Last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and The Education Trust released the report "Equity in Childcare is Everyone's Business," which examines the importance of addressing the negative impacts of sexism and racism on the childcare industry and proposes ways in which state and local chambers, in partnership with child care providers, can address those issues while supporting children and families.

The horse industry in Kentucky reigns supreme. With more than 1,100 horse farms, the equine industry contributes an estimated 60,000 jobs and $6.5 billion of direct and indirect economic impact. However, the industry has experienced major labor shortages that stagnate growth. Laurie Mays, the equine and agriculture talent pipeline project manager at the Kentucky Chamber Foundation Workforce Center, saw an opportunity to develop a more comprehensive Workforce Readiness and Reentry Program for formerly incarcerated individuals.

If you’ve heard of an ISA, chances are, it was related to education. ISAs have been popular in the education space for about a decade, helping would-be students pay for programs, degrees, certifications, or bootcamps. However, ISAs have applicability well beyond learning. They’re an incredibly powerful tool that lets people use their future potential as collateral for capital.

Over the last year and a half, we’ve seen a transformational shift in how we view our education and workforce systems. The pandemic has changed the nature of work, how we view skills, and put a spotlight on a dire workforce shortage and the need to re-think how we recruit and hire. There are currently more than 10 million open jobs, yet only 7.4 million unemployed people.