My Time at SHIFT The Future of Workforce

I can’t believe it’s already been a month since SHIFT The Future of Workforce. The three days spent in Minneapolis were so meaningful and impactful to me, and the National Fund. It was incredible to gather in-person with our network, workforce practitioners, employers, and partners.

The atmosphere was electric as people made new connections and rekindled old ones. The big conversations around occupational segregation, trauma in the workplace, worker voice, and job quality in times of crisis galvanized attendees to consider the ways workforce development needs to change to address major systemic challenges. There was real enthusiasm to start thinking about how to take the next steps to create a truly equitable economy.

But this is only the beginning. While there is energy to move forward toward big goals, there are real questions surrounding how to get the work done. With a few weeks back in the workplace for us all, I’m sure we are still identifying ways to tie our work back to what we learned at SHIFT. I know I am!

There is no rest for us at the National Fund; we are already beginning to think about our next convening in 2024. Between now and then, I am hopeful that we will have made progress on the shifts we identified together in Minneapolis. I am so excited for what the future holds for us, our network, and the field of workforce development.