knowledge and experience to help meet the needs of workers and businesses, and leverage public investments in apprenticeship, is key to building an inclusive economic recovery.

Investments in Pre-apprenticeship and Support Services

It is not enough to simply expand access to apprenticeship by supporting industry partnerships, we must also invest in pre-apprenticeship programs –which is particularly important for people of color and women who have been historically underrepresented in certain industries and apprenticeships. The NAA legislation prioritizes access to pre-apprenticeship programs, support services like affordable child care and transportation, and post-employment support like career counseling. These supports are critical to broadening the pipeline of workers with access to and success in apprenticeship programs. The investments are also consistent with the bipartisan BUILDS Act led by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH) and Representatives Paul Mitchell (R-MI), Bonamici (D-OR), Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Jim Langevin (D-RI).

Making Data Available to Help Ensure Equitable Outcomes

It is no secret that the devastating economic impacts of COVID-19 has been disproportionately felt by workers of color, women, immigrants, and workers with a high school degree or less. Not to mention the small businesses – including minority-owned small businesses – that have already gone under or are vulnerable to shutting down. Policymakers must ensure that investments in apprenticeship are done with an eye towards advancing racial equity in the workforce.  It is encouraging that the bill calls for data sharing on apprenticeship program outcomes, including in alignment with the Department of Education, consistent with NSC recommendations. Data transparency is key to ensuring that we’re truly building an inclusive economic recovery that leaves no one behind.

What’s Next?

The bill’s passage by the House is the latest step in the continued momentum in recent years to expand apprenticeship across the country, including increased appropriation over the past five years and commitments by both the Obama and Trump administrations to expand apprenticeships.  It has been 80 years since the National Apprenticeship Act has been updated. Reauthorizing NAA is a necessary first step in a series of steps that a new Congress and Biden administration must build on to equitably expand apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and the supports that workers need to succeed in those programs.

President-elect Biden has already made expanding registered apprenticeship – both as part of an infrastructure package and as a strategy to increase access to good jobs – a high priority. National Skills Coalition is committed to working with the Biden administration and Congress to make sure there is follow through on those commitments. Workers and businesses deserve action!

The post The House of Representatives Just Reauthorized the National Apprenticeship Act. Here’s What it Means for Workers appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

However, the explosive growth of online learning has made it tough for learners, employers, and public policymakers to gauge the quality of these thousands of options. A quality assurance process can benefit states who need a way to effectively and efficiently allocate limited financial resources to training programs for displaced workers who need to reskill. Quality criteria can also help states address racial and other equity gaps by providing more pathways into quality postsecondary education and training and good jobs for people of color, thereby ensuring an inclusive economic recovery.

Defining Quality

In 2019, National Skills Coalition worked with 12 states to review how they were using employment, earnings, and competencies to set quality standards for credentials. The analysis – and feedback from research and advocacy organizations with expertise in higher education and workforce policy, including those with a racial equity mission – led to the development of a vetted consensus definition of quality non-degree credentials that can be evaluated through data.

The four key criteria for defining quality non-degree credentials:

• There must be evidence of substantial job opportunities associated with the credential. Evidence must include quantitative data and direct communication with employers.
• There must be transparent evidence of the competencies mastered by credential holders; where the appropriate length of time is how long it takes to master the competencies.
• There must be transparent evidence of the actual employment and earnings outcomes of individuals after obtaining a credential and the data should be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, and other characteristics to measure equitable progress.
• Finally, stackability to additional education or training is a preferred criterion and can help individuals advance in education and employment.

Quality assurance tied to data can help individuals identify the right program and credential for their circumstances while avoiding low-quality or ineffective options. It can also help businesses ensure that the competencies and skills obtained by individuals will be what they need on the job. Reliable data is critical to ensuring that quality assurance definitions are student-focused and support equitable credential attainment.

Establishing Quality Criteria and Policy Actions

For states who wish to establish quality assurance criteria for online trainings, they should take steps to create an inclusive process that is transparent to stakeholders, including education and training providers, consumers, and the public. While the appropriate lead entity for convening a group of stakeholders who will adopt a quality definition may differ from state to state, it will likely include representatives from the state’s education, postsecondary education, and workforce or labor agencies. The process should also include a significant and meaningful role for:

• Organizations that represent underserved or underrepresented worker and student populations to ensure that the criteria support broader equity and attainment goals.
• Industry leaders who represent both employers and workers in the state’s major industries or economic development associations who can bring the voice and credentialing needs of businesses to the discussion.
• The governor’s office, if possible, to be engaged in the development of the criteria to ensure consistency with overall postsecondary attainment goals, and to facilitate discussions between both internal and external partners where appropriate.

States should also look at where to embed quality assurance credential definitions in state policies. Policy options could include a state-level legislative request to adopt quality assurance for credentials or polices to support the increased attainment of quality credentials, such as expanding state financial aid or other training funds or expanding apprenticeship and other work-based learning models. Policies could also be agency-specific and require, for instance, that all publicly funded training programs meet minimum quality standards. States that National Skills Coalition is currently working with in a Quality Postsecondary Credential Policy Academy are looking at quality assurance policies that can be applied to the state’s Eligible Training Provider List, or training approved for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds.

Applying Quality Criteria to Online Programs

States who wish to apply quality assurance criteria to online training programs should also consider these suggestions:

• Quantitative data and employer feedback should measure substantial job opportunities. While what is considered “substantial” will vary by state or region, data is needed to evaluate the market demand for the occupations that credentials are associated with.
• Use of real-time labor market data, existing sector partnerships, or emerging industries that represent a regional economic development strategy are all potential sources to inform whether or not employers demand the credential.
• The learning objectives of an online training program should be mastered by credential holders. Rather than fulfill a standard number of online hours, the learner should instead demonstrate proficiency in the learning outcomes required for the credential and valued by the employer to perform in the occupation. This proficiency is often validated by a third-party, like a certifying or licensing body, that confirms the learning outcomes that are required.
• There is proof of employment and earnings outcomes for individuals who obtain credentials through online training programs. It is key to accurately track and record outcomes to ensure that the credential provides individuals with the means to achieve their employment goal. Employment and earnings information should be disaggregated to ensure racially equitable attainment.
• Credential stackability is a strongly preferred criterion for online programs. Individuals may be pursuing short-term training as a quick route to stable employment during this economic recovery. Stackability can ensure that their new credential will be an on-ramp to a longer career pathway. Stackable credentials can be particularly important for people of color and others who have been traditionally underserved by higher education.

Finally, and beyond quality criteria, it’s important to remember that access to other resources and supportive services, like free or low-cost computers, broadband access, childcare, or other supports may be needed for learners to successfully participate in online training and complete their credential.

Quality Credentials to Support an Inclusive Economic Recovery

State and local investments in online training programs can increase access and allow more flexibility for workers without a college degree to retrain and upskill. Advocates should ensure that investments in online training programs include quality assurance measures so that adult learners have pathways into good jobs now and additional credentialing opportunities in the future. And, finally, cross-agency and cross-organization partnerships around quality assurance lead to better outcomes: they ensure that equity is at the center of the work and the voices of individuals and businesses disproportionately impacted by the pandemic are included in this economic recovery.

The post Workforce Update: Going Virtual – Defining Quality for Online Training Programs appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

Learn more about Skills for an Inclusive Economic Recovery: https://nationalskillscoalition.org/covid19

The post Listen to Skilled America Podcast Episode 9: Skills for an Inclusive Economic Recovery appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

At 11 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, the CEO of a Boston-area manufacturing company stepped off the shop floor to join a virtual room of 130 business leaders from across the country. The group had gathered to deliver an urgent message to their elected officials in Washington, DC: The pandemic has accelerated the need for aggressive, effective investments in skills training – a need Congress has so far failed to address. 

The post Business leaders tell Congress: The pandemic has accelerated the need for aggressive, effective skills training investments appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

• Implementing or expanding sector partnerships
• Establishing new or expanding existing career pathways within target industries
• Providing training opportunities to move workers in target industries from middle- to high-skill jobs
• Providing support services to individuals in training; building or expanding data systems
• Creating or leveraging strategies to sustain programs following the life of the grant.

The agency anticipates that it will award between 15-30 grants under this solicitation, with awards ranging from $500,000 to $10 million.

Eligible entities must be led by one of four applicant types:

1) Businesses or business-related non-profit organizations, such as industry or trade associations, acting as intermediaries for the target industry;

2) education and training providers, which may include community colleges, community-based organizations, and for-profit institutions;

3) entities involved in administering the public workforce system under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), including state workforce agencies, and state and local workforce development boards; and

4) state, regional, or local economic development agencies.

Regardless of which type of entity serves as the lead, all grants must support partnerships that include representatives from business, education and training providers, and workforce development entities. Optional partners may include (among others) labor- management partnerships, foundations and philanthropic organizations, faith-based organizations, and agencies administering relevant federal funding or programs.

Projects must be focused on training opportunities within the IT, advanced manufacturing, and transportation sectors, and may be operated at the local, state, or national level. Programs must incorporate career pathways as part of their overall design: while training may be provided for entry-level occupations, they must lead to employment in middle- and high-skilled occupations within the target industry. Applicants are also strongly encouraged to consider the use of work-based learning strategies such as apprenticeship, on-the-job training, paid internships, or incumbent worker training. Up to 10 percent of grant funds may be used for support services for participants, including transportation, child care, housing, and needs-related payments. All participants in training under these grants must be at least 17 years old and not currently enrolled in secondary education.

While the grants do not require cost sharing or matching, applicants must demonstrate that they will be able to leverage funds outside the grant equal to at least 25 percent of total amount requested. Leveraged resources can come from a variety of sources, and can include other federal funds – such as Pell Grants, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program education and training (SNAP E&T) funding, and federal work-study funds – if leveraged to support the project being supported through the grant.

Applications must be received by November 12, 2020; the full solicitation and supporting materials may be found here.

National Skills Coalition applauds DOL’s continued support for industry and sector partnerships, which have long been established as a best practice in helping businesses address skills shortages and helping workers advance within key industries. We urge Congress to build on these investments through further dedicated investments in these critical partnerships, including through expanded funding for transportation sector partnerships as provided in the bipartisan BUILDS Act, and funding for partnerships between community colleges, businesses, and other stakeholders as provided in the bipartisan ACCESS Act.

The post Department of Labor Announces $150 Million Solicitation for Sector Partnerships appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

Participants in the pilot project come from one of several programs overseen by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS). They include CalFresh, the state’s SNAP Employment and Training program; CalWorks, its Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program; and its Refugee Resettlement Program.

The new California policy reflects a step toward NSC’s Skills for an Inclusive Economic Recovery policy agenda item #6, Digital access and learning for all working people at home and on the job. In particular, NSC has called for eliminating barriers by making high-quality, equitable, and inclusive digital learning available to all workers.

National Skills Coalition spoke with Jennifer Hernandez of CDSS and Jessica Rothenberg-Aalami of Cell-Ed to learn more about the initiative.

Why take this approach now?

“We wanted to provide a mechanism to support low-income Californians who want to use this pandemic time to build their skills for future employment,” says Jennifer Hernandez of CDSS. The state understands that families are facing numerous economic and social stressors, she adds, and they don’t see this effort as a panacea. Still, it’s an important piece of the puzzle, especially as many in-person education and training services are limited or even unavailable due to public health restrictions.

The state’s contract with the Cell-Ed mobile learning platform also achieves two other goals: It frees up county welfare office staff from some of the onerous participation tracking that they would otherwise need to handle for public assistance participants, and it provides county officials with an easy, built-in tool for sharing updates about office hours or other program logistics with their clients.

How does the mobile learning platform work?

Cell-Ed is a voluntary program that enables adults to acquire essential skills via distance learning on a mobile device. Courses are pre-recorded and developed by content experts with expertise in adult education and mobile learning. Participants can access mini-lessons through text messages (if they have a low-tech feature phone), telephone audio, or a more robust application (if they have a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer).

Participants can also access support from bilingual coaches, who are available at any time via live chat through the application or through text messaging. Coaches can assist participants step-by-step through course content and are available for any questions.

Available courses include:

• English on the Go (offered from Levels 1 through 6)
  • Spanish-to-English bridging
  • Basic Literacy:
    • Math for Daily Life
    • Reading & Writing
    • Social Studies
    • Work Ready Skills
    • U.S. Citizenship & Civics Courses
    • Covid-19 Best Practices and Preventative Measures (offered in English, Spanish, and French, with more languages to come)

What support is the state providing to local officials?

“This is an optional program from the state level: We are encouraging county welfare offices to take advantage of it, but it’s not mandatory,” says Hernandez. The CDSS partnership with Cell-Ed is providing full access for free to all counties through June 2021. Counties can enroll an unlimited number of eligible participants. To date, 37 of the state’s 58 counties have signed on, representing a broad diversity of geographic regions.

CDSS has taken several steps to support wide adoption of the pilot:

• Issuing a July 1 policy guidance document to local officials. This All-County Information Notice, ACIN I-55-20, was titled Distance Learning Via Cell-Ed For California Work Opportunity And Responsibility To Kids (CalWORKs), Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), CalFresh Employment and Training (E&T), and Trafficking and Crime Victims Assistance Program (TCVAP) Participants
• Providing professional development to county officials, staff, and community-based providers on effective use of the Cell-Ed platform
• Identifying a modest amount of additional state funding that can be used to purchase loaner devices for participants who lack a smartphone or computer

Why choose Cell-Ed as a partner?

The organization had a proven track record of working with adult learners who mirrored CDSS’ participants, says Hernandez. That includes people who are low-income, have often worked in the service industry or other entry-level jobs, and may have limited foundational skills (such as reading, math, spoken English, or digital literacy).

In addition, says Cell Ed’s Rothenberg-Aalami, her company offers a nimble pedagogy that can be adapted for smart phones, tablet computers, and even lower-tech flip phones. This allows participants to engage in education even if they cannot afford a full-featured computer or if they are sharing a smartphone or computer with multiple other family members – a common situation in families with K-12 students who are learning at home during the pandemic.

Another consideration was the ability to provide connections from Cell-Ed online learning to other adult education and workforce development opportunities. “We want to make sure that as SNAP and TANF recipients build their skills, they can easily transition to high school equivalency classes or earn industry-recognized credentials,” says Hernandez. “To do that, we have to be really intentional about how Cell-Ed connects to the existing infrastructure of providers and services funded by WIOA and California Adult Education Program dollars.”

(For more on Cell-Ed’s model, see NSC’s recent Amplifying Impact brief on innovative programs that combine English language and digital skill building.)

What should policymakers and advocates keep in mind when considering similar efforts?

• “Make sure you have a clear, specific understanding of how your agency and participants will benefit,” says Hernandez. She points out that Cell-Ed’s platform provides a customized data dashboard and other tools that can help public officials understand who is logging in to the tool, how it is being used, and whether participants are meeting federal or state “work participation rate” metrics or similar mandates.

• In addition to the learning modules themselves, Hernandez adds, the platform’s survey and communications tools have simplified county offices’ task of getting timely updates out to participants. She recommends that policymakers think expansively about the types of tools they need and whether a particular platform can provide them.

• Making participation voluntary for both local officials and individual program participants is vital. “We wanted this to be seen as an appealing opportunity, not another ‘must do,’” says Hernandez. “Deferring to local officials allowed them to determine what they had the bandwidth to take on. And making the program optional for participants ensured that we weren’t layering on another expectation during a pandemic when families are facing numerous other demands.”

• “Don’t limit your thinking to the mobile tool itself,” adds Rothenberg-Aalami. “CDSS was smart in that they specifically contracted with Cell-Ed to include live coaches to provide technical assistance, encouragement, and professional development. This allowed public officials and staff to get the practical support they needed to understand the tool themselves, and encourage their participants to try it out.” Without that support, she adds, it would be hard to scale up adoption.

• Perhaps most importantly: “If policymakers and service providers can’t envision the end user, they end up designing for themselves,” explains Rothenberg-Aalami. In other words, if decisionmakers are accustomed to having affordable high-speed internet access at home and work, as well as an up-to-date digital device with an unlimited data plan, they may end up selecting distance learning options that are inaccessible to the people they serve.* It’s crucial to have partners at the table who have on-the-ground expertise, whether as service providers or participants themselves.

*(In contrast, another recent example identified by NSC is a mobile-learning pilot in a different location that failed to specify that its learning platform should be accessible to people with limited data plans. The result was a graphics-heavy application that hogged so much data that many potential users weren’t able to take advantage of it.)

The post California launches innovative distance education pilot for TANF, SNAP participants appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

The deeply inequitable consequences of this economic crisis for Black, Latino, Indigenous, and other communities of color, for immigrants, and for people with a high school diploma or less lay bare our nation’s history. A history of structural racism that kills people of color and robs them of their livelihood. A history of public policies that undermine the aspirations of working people who want to train for a better job. A history of economic recovery strategies that pick winners and losers rather than creating real pathways to prosperity for everyone.

But today, as the NSC Board, we come to you in a spirit of hope, responsibility, and determination with the release of Skills for an Inclusive Economic Recovery: A Call for Action, Equity, and Accountability. This call to action offers a vision for the role that skills policy can play in an inclusive recovery. A recovery in which workers and businesses most impacted by this recession, as well as workers previously held back by structural barriers of discrimination or opportunity, are empowered to equitably participate in and benefit from economic expansion and restructuring.

Skills for an Inclusive Economic Recovery will guide our coalition’s work over the next two years. And over the coming months, we will share actionable legislative agendas and in-depth policy solutions that achieve the goals we put before you today. Solutions that state and federal policymakers can run with. Solutions based on the experience and expertise of our member businesses, labor-management partnerships, community organizations, community colleges, and education and workforce experts. Solutions that will require your advocacy to make them real.

America cannot train its way out of an economic crisis, nor can skills policy shoulder alone the weight of a more inclusive economy. Inclusive skills policy on its own will not dismantle structural racism, bring economic security to every worker, or ignite sustainable growth for every small business. A web of policies and practices contributes to these goals. But skills policy has an essential role to play and must be part of our nation’s path forward.

So it’s with a sense of hope, responsibility, and determination that we ask you to walk with us on this path and shape this journey.

In solidarity,

Andy Van Kleunen, CEO and Board member, along with the rest of the NSC Board

The post Skills for an Inclusive Economic Recovery: A Call for Action, Equity, and Accountability appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

As states reopen and jobs in sectors with high concentrations of women workers are returning, working mothers will see increased pressure while trying to balance work, childcare, and school schedules that are contingent on when and if the coronavirus spreads. And the situation may be dire for permanently displaced women – especially low-income workers – who need to prioritize housing and food security needs of their families above reentering the job market.

An inclusive economic recovery must prioritize investments in education and training tied to labor market demand – and the necessary support services – to connect displaced women to the upskilling needed to fully compete in the economy’s restructuring and expansion.

Just the facts, ma’am

One story that emerged during the Great Recession was the disproportional economic impact on men, as job losses battered the manufacturing and construction sectors, which traditionally employ male-dominated occupations. The current recession is trending in the opposite direction, a phenomena not seen in economic downturns in the United States. When many state stay-at-home orders temporarily closed businesses in April 2020, women (age 20 and over) saw a peak unemployment rate at 15.5 percent, compared to 13.0 percent for men, on a seasonally adjusted basis. While unemployment rates for both men and women have trended downwards in recent months, the impact of this recession – and subsequent recovery – for women will be closely studied for years to come.

Here are some workforce trends experienced by women during this pandemic and recession:

• Unemployment rates for Black women and Latino women continue to trend higher than white women. As of July, rates for Black and Latino women (age 20 and over) were 14.1 and 14.4 percent, respectively, compared to a 10.3 percent unemployment rate for white women. Research shows that Latino women are heavily represented in sectors that were most impacted by pandemic shutdowns.

• A similar trend exists for foreign born women, whose monthly unemployment rates are trending four percentage points higher than native born women – 14.7 percent versus 10.7 percent in July. Of note here is the disparity between foreign born men and women: the unemployment rate for foreign born men (10.7 percent) is just one percentage point higher than the rate for native born men (9.5 percent).

• While some jobs held by women have retuned – most notably in the leisure and hospitality sector – working hours and income, by extension, have not. One in four women worked part-time in July but wanted full-time work. Prior to the pandemic this rate was one in ten.

• Overall, women make up about 39 percent of frontline workers and are highly concentrated in health care practitioner and support occupations. Women also hold a large percentage of cashier positions in retail and grocery stores. It is especially important to note that workers of color hold a majority share of the health care support jobs, and nearly one in four health care support workers are single mothers.

• Women (41 percent) were more likely than men (31 percent) to have teleworked because of the pandemic in May, the first month this data point was available. By July, these percentages had fallen and narrowed: 29 percent for women and 24 percent for men. In general, workers with higher levels of education have a greater ability to telework during this pandemic.

• For parents, working from home also requires balancing childcare needs – nearly 40 percent of workers who teleworked because of the pandemic in May had children under 18. While the data do not allow us insight into who is providing extra childcare, women, on average, spend more hours per day caring for children. And recent analysis by the Census Bureau points to three in ten women aged 25 to 44 who were not working in mid-July due to COVID-19 related childcare issues.

• Short- and long-term dislocation of women from jobs will also impact their future career trajectories and earnings. One research study estimates that for women the average earnings loss during a recession amounts to 3.3 years of pre-displacement earnings.

We’re facing an unprecedented confluence of events that has resulted in a disproportionate impact on job loss among occupations that employ more women. This occupational segregation, particularly for women of color in lower earning positions, is an important racial equity lens to bring to skills investments. Some sectors where women are majority job holders have low potential for automation, while also lacking lack skill development and career advancement opportunities.

Take action

September is national Workforce Development Month, a recognition that the education, training, and career advancement of our workforce allows the United States to remain competitive in an international economy. This year, the need for skills investments is critical to helping those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and to jumpstart the halting recovery for women.

Skill policies that broaden the infrastructure talent pipeline by supporting workers’ success (BUILDS Act) and sector partnerships that center apprenticeship and other work-based learning strategies (PARTNERS Act) can help all workers, especially women, succeed in 21st century careers. And access to wrap-around services, including high-quality childcare, are essential for young mothers to fully participate in retraining opportunities.

Make your voice heard: investments in our public workforce system must uplift the voices of displaced women workers so they can be a full part of an inclusive economic recovery.

The post Workforce Update: A Balancing Act for America’s Working Women appeared first on National Skills Coalition.