Topic: Workforce and Education

SREB Region Lags Behind in New Skills Report

Jahana.Martin — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 16:42:00 +0000

In the new Coursera Global Skills Report, the United States ranked 78 out 100 countries on job skills observed from Coursera’s learner base. The three job-relevant skill domains compared in the report were business, technology and data science.

A Conversation Among Governors

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Wed, 26 May 2021 16:01:00 +0000

Education and Workforce Recovery

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Southern governors discussed the central role of education in fueling growth through workforce and economic development. The conversation also covered spending priorities for federal relief funding and priorities for improving education.

Calendar dates

06/16/2021 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm

COVID-19 Impacts on Child Care Providers and Families

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 15:59:00 +0000

Higher Costs, Lower Enrollment Threaten Availability

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed—and exacerbated—challenges affecting our nation’s child care system. Many child care operators have struggled financially as they deal with shut downs, lower enrollments and increased costs.

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Early Pandemic Impacts Threaten the Region’s Workforce

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 15:55:00 +0000

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In 2019, the Southern Regional Education Board projected that 18 million workers across the SREB region could become unemployable or stuck in low-wage jobs by 2030 if states did nothing to raise their skills to a postsecondary level.

Tennessee SCORE: How Education Can Help Tennessee Address Workforce Needs

The Pandemic’s Dual Threat for Vulnerable Workers

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 12:58:00 +0000

Accelerated automation and post-pandemic impacts could displace millions

[image:11668, image w50 right]The COVID-19 pandemic presents a dual threat to vulnerable workers in the South. Accelerated automation and unemployment potential due to COVID-19 could impact the lives of millions.

The Pandemic's Dual Threat for Vulnerable Workers (PDF)

State Workforce Outlooks

Printable Regional Infographic

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Expanding Work-Based Learning Experiences

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 19:31:00 +0000

Tools and Mechanisms: Reach More Students Using Technology

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Preparing students to be career-ready is important and complex work. Educators, workforce development leaders, and industry representatives need simulated workplace programs and other virtual solutions to expand work-based learning opportunities in rural and hard-to-serve communities.

Calendar dates

12/10/2020 - 11:00am - 12:00pm

Opening Doors Through Work-Based Learning

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 19:25:00 +0000

Policies: Adopting Measures to Support Work-Based Learning

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Work-based learning has been identified by many organizations and researchers as a necessary educational component or preparing students for success in adulthood. Kentucky has created a policy solution for challenges to work-based learning such as workers’ compensation and liability insurance.

Industry-Education Partnerships for Local Workforce Needs

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 19:12:00 +0000

Process: How to Forge Partnerships

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Industry sector partnerships are an essential strategy for workforce development in states, as they bring business partners together with the public sector to guide the preparation of workers for the high-demand jobs most critical to local economies.

Partnerships to Align Education and Careers

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 17:26:00 +0000

Report of the Commission on Strategic Partnerships for Work-Ready Students

This commission report offers a vision of education connected to local careers and shows how to make it a reality through partnerships and policy. With 11 recommendations to help states build strategic industry sector partnerships, the report covers policies, funding and building the capacity of educators. It also spotlights innovative solutions from around the nation.

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DOWNLOAD EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Gauge Workforce Frequently, Prioritize Action Together

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 17:40:00 +0000

Bouncing Back From COVID-19 Using Education and Workforce Dollars

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Presenters made the case for analyzing data in rapid cycles to identify actions to spark workforce improvements and keep an eye on equity. The webinar covered partners to engage, including industry-sector partnerships, and spotlights how states can braid multiple federal and state funding sources for the work.

PRESENTATION SLIDES

Webinar recording

PRESENTATION SLIDES

Connect Emergency Responses To Longer-term Workforce Efforts

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 18:05:00 +0000

Bouncing Back From COVID-19 Using Education and Workforce Dollars

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The sixth webinar in the Bouncing Back from COVID-19 Using Education and Workforce Dollars series covered how state leaders can ensure that their short-term emergency measures to address COVID-19 contribute toward achieving the state’s long-term vision for a thriving workforce and healthy economy. Presentations highlighted Alabama’s work in this area and included ways to align ESSA, Perkins V, WIOA, CARES Act and state and grant dollars.

PRESENTATION SLIDES

JAMBOARD DISCUSSION

Make Education and Training Programs More Tech Savvy and Flexible

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 17:57:00 +0000

Bouncing Back From COVID-19 Using Education and Workforce Dollars

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In the fifth webinar in the Bouncing Back from COVID-19 Using Education and Workforce Dollars series, SREB presenters shared strategies for readying workers to succeed in workplaces that are increasingly technology dependent. They also discussed how education and training programs can leverage technology and flexible formats so they can maintain programs when traditional formats are not practical.

PRESENTATION SLIDES

JAMBOARD DISCUSSION

Help Businesses Prepare Workers to Fill Critical Positions

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 17:50:00 +0000

Bouncing Back From COVID-19 Using Education and Workforce Dollars

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In the fourth webinar in the Bouncing Back From Covid Using Education and Workforce Dollars series, SREB presenters discussed how state leaders can help businesses upskill new and longer-term employees to fill positions critical to the state’s economic recovery. SREB also spotlighted how states can address issues of equity and braid multiple funding sources to support this work. Leaders in Indiana shared their exemplary efforts in this area.

PRESENTATION SLIDES

Help Students Earn Credentials to Fill Critical Jobs

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 17:47:00 +0000

Bouncing Back From COVID-19 Using Education and Workforce Dollars

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The third webinar in the Bouncing Back From Covid Using Education and Workforce Dollars series covers strategies to help students gain postsecondary knowledge and skills to fill jobs critical to the state’s economic recovery. SREB presenters explored strategies for strengthening dual enrollment programs and helping new graduates maintain their educational momentum even when families struggle to afford tuition.

PRESENTATION SLIDES

Help Low-Skilled Adults Earn Credentials for Critical Jobs

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 17:44:00 +0000

Bouncing Back From COVID-19 Using Education and Workforce Dollars

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The second webinar in the Bouncing Back From Covid Using Education and Workforce Dollars series explores how states can help workers with low skills earn the credentials they need to secure and succeed at jobs critical to the state’s economic recovery. SREB presenters discussed strategies for targeting grants to individuals and postsecondary institutions and for addressing issues of equity.

COVID-19 Playbooks

PRESENTATION SLIDES

Designing a Ready Workforce

melissa.pinsky@sreb.org — Mon, 11 May 2020 15:13:00 +0000

Opportunities for state leaders to align ESSA, Perkins V and WIOA funds

To support states as they finalize their new Perkins V and WIOA plans and consider updates to their ESSA plans, SREB reviewed a sample of states’ existing plans and identified six ways states have missed opportunities in the past to align work funded by the three federal statutes. For each missed opportunity, SREB provides questions for policymakers to consider and gives examples from states of well-aligned plans.

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Workforce-Driven Financial Aid: Policies and Strategies

Beth Day — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 17:11:00 +0000

Essential Elements of State Policy For College Completion

The rapidly evolving workplace has created a shortage of skilled and educated workers in many fields, leaving essential jobs unfilled and millions of adults unqualified for them. This policy brief summarizes statewide strategies to support financial assistance for students in programs designed to address workforce needs. It includes suggestions for states that are evaluating, or considering creating, workforce-driven financial aid policies.

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Effective Adult Education Programs: A Challenge for States

David Raney — Thu, 26 Sep 2019 15:03:00 +0000

States face an uphill battle in meeting the needs of adult learners, especially at a time when technology is advancing rapidly. Adults can turn to adult education programs to improve their skills, but enrollments have fallen in recent years.

Adapting Education, Keeping Pace with Automation

David Raney — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 14:36:00 +0000

Technology is advancing at unprecedented rates. Though there have been grand transformations in information technologies, including computers, cell phones, automated services and customer-facing machines, these changes will likely be dwarfed by others in the coming decades. Automated vehicles and artificial intelligence have the capacity to reshape not only our workforce but our social and political systems. Machine learning will create work tasks in the future that can only be imagined today.

The SREB Region’s Economic Outlook

Veronica Johnson — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 13:37:00 +0000

The Potential Impact of Automation and AI

As companies continue to incorporate new technologies, making machine learning and robotics common in almost all workplaces, more and more working adults need to adapt to computerized work activities. Many need to move into new jobs raising their skill levels, or they will be out of a job altogether. This policy brief examines the ways automation and artificial intelligence will impact the workforce and encourages states and industry leaders to act quickly to prepare employees for the workplace transformations.

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