Author: workforceeqstg

Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) is a national multicultural women’s organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity so women and girls can thrive. YWCA’s focus areas include racial justice and civil rights, increasing economic advancement for women and girls of color, improving health and safety of women and girls of color, providing safety and security for women (including domestic and sexual violence services), and serving kids through childcare services and programming. Their Economic Empowerment and Workforce Readiness Programs include financial literacy classes, RESET (Re-engagement for Self-Sufficiency, Empowerment and Transformation) which serves disconnected young women, assistance to banking, legal and financial resources, and a Ready to Work workforce development program.

In San Antonio, the Fund for Workforce Equity supported YWCA’s newly formed Teacher Advisory Committee (TAC), which raised awareness about the undervaluing of early childhood educators (ECE), their pay, professional pathways, and their deserved recognition as teachers. The TAC surveyed local childcare facilities to better understand the experiences and perspectives of ECEs around job quality, pay, and professional development. It also spoke on panels and attended public meetings with donors to share the needs and challenges of the childcare industry with policymakers.

Through the TAC survey, YWCA San Antonio learned about the various challenges childcare providers face, including long work hours without breaks, not having the privilege of remote work, and work that is often undervalued and underpaid. Surveyed teachers voiced many frustrations and feelings of injustice, and childcare providers of color, primarily African American and Hispanic women, had little experience in advocating for themselves in the workforce and in their communities. The TAC highlighted the need for greater training and communication tools so childcare providers could advocate to policymakers on behalf of the childcare industry. YWCA shared the results of the survey with the organization’s leadership team and continue to work internally and across departments to amplify the voices and concerns of childcare teachers within the organization and in the community.

In addition to the grant funding, YWCA benefitted from the Fund’s technical assistance supports. In particular, they valued opportunities to learn about other grantees’ work and share challenges and successes of project implementation throughout the grant period. Looking to the future, YWCA will continue to amplify the voices of early childhood education providers and build a more empowered and professionalized early childhood education workforce.

Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) is a nonprofit workforce development collaborative organization that serves under-resourced teens and young adults through preparation for the workforce in order to become economically self-sufficient. Y.O.U.’s workforce development services focus on supporting teens and young adults through career development, high school graduation and post-high school success, career exploration internships, youth employment, and young adult job placement and credential training. Resources include a young adult resource center that provides employment and career-planning assistance, support, and case management services.

Y.O.U. applied to the Fund for Workforce Equity on behalf of Generation Work-Cleveland/Cuyahoga County (GWCC), a collective partnership that aims to support the development of a coordinated and accessible workforce system for young people. The Fund supported Y.O.U. and GWCC’s efforts to understand young adults’ experiences and perspectives about job quality, such as what they look for in a job, the types of supports they need at work, and job design strategies that could be most impactful for employers who want to hire and retain young adult talent, especially Black and brown workers. To that end, the project team developed a survey instrument and interview protocol and began data collection in Fall 2023.

Early survey and interview findings show that some youth have been at their jobs for at least one or two years. At the same time, a significant number of respondents left their last place of employment, which prompted Y.O.U. to wonder whether that was because they were temporary or “gig” jobs or if employers had retention issues. Findings also suggest that youth who go through training programs for different sectors end up working in retail and hospitality. Y.O.U. wants to understand why this is, and how programs that train for different pathways can ensure youth find meaningful employment there. Youth also mentioned encountering several barriers to employment, including childcare, housing, and mental health. Once the analysis is complete, Y.O.U. and GWCC intend to share these learnings widely with partners and the community.

Y.O.U. and GWCC also identified areas that need additional attention and support. For example, how workforce programs can target and recruit working young adults, which make up a significant portion of the labor force, and how career pathways could be strengthened to entice and retain young workers and learners. Looking ahead, they are curious about how their findings compare to other cities and regions across the country, and look forward to engaging in conversations with other organizations both within and outside of the Fund.

Roots Community Health Center (Roots) is a multiservice healthcare agency that addresses systemic inequities and poverty by combatting the historically neglected health needs of the African American/Black communities in East Oakland. In doing so, their services and programs address community needs via community engagement and transition services, workforce enterprise and training, health and wellness services, and community advocacy and capacity building.

Support from the Fund for Workforce Equity enabled Roots to center worker and learner voice in the development, design, and evaluation of its newest workforce enterprise. A group of formerly incarcerated women of color worked with a research and evaluation expert to design and test candle products for sale. For four days a week, participants received candle-making training and an introduction to candle scent, color, and additives. Later in the program, they created a product name and brand. Participants met with Roots’ Research and Collaboration team at least once a week to collect market research data and create a training manual for the next cohort to help ensure the program’s long-term sustainability.

During project implementation, Roots recognized that the lack of affordable childcare services was a significant barrier for workers and learners. In response, they partnered with local licensed childcare providers to offer free childcare services while participants were in the program. This allowed them to focus on their research without worrying about their children. Further, Roots noted participants’ interest in graphic design and incorporated a Canva workshop to help enhance their skills. Through this training, workers and learners worked together to create their own candle brand, logo, and label for their final product.

At the end of the program, participants hosted an “Open House” event to showcase their final candle products, where attendees had the opportunity to purchase the products. Seeing its success, Roots has decided to make this event a permanent program component for future cohorts. Roots also hosted a formal graduation event to celebrate their program completion. Afterwards, all participants were offered an opportunity to interview for a position of their choosing at Roots. Two were hired and the rest can enroll in another apprenticeship program in the near future.

Rocky Mountain Partnership (RMP) is a coalition of cross-sector community members and community partners focused on improving the economic and social mobility by breaking down silos, removing obstacles, and supporting resources and policy change so that all community members in Adams County, the City of Aurora, and the City and County of Broomfield can earn skills and credentials, be able to access high-paying jobs, and advance in their careers so they and their families can thrive. As such, the coalition works to transform systems to empower community members by focusing on four priority areas, which include: improving hiring and retention practices, increasing the number of pathways to top jobs, removing housing barriers, and addressing the opioid crisis.

Support from the Fund for Workforce Equity enabled RMP to deepen two areas of its work: addressing equity gaps in high-demand career positions and embedding community voice in organizational policies through the development of a Community Coalition. In the first area, RMP reviewed employee and leadership data to surface equity disparities. It then developed targeted action plans with employer partners to shift hiring practices (e.g., revise job posting language, eliminate unnecessary degree requirements and background checks) and establish systems for including employee voice in hiring, retention, and employee advancement practices. For example, a local school district with over 5,000 employees identified creative ways to incentivize entry-level positions, such as free access to professional development opportunities and public transportation passes.

In the second area, RMP expanded its Community Coalition group to six participating youth and young adults ages 16 to 24. Two of these individuals also served as representatives on RMP’s Executive Committee and helped advance the adoption of this coalition model in a local school district. This involved creating a framework that emphasized centering the voices and perspectives of workers and learners of color.

In addition to the grant funding, RMP benefitted from the Fund’s technical assistance supports. In particular, they recalled a session led by community members from two workforce organizations and found it to be a powerful and inspiring example of what RMP’s Community Coalition could one day accomplish. They also valued the journey mapping webinar and the opportunity to closely examine how workers and learners navigate hiring, retention, and employee advancement at work.

Looking ahead, RMP intends to partner with business intermediaries to broaden access to businesses in the region, create a data hub for participating employers that will help them determine whether their organizational practices are equitable, and scale the Community Coalition model to drive equitable outcomes and opportunities for workers and learners of color.

New York Association of Training & Employment Professionals (NYATEP) is New York’s premier workforce development association representing over 250 organizations, including workforce development boards, community college systems, economic developers, career and technical education providers, labor unions, literacy associations, transportation associations, among others. NYATEP advocates on behalf of the workforce development community for equitable systems change and promotes economic mobility, provides training to create opportunities for advancement, and promotes improvement of the state’s systems and local practice in providing workforce services.

The Fund for Workforce Equity supported NYATEP’s New York State (NYS) Workforce Acceleration Institute (WAI) for Leaders of Color. This program was ideated by an advisory group of 15 Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) workforce executives from across the state and is a 10-month leadership and systems change initiative to elevate current and emerging leaders by developing equity-focused leadership competencies, developing an in-depth knowledge of statewide and national workforce policies, building a network of leaders of color within the NYS workforce system, and identifying policies that break down systemic barriers that have kept individuals of color within the NYS workforce system from advancing and making an impact in their local communities.

The 12-month WAI Leaders of Color program was launched in August 2023 with its first phase: a Workforce Development Leadership Credential program with a focus on equity and inclusion. This co-branded credential with Cornell University’s External Education division is a customized three-course program covering various topics, including diversity in the workplace and analyzing power and systems. The second phase is a 4-month intensive Equity in Action practicum, where participants put the knowledge they gained into practice. The third and final phase involves matching participants with an executive coach to strengthen their equity-focused leadership competencies (e.g., Leading with a DEI Lens, Addressing Internal/Intra-Racial Biases) and addressing professional challenges and identifying opportunities for advancement.

In addition to the grant funding, NYATEP found value in the technical assistance supports provided by the Fund. This included one-on-one coaching sessions, participating in learning community webinars, and attending a training on power mapping. When the program comes to a close, NYATEP plans to share its first-year findings with its Board of Directors, the Fund for Workforce Equity, and state agencies who may benefit from the results, such as the Department of Labor and the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. It hopes this will bring together funders, grantors, grantees, and service providers to address equity in the broader workforce system.

Hack.Diversity is a nonprofit organization focused on transforming the economy and breaking down barriers facing Black and Latine professionals in the technology industry. Hack.Diversity’s program focuses on upskilling both ends of the talent pipeline, employer hiring and retention, and bridging the gap between employers and Black and Latine workers in the field. In doing this, Hack.Diversity partners with employers and companies on their culture and readiness to recruit, retain and accept leaders of color, while focusing on technical talent and ensuring a diverse team. For its fellows, Hack.Diversity provides technical project skill-building, career skill-building, industry social capital building to generate competitive salaries within the tech industry for their future success and ability to generate wealth.

With support from the Fund for Workforce Equity, Hack.Diversity increased the budget for its Alumni Leadership Council (ALC) and developed an alumni-informed curriculum for its newly-launched Fellowship Cohort in New York City. Alumni were compensated for completing an annual survey gathering feedback about the strengths, gaps, and opportunities in the curriculum and were provided stipends for engaging in “instructor” positions for incoming Fellows.

The ALC used its budget to autonomously advance work in three areas. First, it built out its network of alumni into a larger community. By the end of 2023, the network included over 400 Black and/or Latine professionals working as software engineers, data analysts, information technology professionals, and mechanical engineers. Second, ALC amplified the visibility of Hack.Diversity in the larger field by participating in the organization’s five-year quasi-experimental study to understand industry experience and upward mobility among Hack.Diversity alumni compared to two comparison groups. The study’s 2023 findings show that wages for full-time workers were much higher for alumni compared to either comparison group. Wage growth was also higher for alumni, and they continue to have higher rates of health, retirement, and other benefits than the comparison groups. Finally, ALC provided professional development opportunities to alumni through a few dozen community events, including networking and self-marketing opportunities, and in 2024 has plans to offer additional workshops and trainings around strategic planning and technology readiness.

Hack.Diversity also used its grant funding to adjust its curriculum and racial equity, diversity, and inclusion (REDI) upskilling offerings after soliciting alumni feedback. Through listening sessions with alumni, the organization learned that they highly valued financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and networking opportunities, and as such are implementing several activities in 2024 to continue to deepen and expand alumni engagement. Through pre- and post-program surveys, one-on-one meetings between program staff and participants, and group convenings, Hack.Diversity will continue to ground its curriculum and programming in the needs and lived experiences of its primarily Black and Latinx Fellows and alumni.

Looking ahead, Hack.Diversity will continue to center the voices of its alumni to help drive equity in career reentry and retention. Its feedback loops will serve to inform yearly curriculum and program development and ensure that these address and adjust to participant and alumni needs.

Gideon’s Army is a community-based grassroots workforce development organization made up of black individuals that have been impacted by mass incarceration, the school to prison pipeline and youth violence. As a violence prevention organization, Gideon’s Army uses restorative justice programs to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, by guiding young people to success through self-empowerment and leadership.  Its programs address school pushout, youth violence, policing, and juvenile justice. Their workforce program, Gideon’s Army University, is held four times a year and participants focus on training and education skill-building, attend alternatives to violence programming, and receive dialectical, behavioral therapy.

Support from the Fund for Workforce Equity enabled Gideon’s Army to secure funding to launch a comprehensive workforce development program in North Nashville; enhance partnerships with local public agencies, such as the Department of Human Services and Department of Labor and Workforce Development; rebuild its workforce program, emphasizing trauma-responsive and healing-focused approaches; pilot a youth cohort program, providing paid internships and comprehensive training in systemic issues and organizing strategies; and establish a youth workforce advisory group to further support community engagement and advocacy efforts.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was an especially important component of the organization’s workforce development work, and Gideon’s Army was able to create a safe space for youth to feel their emotions without judgement. It piloted different models and curricula that focused on the development of coping skills to manage stress, regulate emotions, and improve relationships. At the same time, youth strengthened their knowledge of civic engagement and public health, and participated in trainings like power building, power mapping, and Theater of the Oppressed, a form of community-based education that uses theater as a tool for social change.

As Gideon’s Army continues to implement and iterate on its workforce development programming, it notes the importance of supporting smaller grassroots organizations, suggesting that they often need more support and longer funding compared to larger organizations. It also recognizes the importance of capacity building for smaller organizations, and that with proper support and mentorship, smaller organizations can develop the capacity needed to effectively manage grants and projects, ultimately leading to sustainability.

Looking ahead, the organization wants to cultivate a team of self-empowered workers and learners that enter the workforce as trained organizers who can identify and act against inequities in the workplace and advocate for higher wages and better working conditions.

California Indian Manpower Consortium (CIMC) is a non-profit consortium of 104 reservations and rancherias in California, which is owned and operated by Native Americans and advocates for the educational and economic advancement of the first Americans, including Native American, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian individuals who are low-income, unemployed or underemployed. CIMC’s workforce development services include employment, training, education, nutritional assistance, housing assistance, childcare, eldercare, follow-up services, and other supportive services that ensure career success while also reserving the cultural integrity of its participants.

CIMC has a strong relationship with the Census Bureau and has been participating in the Native American Rights Fund to review census data and ensure support for Indian tribes. The Fund for Workforce Equity is supporting CIMC to gather statistical labor force and census data from Native American tribal member workers and learners of the Pala Band of Mission Indians Tribe and Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel to develop local workforce development programs/policies and alter policies/programs on a national level for their economic revival.

Based on 2020 census data, the organization is at risk of losing critical funding for its employment and training services, and hopes the validated tribal census data it is collecting will provide evidence that tribal groups need more support, not less. Through outreach efforts to tribes located in Northern California to participate, CIMC has received interest from several tribal organizations who want to join its study and intends to develop customized labor force reports based on their findings in return.

Alternatives For Girls (AFG) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help girls and young women avoid violence and teen pregnancy by helping them access support, resources, and opportunities to make positive choices and be safe. AFG primarily serves at-risk young women and girls of color, including those who are experiencing homelessness, human trafficking, and domestic violence. AFG’s workforce development services provide multiple pathways for at-risk women for social and economic mobility which include integrated career exploration and planning, training, and placement services. In the course of its work, AFGs has developed various partnerships with local employers and training providers.

Support from the Fund for Workforce Equity enabled AFG to implement a participatory evaluation of its Workforce Development Hub (WDH) program. The WDH provides comprehensive, integrated workforce development to AFG participants who are BIPOC girls and women experiencing homelessness, human trafficking, domestic violence, and/or other trauma-related factors in Detroit, Michigan.  

Participatory research encompasses research designs, methods, and frameworks that use systematic inquiry in direct collaboration with those who belong to or represent the interests of people who are the focus of the research. To date, AFG has set up a worker equity fellowship program, central to the evaluation design, as well as project staff/evaluator grantee training. Their workforce equity fellows have completed a four-week training program on participatory research evaluation methodology. Fellows will engage in a year-long immersive research study of the WDH in collaboration with the AFG’s Workforce Development Hub staff and Evaluation Strategies, AFG’s local evaluator.

Through this evaluation project, AFG hopes to yield strong data and learn insights into worker-learner perspectives that help identify:  the root causes of local workforce challenges for BIPOC youth/young adults, how worker-learners navigate these challenges, and gaps between worker-learner priorities and current WDH programming.

AFG’s participation in the Fund’s learning community has enabled them to learn more about centering workers’ voices in program design and implementation and to connect with grantees around the country.      

“AFG is excited about the long-term impact of this funding and support as we look to implement a participatory evaluation process of our other programs and services in the future to better meet worker and learner needs.” said Sandra Romocan.     

Hired is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit whose work centers on advancing economic opportunity justice, and career advancement for individuals deeply affected by historic and systemic inequities. This includes engaging individuals who face barriers to career advancement as a result of limited work or educational experience, justice system involvement, unstable living conditions, and other situational barriers to employment. Core services include individualized support and planning, life and career-focused coaching, and career training. 

Hired’s Medical Manufacturing Career Pathway program provides workers and learners with support to build job readiness skills, customer service, workplace professionalism, and computer skills in addition to hands-on practice preparing for medical device assembly. 

With support from the Fund for Workforce Equity, Hired is working with one of its top employer partners in the Medical Manufacturing Career Pathway, Medtronic, to center workers and learners of color in the design and implementation of a new employee retention program at the company. 

To date, the project team has convened their leadership team to launch programming and guide project implementation, completed focus group feedback sessions with employees, and convened the leadership group to review feedback and responses to concerns raised and to initiate the next phase of the pilot project, which includes delivery of on-site services.  

“Our work in centering workers and learners of color in designing and implementing programs is underway, and we are excited with our progress,” said Deanna Threadgill, Advancement Director at Hired.