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Currently Skimming:

7 Regional Observations with National Implications
Pages 107-128

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From page 107...
... The committee that planned these workshops sought to understand the different ways in which cities have responded to the labor shifts brought on by the pandemic and how cities are adapting their workforce training efforts to help displaced workers move into skilled jobs in which they can earn a living wage capable of supporting a family. After reviewing the discussions from the first five regional workshops, the committee recognized key themes across the workshop series to both highlight and discuss further in a sixth and final workshop.
From page 108...
... Flynn found the stories of the five communities compelling and energiz ing because of the innovation that is happening in those five regions as they adapt to the unique needs of their regional labor markets. She reiterated the challenge of connecting workers in industries devastated by COVID-19, such as the tourism, restaurant, retail, and hospitality industries, with STEMM workforce training programs that can provide opportunities to these workers in industries with a growing demand for a skilled STEMM workforce, includ ing technology, healthcare, and certain manufacturing sectors.
From page 109...
... Elzey asked the panelists to talk about what has changed during the pandemic regarding who is delivering workforce training. Flynn cited how community colleges have stepped up in some interesting ways, and said she was also impressed with how rapidly many workforce training organizations flipped to online delivery and that virtual online offerings will continue once the pandemic is over.
From page 110...
... One program that caught Lipson's attention was the Virginia Ready Initiative, which was able to leverage an existing infrastructure of statewide initiatives and work closely with the Virginia community college system. She also highlighted the Virginia Fast Forward workforce credential program's efforts to help people navigate the workforce training system to find their way onto pathways that will lead them to credentials and new job opportunities while also providing them with a financial incentive to complete the program.
From page 111...
... Ginther said that detailed weekly unemployment claims can provide useful information given that those data are broken down by education, gender, race, and industry. She also pointed out that while workforce training efforts are leaning heavily on community colleges, enrollment is down at those institutions.
From page 112...
... Her hope is that companies will lean into providing more help with the latter set of services. Elzey then asked the panel whether there is a need for a national effort to illustrate the importance of developing a STEMM workforce and whether the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how people view a STEMM workforce.
From page 113...
... Lipson seconded those suggestions and added that the federal government should provide funding that will enable all 50 states to rebuild and enhance their existing digital infrastructure to reach everyone in this increasingly virtual and remote world. Lipson expressed hope that once the pandemic is over, the nation will take the opportunity to step back and think about the lessons learned during the pandemic as they concern workforce training and the provision of wrap-around services.
From page 114...
... Today, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the rural digital divide is affecting the ability of children to participate in learning, and people who might have the opportunity to work at home cannot because of limited broadband access. Addressing the rural digital divide, said Dunne, is a critical piece of ensuring that rural areas recover from the COVID-19 pandemic in better shape than they did after the 2008 recession.
From page 115...
... KEY SERVICES THAT SUPPORT EQUITABLE ACCESS TO WORKFORCE TRAINING The next panel discussed higher education and social service strategies to connect displaced workers with training opportunities to meet local STEMM employment needs. The three panelists were Tamar Jacoby, president and chief executive officer of Opportunity America; Rebecca Rowley, president of Santa Fe Community College; and Paige Shevlin, director of policy and national initiatives at the Markle Foundation.
From page 116...
... To her, no institution is in better position than the community college to provide that training given their infrastructure, instructors, training facilities, and, most importantly, reach and scale. She noted that few Americans live more than a 30-minute drive from a community college, and that community colleges were educating nearly 12 million people a year even before the pandemic struck, compared to 18,000 in boot camps and 225,000 in government job training programs.
From page 117...
... Moreover, the training dollars available through the public workforce system do not come close to meeting the demand for training. Community colleges cannot be expected to provide training for free.
From page 118...
... • Virtual and online learning may be the only feasible option for some people; however, many programs are only offered in person, and online learning presents unique challenges. In terms of what states, regions, and local workforce boards can do without policy changes, Shevlin said they can identify effective training programs, including virtual options, and make that information widely available to address the information barrier.
From page 119...
... Her team created an emergency fund that quickly raised $100,000 to support student needs for everything except tuition, including paying for internet access and purchasing laptops that students could borrow. Jacoby noted that community colleges are a mixed bag of institutions, some of which are focused on workforce training, others on getting students into bachelor's degree–granting institutions.
From page 120...
... In Kentucky, people who participated in this program are earning $45,000 a year more, five years later, than non-participating students from the same community colleges. "While not all apprenticeship programs are going to pay off in that way, this is an example of what can be done," said Jacoby.
From page 121...
... FUTURE DESIGN OF WORKFORCE TRAINING The final session of the workshop series examined how the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on the nature of work will drive new approaches to workforce training. The three panelists were David Langdon, senior economist and senior policy advisor in the Office of the Chief Economist at the Department of Commerce's Economics and Statistics Administration; Paul Osterman, Nanyang Technological University professor of human resources and management and professor of urban planning at the M ­ assachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management; and Unique ­Morris-Hughes, the director of the Washington, DC, Department of Employment Services.
From page 122...
... economy is not being "Uberized." He also noted that in-demand skills are within the reach of most people, and most community colleges can provide them. Demographics, he added, will create opportunities for middle-skill work.
From page 123...
... . Building strong programs requires money, with most of that coming via regional compacts that include employers, workforce boards, community colleges, intermediaries such as national and regional support networks, and community actors.
From page 124...
... In that regard, all training programs should be regional in their skills focus. Langdon explained that the Office of the Chief Economist at the Department of Commerce's Economics and Statistics Administration does provide federal funding to support regional economic development
From page 125...
... COMMON THEMES DISCUSSED ACROSS THE WORKSHOP SERIES The workshop series sought to advance conversations across different U.S. cities on meeting their STEMM workforce needs in the wake of COVID-19.
From page 126...
... Educational emphases: Skills versus degrees • While four-year colleges play an important role in workforce training, community colleges are particularly well suited to respond to local workforce demands because of their close ties to local industry. Community college enrollments are down, however, and many of these institutions are under-resourced.
From page 127...
... • Many virtual training opportunities and job application plat forms do not have a mobile-ready platform. • Many places that provide internet access, such as public libraries, coffee shops, and computer labs at job training centers, are closed or have limited access as a result of the pandemic.


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