Workforce Central

Martha Ross, Fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, joins the program to discuss findings and takeaways from a recent study called "Meet The Out of Work" which looked at profiles of jobless adults in various geographic regions across the U.S. Martha reveals what she sees as the biggest challenges and opportunities for workforce boards, and the importance of relationship-based interventions.

This episode features an interview with Richard Wahlquist, President, and CEO of the American Staffing Association. Richard shares his thoughts on why staffing services are so vital to the economy and the benefits of flexible staffing for various industries. Discover current industry trends and the takeaways for workforce boards.

Ron Painter, President and CEO of NAWB, discusses trends to look out for in 2018- including policy issues that are likely to be addressed by Congress in 2018, and the potential implications for workforce boards.

Sharon Parrott, Senior Fellow and Senior Counselor at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, joins the program to discuss the budget priorities for the current administration and shares her perspective on the proposed tax bill and what it means potentially down the road for continued funding of workforce and other programs. Sharon explains why budget cuts are not inevitable and what can be done to ensure that funding is able to continue at appropriate levels.

Chris Ford, Founder and CEO of NAVSO (National Association of Veteran Serving Organizations) discusses the challenges that veterans often face when transitioning from military service to civilian employment. Chris also shares why employers should consider veterans for positions within their organizations and how employers can think more broadly about the skill sets that veterans possess and how those skills translate to civilian employment.

Futurist Richard Lum returns to the program to discuss the most recent trends and thinking about the future of work, and the potential impact on the workforce system. Discover the disruptive forces that are acting upon the labor market, and the potential impact of those forces on employers and job seekers.

Brent Orrell and Harry Holzer, two of the authors of the report "Getting Men Back To Work" join the program to discuss the problem of unemployment among men, particularly less educated men. They discuss the structural reasons and personal choices that have led to a decline in employment for men, and solutions from the right and left about how to get men back into meaningful and well paid jobs.

Wingham Rowan, Director of "Beyond Jobs" and Alison Gerber, Senior Associate from the Annie E. Casey Foundation join the program to discuss the report "Beyond Gig Work: Public Markets For Irregular Employment" and the takeaways from the study. Discover the implications of the gig economy and the opportunities that irregular employment create for the workforce system as a whole.

Ron Painter, CEO of the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) shares his reflections on the current state of the workforce system and what to expect from season 3 of Workforce Central. Discover the themes that will be explored in upcoming episodes.  

Jerry Paytas, VP of Analytics at Fourth Economy, discusses the challenge of labor market exclusion and the lessons for workforce boards. Discover why full employment has not led to rising incomes for all and what can be done to help those who have been excluded from the labor market to find meaningful work.

Paul Harrington, Director of The Center for Labor Markets and Policy at Drexel University, returns to the program to discuss the opportunities and challenges of full employment in the labor market, as well as the importance of including young people in the labor pool.

NAWB President and CEO Ron Painter discusses the challenge of full employment in the US labor market and reveals some upcoming guests who will providing advice and tips regarding what this means for workforce boards as well as possible solutions. For more information, visit www.nawb.org

Wendi Safstrom the Vice President, Programs and Administration at The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and Shelly Weir,  Senior Vice President of Career Development at The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AHLEF)discuss the work that their foundations are doing respectively to provide labor talent to their industries. This episode was recording live at The Forum 2017.

Recorded live at The Forum 2017, Mike Glavin from Associated Builders and Contractors discusses the labor challenges facing the construction industry. Discover industry trends, as well as the opportunities that exist in the construction industry and the steps that the industry is taking to develop future talent. For more information, visit www.nawb.org

This episode features an interview with Tom Murphy, a former mayor of Pittsburgh and ULI Canizaro/Klingbeil Families Chair for Urban Development. Tom discusses the important role that the workforce system plays in economic development, and the efforts that his administration made to rebuild Pittsburgh after the decline of the steel industry.

Doug Foresta, Director of Podcast Services at WORKFORCE180 and producer of Workforce Central, hosts this special follow up episode to The NAWB Forum 2017. You'll hear from attendees about what they value most about NAWB and some of the challenges that they are facing in their region, and how they are going about solving those challenges. To learn more about NAWB, visit www.nawb.org 

This episode features an interview with Judy McDonald, Executive Director of Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County in Texas and Jon Gustafson from Lockheed Martin Corporation, as they discuss how they were able to create a successful industry partnership. Judy and Jon are the 2017 recipients of the W. O. Lawton Award Winner – Large Company. Discover the key takeaways from this partnership and the lessons for workforce boards across the U.S. To learn more about NAWB, visit www.nawb.org 

Kenneth Fortson, senior economist and associate director for research at Mathametica Policy Research joins the program to discuss the results from the Gold Standard Evaluation and the takeaways for workforce boards. Discover some of the most surprising findings from the study thus far, and the implications for the workforce system. To learn more about NAWB, visit www.nawb.org

Dr. Christopher King joins Ron Painter to discuss evaluation and return on investment (ROI)in the workforce development system. Dr. King shares what he looks for in an evaluation report and what workforce boards need to think about when it comes to evaluation. To learn more about the National Association of Workforce Boards, visit www.nawb.org

Ron Painter, CEO of NAWB, discusses the importance of evaluation in workforce, beyond compliance requirements. Ron shares his thoughts about how workforce boards and workforce systems need to be thinking about evaluation and shares how members can access additional resources about evaluation. To learn more about NAWB, visit www.nawb.org