Jobs for the Future

Paul Fain previews the podcast series, and JFF's Lexi Barrett explains why policymakers should incorporate the views of on-the-ground practitioners in their policy strategies.

Host Paul Fain is joined by Monty Sullivan, president of Louisiana Community and Technical College System, and Anne Kress, president of Northern Virginia Community College to discuss short-term credential programs. They share their experiences working in states with short-term postsecondary initiatives, the outcomes they are seeing to date and their ideas for what good policy would look like. The episode concludes with a sense-making segment with JFF's Lexi Barret and Taylor Maag.

Host Paul Fain is joined by Russell Lowery-Hart, president of Amarillo College, and Bill Pink, president of Grand Rapids Community College, to discuss free college. They share their experiences running successful college promise scholarship programs and their ideas for what good policy would look like to expand free college nationally. The episode concludes with a sense-making segment with JFF's Lexi Barrett and David Altstadt.

Paul Fain is joined by Madeline Pumariega, president of Miami Dade College, and Marcia Ballinger, president of Ohio's Lorain County Community College, who talk about the changes their institutions are making to meet the urgent needs of their local communities, and how federal and state policies are factoring into these efforts. At the end of the episode, JFF's Lexi Barrett and David Altstadt join Paul for a wrap-up conversation to put the issues in perspective.

In our season finale, JFF Senior Program Manager, Dr. Mara Lockowandt, steps in as our host, interviewing three guests from the housing and urban development space. First, Lauren Kennedy of the North Valley Housing Trust shares some of the unique and complex recovery stories of her Northern CA community in Chico, still rebuilding after a devasting wildfire and navigating historically unjust housing practices. Then Tyrone Williams and Julius Austin share about their critical work at the Sacramento Promise Zone and Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA), exploring among other things, how deeply connected we all are and what it takes for all Californians to thrive and succeed. As we wrap up our “Communities in Recovery” series, all three guests remind us of what we have overcome in this last year, and how we need to continue to work towards solutions to achieve an inclusive recovery for all. Learn more about the Sacramento Promise Zone here: www.sacramentopromisezone.org The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency here: www.shra.org And the North Valley Housing Trust here: https://www.nvht.org

When Policy Meets Practice with Paul Fain Episode 1: The Future of Community College: Key Policy Lessons from the Pandemic Paul Fain is joined by Madeline Pumariega, president of Miami Dade College, and Marcia Ballinger, president of Ohio's Lorain County Community College, to discuss how their institutions are changing to meet the urgent needs of their local communities, and how federal and state policies are factoring into these efforts. The episode concludes with a sense-making segment with JFF's Lexi Barrett and David Altstadt. Read JFF's blog for a recap of key takeaways and policy and programmatic resources.

The nation is facing unprecedented challenges in helping millions of learners and workers get their lives back-on-track. Impacts of the COVID-19 crisis have been particularly severe for the lower-income people who community colleges specialize in serving, and particularly for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous populations. For this podcast series, When Policy Meets Practice, JFF teams up with long-time higher education journalist Paul Fain to explore the critical role of education and workforce development policy in shaping nation's economic recovery and renewal. In each episode, Paul speaks with community college leaders who serve on JFF's Policy Leadership Trust to lift up lessons about which policy approaches are producing results for workers, learners, and employers, and which policy approaches are falling short. The podcast highlights the most promising work in the field, with blunt takes on fast-moving policy questions, ranging from free community college to short-term Pell. Paul concludes each episode with a sense-making conversation with JFF policy experts. The Podcast kicks off on June 21, 2021, with new 30-minue episodes every other Monday.

While most everyone faced challenges and hardships due to COVID-19, younger generations, like generation Z, were uniquely affected — having to grow up quickly and give up quintessential moments in a high schooler's experience like prom and graduation walks. On our fifth episode, Renée Faulkner speaks with two California high school students, Cameron Butler and Ellyette Morales. We hear how the pandemic knocked their plans off course, where they found the support to keep pursuing their dreams, and what they've taken away from their experiences. Cameron and Ellyette bring valuable insight and clarity to what students endured this last year and what inclusive recovery looks like for them. Organizations and schools mentioned in this episode: Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE) in San Bernardino Design Science Middle College High School in Fresno Cameron Butler's Youtube Channel

In this episode, JFF explores the generational impacts of the pandemic through one family’s experience. We are joined by Galyna and Yuliya Monastyrska, a mother and daughter duo based in Woodland and Santa Cruz, CA, respectively. Like many of us, they leaned on family, friends, and in their case, their Ukranian diaspora community in new and important ways during this last year. Through reflection on their unique professional and educational pivots, Galyna and Yuliya share how they found connection, support, and opportunity for themselves and others during this challenging era of COVID-19. Learn more about Get Virtual, the business Yuliya helped launch in order to help other small businesses affected by COVID-19: https://www.getvirtual.org/

In this episode, JFF is joined by Sandra Celedon, President and CEO of Fresno Building Healthy Communities. Sandra walks us through the importance of community-based organizations (CBO) and how they’ve become critical during the pandemic. Her story illustrates how helping your community can start in one place, like advocating for public parks, and then broaden to championing healthcare access for those who need it most. Building Healthy Communities - https://www.fresnobhc.org/

Small businesses — your favorite food truck, your family's mechanic, your reliable mom and pop shop — make up about 99.8% of California businesses. Today, we're talking to business owners and entrepreneurs from Oakland and Stockton to learn about the impact of the pandemic on their lives and business, how local regions can intentionally support and invest in businesses, and about JFF’s work in Inclusive Regional Economic Development in California to promote small businesses recovery and resiliency.

Our host, JFF Associate Director Renee Faulkner, will explore how the lives of two California Community College students changed when campuses closed in March 2020. From experiencing food insecurity and managing family dynamics to mastering online learning...and TikTok, Josh Elizondo and Jamie Vasquez reflect on how the pandemic has impacted their educational and career trajectories, and what it will take to get back on track.

In this episode, Joseph speaks with Willie Higgins, the Apprenticeship Director of Arizona. [00:57] Get to know Arizona’s agency of apprenticeship. [09:00] Employer’s first steps. [12:06] Approval timeline. [21:22] Pre-apprenticeship. [24:56] In-school youth apprenticeship. [31:18] Opportunity youth. Developed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Pursuant to the National Apprenticeship Act, the Department of Labor works to expand opportunities related to apprenticeship programs. This project has been funded, either wholly or in part, with Federal funds from the Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration under the contract number/work order DOL-OPS-16-A-0012/1605DC-18-F-00060. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement of same by the U.S. Government.

In this special episode of Apprenticeship by State, host Joseph Hollins speaks with 7 apprenticeship directors across the country about the COVID-19 pandemic, its implications on apprenticeship systems across the United States, and how these states have been pivoting to respond to the moment: • Eric Ramsay of Pennsylvania • Josh Johnson of Wisconsin • Patricia Morrison of Virginia • Eric Rood of California • Kathryn Castelloes of North Carolina • Katrina Vigil of New Mexico • John Akin with Supervisor Rick Martagon of Minnesota about the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the registered apprenticeship system [01:52] The business community needs to be partners in workplace safety to protect workers. [02:50] Will the hit on the economy undo the progress made with growing apprenticeship programs? [03:53] Dealing with pandemic layoffs. [05:25] Life after the pandemic: where Registered Apprenticeship can support the displaced workforce. [09:13] In-Demand – Health Care: How to position contact tracers for long-term healthcare careers. [09:53] In-Demand – Cybersecurity apprenticeship programs. [10:43] Changing how the apprenticeship system works, from administration to delivery. [11:55] On-the-job training and instruction delivery in the era of social distancing. [16:23] The positive long-term lessons of COVID for the apprenticeship system. Developed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Pursuant to the National Apprenticeship Act, the Department of Labor works to expand opportunities related to apprenticeship programs. This project has been funded, either wholly or in part, with Federal funds from the Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration under the contract number/work order DOL-OPS-16-A-0012/1605DC-18-F-00060. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement of same by the U.S. Government.

It's not uncommon for adults to change careers at midlife. Michael Carvalho was one of those career-changers. In this episode, he shares his complex experience working to navigate his job search through American Job Centers. And Josh Copus, director at the JFFLabs AWAKE Initiative, shares four core challenges and opportunities and corresponding behaviors that workforce systems can use to prepare to help workers like Michael in the future. *Please note: this episode contains depictions of violence that some people may find disturbing.*

In this episode, Joseph speaks with Minnesota’s John Aiken, state apprenticeship director, and Rick Martagon, apprenticeship supervisor. In This Episode [00:30] Get to know Minnesota’s apprenticeship agency [10:51] Starting an apprenticeship program [17:14] Process and timeline for approval [27:45] In-school youth apprenticeship [37:30] Pre-apprenticeship [41:26] Opportunity youth Developed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Pursuant to the National Apprenticeship Act, the Department of Labor works to expand opportunities related to apprenticeship programs. This project has been funded, either wholly or in part, with Federal funds from the Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration under the contract number/work order DOL-OPS-16-A-0012/1605DC-18-F-00060. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement of same by the U.S. Government.

In this episode, Joseph speaks with Katrina Vigil, State Apprenticeship Director of New Mexico. In This Episode [00:30] Get to know New Mexico’s State Apprenticeship Office [17:43] Registration approval process and timeline [18:50] Katrina talks about what her office has done to streamline the process. [25:07] Pre-apprenticeship [28:44] In-school youth apprenticeship [33:22] Opportunity youth Developed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Pursuant to the National Apprenticeship Act, the Department of Labor works to expand opportunities related to apprenticeship programs. This project has been funded, either wholly or in part, with Federal funds from the Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration under the contract number/work order DOL-OPS-16-A-0012/1605DC-18-F-00060. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement of same by the U.S. Government.

In this episode, Joseph speaks with Kathryn Castelloes, State Director of Apprenticeship in North Carolina. In This Episode [01:05] Get to know North Carolina’s apprenticeship agency [11:15] Registration process and timeline [15:58] Pre-Apprenticeship and in-school youth apprenticeship [29:53] Opportunity youth Developed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Pursuant to the National Apprenticeship Act, the Department of Labor works to expand opportunities related to apprenticeship programs. This project has been funded, either wholly or in part, with Federal funds from the Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration under the contract number/work order DOL-OPS-16-A-0012/1605DC-18-F-00060. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement of same by the U.S. Government.

In this episode, Joseph speaks with Eric Rood, the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards at California. In This Episode [01:06] Get to know the California’s Division of Apprenticeship Standards [19:30] Registration process and timeline [28:56] In-school youth apprenticeship [39:20] Pre-apprenticeship [47:15] Opportunity youth Developed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Pursuant to the National Apprenticeship Act, the Department of Labor works to expand opportunities related to apprenticeship programs. This project has been funded, either wholly or in part, with Federal funds from the Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration under the contract number/work order DOL-OPS-16-A-0012/1605DC-18-F-00060. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement of same by the U.S. Government.

In this episode, Joseph speaks with Joshua Johnson, the apprenticeship director of Wisconsin. [00:51] Get to know the state apprenticeship office of Wisconsin [11:48] Starting a Registered Apprenticeship [26:29] Pre-apprenticeship [29:56] In-school youth apprenticeship [42:16] Opportunity youth Developed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Pursuant to the National Apprenticeship Act, the Department of Labor works to expand opportunities related to apprenticeship programs. This project has been funded, either wholly or in part, with Federal funds from the Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration under the contract number/work order DOL-OPS-16-A-0012/1605DC-18-F-00060. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement of same by the U.S. Government.

In this episode, Joseph speaks with Patricia Morrison, the Director of the Division of Registered Apprenticeship in Virginia. In This Episode [00:56] Get to know Virginia’s Division of Registered Apprenticeship [07:03] How to start a program [17:30] Pre-apprenticeship [26:50] In-school youth apprenticeship [29:41] Opportunity youth Developed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Pursuant to the National Apprenticeship Act, the Department of Labor works to expand opportunities related to apprenticeship programs. This project has been funded, either wholly or in part, with Federal funds from the Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration under the contract number/work order DOL-OPS-16-A-0012/1605DC-18-F-00060. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement of same by the U.S. Government.

In this episode, Joseph speaks with Eric Ramsay, the apprenticeship director of Pennsylvania. In This Episode [00:52] Get to know Pennsylvania’s agency of apprenticeship [07:03] Employers’ first step [11:14] Approval timeline [17:21] Pre-apprenticeship [22:38] In-school youth apprenticeship [34:28] Opportunity youth Developed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Pursuant to the National Apprenticeship Act, the Department of Labor works to expand opportunities related to apprenticeship programs. This project has been funded, either wholly or in part, with Federal funds from the Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration under the contract number/work order DOL-OPS-16-A-0012/1605DC-18-F-00060. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement of same by the U.S. Government.

Assessments can also play a critical role in helping workers get connected with relevant, in-demand jobs and skills. Each year millions of workers engage with career services through the Workforce System. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 Crisis, the Workforce System has been inundated with demand for people looking for career services and support. PAIRIN’s My Journey platform matches individuals to optimal careers, professional development, and jobs with their behavioral science-based SaaS (software-as-a-service) products. PAIRIN’s My Journey platform uses their behavioral assessment and a needs and desires survey to personalize career, education, and development recommendations for each individual based on their unique abilities, situation, and life stage. My Journey also facilitates direct connections to resources, tools, and support services available through state agencies for seamless navigation and task management. PAIRIN works with the Workforce System to reach and engage jobseekers by providing them with tools and technologies that are more intuitive, useful and effective.

Technology and globalization are rapidly shifting the skills required, and incumbent workers are at risk of being left behind. At the same time, there is a critical demand, in particular, for workers with contemporary, relevant skills in Technology, IT and related fields. The COVID-19 Crisis has further accelerated these trends. It is now more critical than ever that employers deploy more efficient assessment tools to quickly and confidently identify the talent they need to meet both new and pent-up demand for products and services. They can do that with career fit assessment tools, which are designed to identify people’s innate skills, abilities, and personality traits and match them with careers they will love. By aligning career advice and training recommendations with the actual job opportunities that companies have available, they provide workers with meaningful, actionable insights that help them jump-start new careers. GreatBizTools offers a career fit assessment tool called MyInnerGenius that helps employers find the best people and helps people discover what they do best. GreatBizTools is currently working with IBM on an initiative whose goal is to help people get started in new IT careers even if they don’t have technology backgrounds.

Every day, wonderful, capable, and passionate people are unfairly excluded from the hiring process for reasons other than whether they can actually do the job. Every candidate should have an opportunity to showcase their talent. Companies can drive this by assessing candidates with job-related tasks so they can make hiring decisions based on performance, without bias. Making hiring about merit, not background, and informed decisions from data, not bad signals around human capability across both hard and soft skills helps companies identify the talent that matches their business needs. Similarly, quality assessment technology helps learners make more informed career navigation choices among employment opportunities, identifying skills while exploring what’s possible in a particular sector and role. Vervoe is an AI-powered skill-testing platform that helps companies hire the best candidate by focusing on who can do the job, not who looks good on paper. Vervoe uses machine learning to create tailored skills assessments that allow companies to test candidates for any skill and automatically grade their responses at any scale. TriNet is a global leader providing businesses with HR solutions and works with JFFLabs partner Vervoe to help evaluate candidates for sales and other roles.

During a time when arguably more workers than ever navigate a labor market in flux, they deserve an equitable experience. Yet, pedigree based hiring, and making recruiting decisions based primarily on the schools candidates attended, the subjects they studied, and the grades they earned is a bias tradition that continues in our post-COVID economy. Replacing traditional hiring approaches with a blended strengths-based assessments model helps companies to level the playing field for all candidates. In this podcast, JFFLabs features Cappfinity, a global leader in strengths-based hiring. The company designs and builds bias-free assessments for a variety of roles, functions, and seniority levels using real-life scenarios and a mix of mediums to create an authentic and unique experience for candidates. Among other things, bias-free, algorithmic assessments can help employers meet their diversity and inclusion goals by enabling them to look past candidates’ backgrounds and instead focus on their ability, fit, and potential.

Hear workers and learners of all ages describe the struggles they face—and the support they need—to get their first job, find a good job, or build a career. Their stories underscore why we need to transform our education and workforce systems. At age 59, Brenda is about to embark on a new career, partly out of desire and partly out of necessity. Listen to Brenda describe the start of her journey to becoming her own boss, and hear expert advice from bestselling financial author Kerry Hannon and JFF’s Cheryl Almeida.

Hear workers and learners of all ages describe the struggles they face—and the support they need—to get their first job, find a good job, or build a career. Their stories underscore why we need to transform our education and workforce systems. In this episode, you'll hear from two people, one starting her career, and another facing an early career crisis. Both stories exemplify the work facing the United States to reinvent today’s education and workforce systems for a sustainable future and economic equity.

With the growing national interest in apprenticeship and other forms of work-based learning, New America’s Center on Education and Skills led a project to answer some key questions about the possibilities and challenges of connecting more American high school students to apprenticeship. JFF's Eric Seleznow is joined by Brent Parton, Deputy Director of the Center for Education and Skills at New America, to preview their new report Youth Apprenticeship in America Today, along with  JFF Senior Advisor Nancy Hoffman, Co-Founder of JFF's Pathways to Prosperity State Network with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, to provide her thoughts and reflections on the report and the current state of youth apprenticeships in the U.S.

Bryan Albrecht, President of Gateway Technical College in Wisconsin, describes how the college has used the TAACCCT grant to invest in student success by expanding pathways and developing comprehensive supports for students.

Susan Wolff, Dean and CEO of Great Falls, a community college that is part of the Montana State University system, describes using the TAACCCT grant to create systematic change that can be sustained and outlive the grants.

Steven Rose, President of Passaic County Community College in New Jersey, discusses exerting leadership to create cultural change at his institution. Rose also describes how TAACCCT has enabled the creation of the Northeast Resiiency Consortium, which focuses on preparing colleges and workers for rapidly changing economic and other conditions.

David Johnson of 1080 KRLD talks workforce, apprenticeship, and Trump's Presidential Executive Order Expanding Apprenticeships in America. This interview was originally featured on http://dfw.cbslocal.com/audio/ceo-spotlight/

Dorey Diab, President of North Central State College in Ohio, describes how the TAACCCT grant enabled the creation of the Advanced Manufacturing Mechatronics and Quality Consortium, which is unique in that it’s not a regional or state consortium but instead is made up of colleges from around the country. The college also used the TAACCCT grant to find new ways to engage employers and community partners to help dislocated workers.

Dale Chapman, president of Lewis & Clark Community College in Illinois, discusses how the TAACCCT grant enabled the creation of a consortium of colleges to produce the Mississippi River Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Consortium, which is training workers in communities up and down the river for jobs in shipping and related industries. For full episode visit: http://support.skillscommons.org/showcases/college-presidents/

Annette Parker, president of South Central College in Minnesota, describes how she engaged fellow college presidents, business leaders, and legislators in developing a shared vision that aligns college programs with the manufacturing sector across the state and embeds new models to create access and flexibility to improve student success.

Dale Chapman, president of Lewis & Clark Community College in Illinois, discusses how the TAACCCT grant enabled the creation of a consortium of colleges to produce the Mississippi River Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Consortium, which is training workers in communities up and down the river for jobs in shipping and related industries.

Pam Eddinger, president of Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, discusses how she fostered a culture of innovation and openness to change at her college and how the TAACCCT grant allowed Bunker Hill to scale and sustain numerous initiatives.

Daniel Villao, Deputy Administrator at U.S. Department of Labor on the value of apprenticeships.

Brandi Dunham, Apprenticeship Graduate of Hayes Performance Systems on the value of apprenticeship.

Stacey Rose, Manager, Human Resources & Labor Relations, Kroger on the value of apprenticeships at the IMT Apprenticeship Convening in Minneapolis, MN.

Four members of the National Council of Young Leaders answer what it will take to increase economic mobility for the underserved. Voices of Philan Tree, Shawnice Jackson, Jamiel Alexander, and Kimberly Pham.