Policymakers

The reach and impact of the National Fund continues to grow, according to the findings of the Third Annual Evaluation Report, conducted by Workforce Learning Strategies and Program and Policy Insight, LLC.  The findings of this independent evaluation show the National Fund continues to make progress towards its goals.  The Fund has made great progress, despite the poor economy, in organizing, supporting, and developing a national network of funding collaboratives dedicated to investing workforce partnerships that help low-income individuals obtain and advance in

On Friday, September 9th NFWS' executive director, Fred Dedrick, appeared on "In Business with Margaret Brennan" which airs on Bloomberg TV. Dedrick reacted to President Obama's proposal of the American Jobs Plan and suggested that in order to get more people working now that the private sector and private philanthropists should also take leadership and start investing in jobs.

Mr. President, there has been a lot of advice and suggestions given by economists, academics, and think tanks about improving the economy and creating jobs in America.  Many of these are good ideas, but some would take years to get even some of the 25 million unemployed Americans back to work.

Last weekend, the Southern Governor's Association held their annual meeting in Asheville, NC.  During the meeting, the National Skills Coalition released Driving Innovation from the Middle: Middle-Skill Jobs in the American South's Economy, prepared specifically for the SGA.

On August 16th, Laura Harmon of Greenville Works testified at a field hearing held by the U.S. House of Representatives' Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.  Held in Greenville, SC, the Subcommittee looked for input from communities about local solutions to education and workforce needs.

A common refrain heard in discussions regarding the nation’s job shortage is that there are millions of job openings, but employers cannot find workers with the right skills to fill them.  With 25 million Americans looking for full time work how is that possible?

The Pennsylvania Fund for Workforce Solutions recently shared highlights of a conference call on federal workforce policy joined by Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA) with over 100 Pennsylvania businesses and other Industry Partnership advocates.  Among the discussion topics, Senator Casey updated participants on the effort to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act and strengthen support for "Sector" initiatives.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) called a news conference to push for the passage of his bill, the SECTORS Act. The bill would ensure that workforce training efforts meet the needs of high-growth, regional industries in Ohio and across the country.

For Immediate Release

Brown Outlines Path for Passing SECTORS Act—Which Cleared the House During the Previous Congress—During Upcoming Consideration of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Reauthorization Bill

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions has a unique approach to workforce development. They provide grants to regional funder collaboratives that organize public-private partnerships to prepare workers and job seekers for careers and they do it with the deep involvement of employers. The model they've created is locally driven. It's unique to every region of the country where the National Fund works and every industry sector. But the strategy is always the same.

Fred Dedrick, Executive Director of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, issued the following statement today welcoming the President's announcement of increased support for the

U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy recently visited Workforce Central to meet with displaced workers and learn about the successful public-private partnership Workforce Central has built. This is a summary of his visit (which was also covered here).

The following commentary appeared in the April 4, 2011 edition of Modern Healthcare (pdf download). In it, Larry Beck and Pamela Paulk, leaders at competing hospitals in Baltimore, MD, discuss how building and supporting the health care workforce can provide a platform for competitors to collaborate on a common challenge.

A new report released by Organization for Economic Cooperation and

NFWS Executive Director Fred Dedrick appeared on The Lincoln Brown Show yesterday. Click here to listen to the audio.

The Detroit Regional Workforce Fund recently released a report analyzing Michigan's workforce challenges.

Today, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing on federally funded job training programs. Ray Uhalde from our implementation partner, Jobs for the Future, testified at the hearing.

We were pleased today to listen in on an analyst call hosted by Root Cause regarding the Social Issue Report on Workforce Development produced by Social Impact Research (SIR), Root Cause’s independent research arm.

In this month's "In Case You Missed It," we highlight several reports on trends in workforce development, unemployment, and community colleges...

A recent report produced by the National Fund, Employer Engagement in the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, details how workforce partnerships identify and meet employer needs and what challenges they face in doing so.

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions is at a critical, exciting moment. The grant we received from the Corporation for National and Community Service as part of its landmark Social Innovation Fund is allowing us to expand the work of many of our current collaboratives and add six to eight new sites, primarily in the South and Southwest. At this critical moment, new leadership takes the helm of the National Fund.

The Social Innovation Fund supports high-performing organizations developing innovative solutions to social problems. Earlier this year, the National Fund was among the very first organizations selected to receive a grant through the Social Innovation Fund, highlighting the importance of our work and the potential it offers for identifying and bringing innovative workforce solutions to scale.