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Beyond School Walls: Combining Mentorship with On-the-Job Learning

Roger Turner, Fleet Operations, Cox Enterprises
Education
Postsecondary Education
Workforce Training
Youth Employment
January 8, 2020
Center for Education and Workforce
Beyond School Walls
© 2019 Beyond School Walls
Last year, Cox and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta (BBBSMA) joined forces to launch a new approach to mentoring with a program called Beyond School Walls. Though other BBBS affiliates had tried the program, this was the first of its kind for Atlanta. This program combines traditional mentorship with an immersive educational experience. The one simple, but very important element that makes this program different than traditional mentoring programs is location. 

A Snapshot of Employer Interest in Early Education in Iowa

Nicole Crain, Executive Vice President, Iowa Association of Business and Industry
Early Childhood Education
Economic Growth
Education
K-12 Education
Women
December 17, 2019
Center for Education and Workforce
Iowa Survey on Early Education Needs
© 2019 Getty Images
The current unemployment rate in Iowa is 2.5%, and there are currently 40,000 people on unemployment and 60,000 job openings. As historically low unemployment continues, employers are always looking for opportunities to recruit more workers and also to retain their existing workforce. To solve this challenge, Iowa business leaders have increased wages, offered flexible work environments where possible, and expanded benefits. More recently, one of those benefits is childcare.  

Engineering Excellence: CofC and STEM Businesses Look to Bridge Regional Skills Gap

Chief Etheridge
Postsecondary Education
STEM
Workforce Training
December 12, 2019
Center for Education and Workforce
Engineering Excellence
© 2019 Getty Images
By 2020, one of the city’s higher education institutions, in partnership with some of the city’s major STEM businesses, will look to make a bridge of their own to address a skills gap that is prominent across the country. In the fall of 2020, the College of Charleston (CofC) will officially introduce its Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering degree program after being approved by the state’s Commission on Higher Education this summer. 

From John Legend to Apprenticeship's John Lennon: A Wrap-up of Talent Forward 2019

Jaimie Francis
Competitiveness
Data
Economic Growth
Education
Innovation
K-12 Education
Postsecondary Education
STEM
Talent Pipeline Management
Workforce Training
Youth Employment
October 25, 2019
Center for Education and Workforce
Talent Forward 2019 Wrap-Up
© Photo by Ian Wagreich / © U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Each year, as the Chamber Foundation hosts the Talent Forward national workforce conference, we focus on talent—educating and training, talent tech and data, recruiting, hiring, and upskilling. With no shortage of talent challenges, the opportunities for informative discussion are endless. While a day devoted to dissecting talent-related topics could focus solely on the problems, Talent Forward is all about the solutions.

If You Can’t Find Women Tech Innovators, You’re Not Looking Hard Enough

Alex Amouyel
Economic Growth
Women
October 22, 2019
Corporate Citizenship Center
MIT Solve
© Adam Schultz / MIT Solve

The past year has been a momentous one for women. Following the global #MeToo movement, there have been many moments of progress. A record number of women won U.S. congressional seats. Ethiopia elected its first female president along with a new cabinet that is half female.

Market Failure: Our Childcare System is Broken

Julia Barfield, MPH, MSW
Early Childhood Education
Economic Growth
Education
K-12 Education
Women
September 24, 2019
Center for Education and Workforce
ECE is a Broken System
© 2019 Getty Images
In this country, the early childhood education system is in market failure. In recent years we have seen the greatest federal funding increases for early childhood education in history, and yet those significant investments just barely make a dent to tackle the need. In 2018, NASEM studied “how to fund early care and education for children…that is accessible, affordable to families, and of high quality, including a well-qualified and adequately supported workforce.” The report concluded that a financial windfall of around $54 billion would be required. 

The Win-Win Solution for Early Education Infrastructure Challenges

Julia Barfield, MPH, MSW
Early Childhood Education
Economic Growth
Education
Innovation
K-12 Education
September 5, 2019
Center for Education and Workforce
Twitter Chat: Is Early Ed an Infrastructure Conversation?
On Tuesday, August 27, the Chamber Foundation partnered with Linda Smith of the BPC to host a Twitter chat discussing infrastructure challenges for early childhood education facilities. In a span of 45 minutes, the participants of this chat were able to provide more than one million Twitter accounts with data, research, and case studies arguing for early childhood education to gain a seat at the table where infrastructure conversations are happening. 

Rural Renewal: Using Best Practices to Stay Competitive

Michel Freedman, founder and CEO of Practical Academics
Economic Growth
Talent Pipeline Management
Workforce Training
August 27, 2019
Center for Education and Workforce
Rural Renewal
A core responsibility of a chamber or local economic development agency is to support the economic vitality of the communities they serve. To succeed in that role, it is critical to keep abreast of trends in society to anticipate change and stay ahead. By focusing on building a strong economic foundation for a rural community, that leverages existing resources and tools wherever possible, community leaders can develop a powerful toolkit for courting individuals and business to consider relocating to their towns. 

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