NAWB Workforce Initiatives
Innovations in the field
NAWB is involved with special initiatives to build innovations in the field and conduct research that advance our mission.
Workforce Investment Works
The Workforce Investment Works campaign was developed in the fall of 2010 and launched in January 2011 to target policy makers across the country. The concept of the campaign was to create a storytelling website to help America understand the value proposition of workforce funded programs and services; to generate support of workforce funding through social media; and to build the capacity of the workforce investment system stakeholders to utilize consistent messages with their local elected officials and the news media to bring awareness around the repercussions of cutting workforce funding.
Clinton Global Initiative
Putting Service to Work
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) has joined the service corps community in a commitment to facilitate and manage a new service-to-work coalition that will place 25,000 service corps graduates in high-quality jobs over the next five years. Advancing out of discussions at CGI America, the coalition will match service corps graduates with employers seeking their skills through an online platform developed by Monster.com. Edelman will develop a communications plan to shift the business community's perceptions of service corps from simply civic engagement to key workforce development programs.
New Web App Brings Access to WIA Analytics
to the Nation’s Workforce Investment Boards
FutureWork Systems, LLC and the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) have partnered to bring national quarterly Workforce Investment Act (WIA) data to workforce investment boards using the latest in Web-based Decision Support Technology. Under this new partnership, NAWB brings its members significant savings on subscription fees for this new WIA resource.
For more information about the FutureWork Systems and NAWB partnership and the PMQ Web app, please visit www.futureworksystems.com, or contact FutureWork Systems, Ken Ryan at kryan@futureworksystems.com or 800-448-2266. Thirty-minute PMQ demonstrations are available.
National WIB Benefit-Cost Assessment and Economic Impact Model
EMSI and its partners, NAWB and Full Capacity Marketing, are working to develop a model that examines the economic impact and investment effectiveness of the WIBs’ WIA-funded jobseeker programs, as well as the WIBs’ employer-based services. As part of this process, NAWB has commissioned some of the nation’s top-level economists to fully vet the model and reports.
Healthcare Virtual Career Network
The healthcare industry continues to provide some of the best career opportunities in the country. To help job seekers, career changers, and entry level individuals enter healthcare, the U.S. Department of Labor funded the development of the Healthcare Virtual Career Network (VCN), a comprehensive online tool for exploring healthcare careers, locating training and education programs, and finding jobs in over 75 different healthcare career fields. The National Association of Workforce Boards, working with the American Association of Community Colleges, Jobs for the Future, American Council on Education, and many others, received a grant from DOL to ensure the successful launch of VCN, which can be found at www.vcn.org.
Policy Papers
Developing Human Capital:
Meeting the Growing Global Need for a Skilled and Educated Workforce
A policy paper released by The McGraw-Hill Research Foundation calls for greater collaboration between the business and education communities to create a coordinated, institutionalized system that prepares the workforce of today and tomorrow for the demands of an increasingly high-tech and more competitive global economy. Authors Janet Bray, executive director of the Association for Career and Technical Education; Ron Painter, CEO of the National Association of Workforce Boards; and Mitch Rosin, director of adult education and workforce initiatives for McGraw-Hill Education call on business and educational communities to collaborate to decrease widening skills gap.
Read the press release »
Download a copy of the paper »
View related blog post by Steve Satterwhite, CNBC »
Investing in America's Future Workforce - Policy Brief
NAWB and the Partnership for America’s Economic Success support early childhood programs, which can lead to higher attainment of basic skills, graduation rates and earnings. Investing in early childhood programs can help workforce professionals improve the ebectiveness of their services and assist in developing a corps of productive, globally competitive workers. (Full policy paper will be available soon.)
As part of this project, we are proud to invite you to participate in a webinar on February 10th at 1:00PM EST that outlines our findings, highlights the importance of creating better linkages, and offers practical strategies for Workforce Boards and communities to better align resources in early childhood education and workforce development. Learn more »
“NAWB does an exemplary job of collecting and sharing best practices and innovations from the field, through thought-sharing events, such as the Forum, and through virtual portals on its website.”
Felicia Flournoy
Director of Workforce Development
Riverside County Economic Development Agency California