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Workforce Development Month
September is Workforce Development Month! We kicked off the month with a #WhatsWorking Twitter chat. Even in the face of unprecedented challenge and hardship, we were able to share a number of successes and accomplishments throughout the network. Check out some of these great stories here! President’s Corner2020 continues to challenge our spirit and our resolve, even our very health. When the sad news broke that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died, I knew that I would dedicate this month’s message to her legacy of advancing women’s rights – particularly those rights that expanded women’s economic empowerment. In her early career she fought and won against pregnancy discrimination and ensured that women can open credit cards, secure a mortgage, or take out a personal loan without a male co-signer. In her eloquent dissent in the Lilly Ledbetter case, which paved the way to securing fair pay for women, she wrote that the kind of wage disparities Ledbetter experienced “have a closer kinship to hostile work environment,” with each wage or salary payment being infected by sex-based discrimination that compounds over time. As we mourned RBG’s passing and celebrated her amazing life and career, I thought about how far we have come. And then 2020 dealt another blow. The police officers involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor will not be charged in her death. Her death was a tragedy, made more poignant by the fact that she was an “essential worker” – an emergency room technician risking her life for her job in the midst of a pandemic. Breonna Taylor was one of those workers we have been quick to hail as “heroes,” the same frontline workers that are at the heart of the National Fund’s mission. But being a heroic healthcare worker in a pandemic did not protect Breonna Taylor from the disease of racism. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a cultural touchstone in the fight for women’s equality. Breonna Taylor was touchstone in our current civil rights movement. We have indeed come so far. We have so far to go. CareerSTAT Webinar SeriesLeveraging Good Jobs as a Competitive AdvantageAn economy built on far too many low-wage, low-quality jobs is simply unsustainable. The anxiety we are feeling today has been felt by many workers every single day, for decades, especially people of color and women. But now we are seeing just how vulnerable we all are. The latest CareerSTAT webinar explored how improving jobs builds competitive advantage and featured a discussion with CareerSTAT leaders in Dallas’ efforts to make high-demand patient care technician positions better. Watch the recording of this webinar below!
Rethink Adult Ed ChallengeApprenticeships serve as a pathway into well-paying and rewarding careers across a range of industries. However, many adults miss out on these opportunities because they are not aware of apprenticeship programs or don’t have the necessary support to prepare for or gain entry to them. The Rethink Adult Ed Challenge — a $750,000 competition to advance pre-apprenticeships — will provide funding and support to help adult education providers develop programs that connect learners to job opportunities. Luminary Labs and the U.S. Department of Education will be hosting a virtual information session on October 15. You can learn more about the challenge here.
Join Our Team!Network DirectorThe National Fund is hiring a Network Director to lead efforts to strengthen the National Fund’s network of regional collaboratives to drive impact at the local and national levels. The main responsibilities will include network relationship building, including routinely connecting parts and people and coordinating network-wide activities. The Director will lead an internal team, collaborate with other teams, and manage network technical assistance coaches.
Success Across the NetworkMedia and Articles
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