Workforce Development - Excel Beyond What Society Has Set to be the Norm

Organizations are facing historic challenges with a competitive talent landscape, an exhausted workforce, along with pressure to control costs. Leaders must adapt to the changing needs of the workforce and labor market to drive talent goals and stay competitive. Now more than ever we are facing increasing pressure to fix problems of the past and solve challenges of present while preparing for the future. How do we equip the present and future workforce with the right skills to do so? An intuitive and holistic workforce development framework is key to shifting and improving ineffective systems and processes.

Normalizing career development and employment for all people by building partnerships across state agencies, universities, community-based organizations, and employers is critical. Bringing all parties together to humanize the experiences, understand the compounding barriers and reduce stigma supports the long-term effectiveness, stability and success of workforce development programs. Interagency partnerships that include all people from workforce development, corrections, education, occupational licensing, and other entities helps provide understanding from lived experiences that can help prepare individuals for successful job placement.

Today, P2P held its 9th virtual Job Fair creating such efforts in partnership with companies and leaders who lead with passion and believe in transformative human development approaches. We are extremely thankful to everyone who participated today (Baltimore City Community College , EdTrust , Checkr , Cornell University , CSCMP - Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals , FreeWorld , Honest Jobs , Howard University , St. Louis University , TCSTL , The JEAP Initiative , The Petey Greene Program , Vera Institute , and Veo Careers ).

Our growing network continuously demonstrates how uncomfortable conversations, barriers to entry, bias and judgement can be transformed into meaningful conversations centered on education, innovation, personal narratives, healthy and restorative solutions that improve systems, communities and our economy. By driving growth, we normalize workforce opportunities for all people who can thrive and lead fulfilling lives together with families and community.

We need to remember that employee engagement is a foundational component to positive and sustainable workplace outcomes. If you want to talk about well-being, leader development, amazing PNL statements, performance (and more), employees are the key driving agents to successful and healthy workplace cultures.

Why? Because every conversation a leader has with a team member affects their engagement -- and engaged team members perform better, which differentiates them from external competition. To drive real change within our teams, our systems and our culture need to move the needle on the business metrics that matter. We accomplish this by learning more about employee engagement in our organizations. Cindy Mebreur is focused on growing the Supply Chain talent of the future! With the Council of Supply Chain Management, her network finds and cultivates more people into the supply chain profession (Awareness); provides access to professional opportunities (Career Development) and helps secure financial stability through meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities with people at the center.

Advancing successful reentry outcomes makes our communities safer, disrupts cycles of economic hardship, and strengthens our economy. Ken Oliver , Executive Director at Checkr has dedicated his life to servant leadership and fights discrimination each and every day against those who suffer from criminal convictions. He knows firsthand the tenacity and focus needed to help people rebuild their lives and reintegrate back into the community. Ken advocates for well-paid leadership positions and educates employers and policy holders about the untapped potential that is being dismissed. This is due to pre-conceived fear and judgement that limits people from obtaining safe and dignified housing, meaningful employment, and access to economic mobility.

Since 2008, Saint Louis University has run a program that offers higher education – with emphasis on the liberal arts and humanities – to incarcerated individuals and prison employees. Courtney Everett , program coordinator for the program, stresses the importance of mental health awareness and the need for people to feel they belong in order for them to succeed. Not only does the program reach people who may not have had access to higher education because of economic or geographic conditions – it’s also a catalyst for personal and professional success.

The Petey Greene Program supports the academic goals of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people through high-quality volunteer tutoring programs, while educating volunteers on the injustice manifest in our carceral system. Since its founding, the PGP has tutored roughly 16,000 students in over 50 correctional facilities and reentry programs, with more than 3,200 volunteer tutors recruited from 30 universities in eight states and the District of Columbia. Formerly incarcerated people who have access to education have greater opportunities to pursue their personal and professional goals and support their children’s education.

Jeffrey Abramowitz, J.D is the CEO of the Petey Greene Program. Jeff previously served as Executive Director of Justice Partnerships for JEVS Human Services and Executive Director of Reentry Services. Jeff is the founder of the Looking Forward Philadelphia Reentry Program and is also the Founder/President of Looking Forward Community Engagement Partnership. As if that wasn't enough, he is also the founder of the National Workforce Opportunity Network, a fully integrated workforce development network and can be seen on two podcasts he co-hosts: Behind Every Employer and The Looking Forward Show .

COABE ’s mission is to inspire educators so adults succeed and communities thrive. They provide leadership, professional development, advocacy, and communication services that encourage greater consciousness and cultural competency in interactions with teachers, administrators, adult learners, and their partners. They are committed to using their platform and influence to celebrate, engage with, and listen to all adult education communities and diverse voices of our field. Through the LINCS community, people can join a thriving community of adult education instructors, program managers, and professional developers to discuss important topics in the field of adult education, problem-solve, and share knowledge and resources.

Our country has only five percent of the world’s population — yet incarcerates 25% of the world’s prisoners, incarcerating at a rate 4 to 7 times higher than other Western nations. This corrections system impacts American taxpayers over $80 billion per year. And with over two million people behind bars, the U.S. has the highest total prison population in the world. With an expansive curriculum, job placement services, and an enthusiastic community, FreeWorld gets formerly incarcerated people into high-wage jobs to thrive on their own terms. With a newfound sense of stability, prison remains a memory for FreeWorld graduates.

Margaret Di Zerega joined us to share Vera Institute's focus on ending mass incarceration. She is the managing director at Vera overseeing a portfolio of national initiatives and projects. The 1994 Crime Bill banned people in prison from accessing federal need-based financial aid for postsecondary education. Estimates suggest there were 772 schools offering college programs to people in prison in 1994. By 1997, after the Crime Bill went into effect, only?eight ?remained. In over 30 years, Pell Reinstatement is coming back and Margaret with her team made this long-awaited dream a reality.

This work inspired the U.S. Department of Education to launch the?Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites initiative?(Second Chance Pell) in 2015. 203 colleges in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, were selected to participate in the pilot by the U.S. Department of Education, with Vera providing technical assistance. Next week is the big day!

The power of sharing real narratives and stories is one of many gifts Robert Salyer creates with his team at POV . His aim is positioning documentaries to open minds and advance social justice through community programming and collaborations with impact producers, film teams, educators, librarians, and more. They forge meaningful connections between the people, public media, classrooms, and community spaces committed to inclusion and belonging. Check out the latest video that is coming out this Monday: https://www.pbs.org/pov/films/aftersherman/

Jodi is a tremendous change agent. Despite ten years of incarceration, he had the incredible fortune of accessing higher education through?Stanford University ?and?Cornell University . All of this started from a few people who believed that talent and intelligence existed in everyone no matter the circumstances of their past. Before getting a chance to join?Reddit, Inc. ?he was given his first chance to work in technology with early-stage startups who only cared about his ability to contribute instead of his background. Without all of the mentorship and support throughout his journey through technology, he would not have even considered any of this to be possible for himself.

Due his positive mentorship experiences, Jodi knew the importance of giving back. He teamed up with?Timothy McNutt ?&?Matthew Saleh ?to build a technology platform that delivers educational and employment opportunities to the over 77 Million justice-impacted citizens in America. Opportunity, Justice, & Technology per ardua ad astra...

Baltimore City Community College , Howard University and P2P are working together as Bridges to Baccalaureate partners. Four graduating scholars from the P2P program each year are selected to be a part of a Cohort completing two years of STEM academic study at Baltimore City Community College and then transferring to Howard University to attain a bachelor's degree in a STEM field.

The JEAP Initiative is a five-year project funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and is a collaboration between the Oregon Social Learning Center, Sponsors Inc., and the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research at the UMass Chan Medical School. Meet the team?here . The JEAP Initiative also is part of the?Consortium on Addiction Recovery Science (CoARS) , a collaboration of 11 projects focused on recovery support services. Patrick and Tess shared resources that allow P2P scholars to pursue research opportunities and work with the JEAP team to help advance understanding of recovery support services for justice-involved and emerging adult populations.

How can you help and be part of the solution? Join us in conversation for an upcoming watch party that discusses the importance of system change centered on workforce development for justice involved people. Get involved as a mentor or tutor for P2P. Contact Mancy Thompson at [email protected]. Become a member of our STEM-OPS community . You can post events, articles, job opportunities, questions and learn first-hand from the community that is dedicated to building healthy systems and solutions. If you have the opportunity to open a door for someone, we challenge you to do so. The compound effect is tremendous and the investment is priceless.

I encourage everyone reading this article to embrace the diversity of ideas and perspectives within your networks. Create an environment where everyone feels valued and heard. Remember, you have the power to shape your future, redefine best practices, and create a more inclusive and positive world around you.? It starts with YOU!

Leadership is not about being in charge. It's about taking care of those in your charge. Lead with empathy, inspire with purpose, and empower those around you. True leadership is about being the catalyst for positive change. - Simon Sinek