John Jenks, director of public policy at the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, shares how the program helped deepen his advocacy efforts in fostering a strong workforce development, particularly for justice-invovled individuals.

While corporations may use background policies or educational requirements as proxies for trust or ability, this isn’t borne out in the data. More importantly, it means that they are missing out on a highly committed, often diverse candidate pool that could contribute to their bottom line.

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.

Childcare is essential for employers and working families alike. Innovative approaches in the private sector have led to new opportunities for working families and employers to connect with childcare providers; however, additional attention and investment from state and federal governments are necessary to create a childcare system that meets everyone's needs.