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Blog

Why Economic Success is So Connected to Quality Childcare

Katie Rast, Director, Community Impact, The San Diego Foundation
Community Improvement
Data
Early Childhood Education
Education
January 16, 2020
Center for Education and Workforce
Childcare Efforts in San Diego
© The San Diego Foundation
To better understand the need and childcare challenges that currently exist, The San Diego Foundation partnered with San Diego Workforce Partnership and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce to commission two new reports that outline the regional landscape surrounding early childhood care and the economy.

Exploring the #PowerOfWork with Goodwill's CEO

Ramona Schindelheim, WorkingNation
Community Improvement
Economic Empowerment
Workforce Training
January 15, 2020
Center for Education and Workforce
Talent Forward 2019, Goodwill CEO, Steve Preston
© Ian Wagreich / U.S. Chamber of Commerce

In this first Work in Progress podcast, I sit down with Steve Preston, CEO of Goodwill Industries Intl., to discuss the nonprofit’s many training programs designed to help prepare people for work at many stages of their lives. I walked away impressed with all Goodwill does to help build a stronger workforce. I think you will, too.

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. 

Accelerating Childcare Solutions in Oregon

Katy Brooks, CEO, Bend Chamber of Commerce
Community Improvement
Early Childhood Education
Education
K-12 Education
December 10, 2019
Center for Education and Workforce
Accelerating Childcare in Oregon
© Bend Chamber of Commerce
Like much of the nation, Oregon is in a childcare crisis. There are openings for only one in three children under the age of five in registered childcare centers and in-home providers. This is not only a crisis for families seeking affordable and high-quality childcare, it impacts employers who are struggling to attract and retain talent in a record low unemployment environment. 

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Announces 9th Annual Hiring Our Heroes Award Winners

Stephanie Walton
November 18, 2019
Hiring Our Heroes
2019 Hiring Our Heroes Awards Gala
© Hiring Our Heroes

Each year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes initiative recognizes the tremendous contributions of those who have gone above and beyond to help our nation’s heroes by honoring companies, organizations, and individuals at its annual awards gala.

“A country that lends itself to bigness”: The Texas-Size Importance of Higher Ed’s Role in Rural Workforce Development

Chief Etheridge
Community Improvement
Education
Postsecondary Education
Talent Pipeline Management
Workforce Training
November 14, 2019
Center for Education and Workforce
A Country Lends Itself to Bigness
© Lubbock Economic Development Alliance
Lubbock is home to Texas Tech University (TTU), which has eight satellite campuses located within the “bigness” of the West Texas region: Abilene, Amarillo, El Paso, Fredericksburg, Highland Lakes, Junction, Midland, and Odessa. While you may not be familiar with these towns, you are probably familiar with the problems that face their workforces.

U.S. Chamber Foundation, Department of Veterans Affairs Launch Effort to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace

Stephanie Walton
November 13, 2019
Hiring Our Heroes
Wellbeing in the Workplace Pledge Signing
© Hiring Our Heroes

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, in collaboration with the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End the National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS) Executive Order Task Force, and the U.S.

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