America’s Best-Kept Future of Work Secret
Workforce boards have the potential to create a significant impact as we work towards economic recovery. In a recent Medium piece, Dr. Angela Jackson, a New Profit Partner, dives deeper into how we can modernize this important asset.
Dr. Angela Jackson, a New Profit Partner and Lead of New Profit’s Future of Work initiative, recently published a Medium piece about the potential that workforce boards have to drive significant impact as we work towards economic recovery amid COVID-19.
When we explore solutions to train and place workers in higher-wage jobs, the focus is often around what individual companies or programs are doing to close the gap and reach workers. However, there is another — often overlooked — resource that is a powerful complement to these initiatives. Workforce boards, located in all regions across the United States, identify the labor needs of local communities and direct public funding to programs that connect workers to training, jobs, and other resources.
In many ways, these boards are America’s best-kept “secret” in the future of work. As research from Jobs for the Future shows, workforce boards are in a “prime position to drive impact at scale.” These organizations represent the niche needs of local communities, reaching historically disinvested communities through public-private partnerships.
Are you interested in learning more about how New Profit is approaching the Future of work? Here are some key links to learn more and get involved:
- The Future of Work Grand Challenge: Created by New Profit and powered by XPRIZE and MIT Solve, the Future or Work Grand Challenge is a cross-sector, equity-focused effort that aims to rapidly reskill 25,000 displaced workers into higher-wage jobs in the next 24 months and equip influential workforce boards with vetted tools to support the wave of displaced workers in six months. With $6 million in collaborative funding available to accelerate solutions, we are looking for the most innovative thinkers who are working to build an equitable future of work. Click here to learn more and apply!
- Worker Advisory Board to Guide the Future of Work Grand Challenge: In collaboration with Accenture and Goodwill®, this advisory board amplifies the voices of frontline workers in the design and execution of the $6 million Future of Work Grand Challenge. Click here to learn more about the Advisory Board.