Hawai’i Workforce Funders Collaborative and the Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati join the National Fund Network to Improve Workforce Outcomes

 

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions is excited to welcome two new collaboratives to its network – the Hawai’i Workforce Funders Collaborative and the Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati. These collaboratives join the National Fund’s network of regional workforce collaboratives bringing together diverse community partners to help individuals develop new skills and access good jobs, businesses find trained employees, and communities generate inclusive prosperity.

“Leveraging collaboration and data, we have the ability to identify and deliver solutions for the social challenges our communities face,” said Matt Stevens, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Workforce Funders Collaborative. “Inclusion in the National Fund presents a valuable opportunity to learn best practices from my counterparts at similar initiatives across the nation. I am humbled to have the opportunity to use my experience – and the
expertise of these critical partner organizations – to expand the workforce pathways in Hawaiʻi.  There is already so much great work happening across our state.  The structure of the HWFC will ensure that all of the organizations at the table are pushing in the same direction toward equitable outcomes for all Hawaiʻi residents, and I look forward to sharing our learnings with other members of the National Fund.”

“Joining the National Fund for Workforce Solutions will enhance our collective impact in the workforce continuum across Greater Cincinnati, said Jason Ashbrook, executive director of the Southwest Ohio Region Workforce Investment Board and chair of the collaborative. “We are excited to learn from other national workforce innovators on the ways the Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati can build upon our existing workforce ecosystem in the Greater Cincinnati area, address the critical workforce needs of citizens and employers, and promote a resilient, inclusive, and equitable economy.”

The Hawai’i Workforce Funders Collaborative was formed in response to several issues facing Hawai’i’s community, including the economy’s dependence on sectors typically built on low-wage jobs, the disparity of opportunity for disadvantaged populations, the trend for high-wage positions to be awarded to mainland hires, and the fragmentation and disorganization of the workforce field. By establishing career pathways, elevating workforce development, leveraging data and best practices, and developing an enduring collaborative, HWFC envisions a thriving Hawai’i economy that will strengthen families and communities across the state.

The Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati partners seek to build upon the region’s strengths and ameliorate challenges to an equitable and prosperous community for all by advancing the tristate region’s workforce systems and transforming the quality of jobs in the region. This Collaborative believes that a foundation of racial equity is a crucial element to its ability to successfully impact the systems and institutions that have been upholding racism. A priority of the Collaborative is the development of a community-wide dashboard to assess metrics related to the success of individual employees, employers, and the economic health of the community.

“We are thrilled to welcome two visionary collaboratives into the network,” said National Fund Network Director Hollie Marston. “The Hawai’i Workforce Funders Collaborative will join as our only current statewide collaborative and the Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati builds on the legacy of Partners for a Competitive Workforce. Both collaboratives bring a commitment to equity and job quality. With their membership, the strength of our network grows.”

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About National Fund for Workforce Solutions

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions invests in a dynamic national network of 30+ communities taking a demand-driven, evidence-based approach to workforce development. At the local level, the National Fund’s partner organizations contribute resources, test ideas, collect data, and improve public policies and business practices that help all workers succeed and employers have the talent they need to compete. Learn more at www.NationalFund.org.

 

About Hawai’i Workforce Funders Collaborative

Hawai’i Workforce Funders Collaborative was launched in partnership by HMSA, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, and the Hawai’i Community Foundation to strengthen partnerships and systems to provide equitable access to living wage jobs for Hawai’i residents. The Collaborative’s mission is to increase island prosperity by strengthening public-private partnerships and systems that increase the number of high-quality jobs that support individuals and communities, preparing and connecting local residents to these high-quality jobs, with a focus on equity, so they can earn wages and benefits that allow them to support themselves and others, and increasing employment, earnings, and equity for local residents, strengthening the Hawai’i economy overall. Funds to support the work of the collaborative are provided by all of the member foundations and administered by the Hawaii Community Foundation.

 

About The Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati

The Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati brings together the Southwest Ohio Region Workforce Investment Board, the Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board, The Workforce Innovation Center at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, The Health Collaborative, and Brighton Center. The Collaborative serves individual employees and job seekers, talent and workforce partner organizations, industry sector partnerships, and employers toward a vision where the Cincinnati region excels at creating opportunities for people to advance their lives through obtaining, maintaining, and advancing in jobs and careers that enable their individual and family success while also fostering the success of employers with high-quality employment practices to the benefit of their business and the economic growth of the entire region.