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Yesterday was our all Talent in-person retreat at the wonderful National Louis University space, with time and space for welcoming, recognition, reflections, play, food and conversations. We are a big team and spread across multiple locations, so opportunities like this are highly anticipated. -Huge shoutout to Christine Judson, SPHR for leading the large group through fun and interactive sessions (using Legos and marshmallows), and reflections on the experience. Also, its fun to stay 'step away from the marshmallow'. - I've realized I have a hard time asking for logistical help for these events (even though nothing is done by any one person alone), and I want to shoutout (this obviously incomplete list) of people who helped with making yesterday the day it was, whether it was through thought partnership, actual heavy lifting, setting things up, taking things down, facilitating sessions, corralling folks, letting me have a moment when I needed to and more. Laura Garza-Maysonet Jerry Taylor, Felicia Butts, ShaVonne West-Stewart, MHRM, PHR Shenise Keelen Michael Herring Art Kim, Toni Patton, Lisa Wrightsell-Williams. - The people in this photo really do move mountains - the breadth and depth of work, strategic and operational, that falls within the Talent umbrella, is far beyond what I had ever anticipated and it continues to expand. Organizing events/activities is the sort of work that can easily veer into the territory of feeling like 'invisible work' and I can confidently say that that has not been my experience at all. My boss (Ben Felton) is appreciative and supportive, my colleagues and the larger team offer to help and follow through on their commitments, and offer gratitude and I don't take that for granted. I hope to remember this the next time I attend an event/activity, and I hope that you also acknowledge colleagues in your work spheres who are doing the work of bringing people together and building culture in resource-limited environments. What a great way to wrap up (well almost..) 2023!

Greg Watkins, Senior Manager, Delivery Partnerships, shares how the approach taken by Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota and Urban League Twin Cities in partnership with the Rework America Alliance laid a strong foundation upon which the #workforce landscape is primed for more positive change, by focusing on three key areas: 1. Improving support available to job seekers by equipping career navigators with a skills-based, equity-driven career coaching model. 2. Removing barriers to employment faced by job seekers by helping employers adopt skills-based hiring and talent management practices. 3. Building a broad coalition of workforce practitioners and policymakers to further influence the system from multiple points. Full case study available here: https://lnkd.in/gD4uBf3f

Hear from Bec who's participating in the Cowork Coplay Program in Perth. She shares what she's working on and what has already changed for her and her husband about their views of potentially staying with the Navy longer. Because she has space to pursue meaningful work and explore her career direction, she sees the possibility of 2 x careers co-existing. This hasn't been the case for many ADF partners for far too long; enduring limited career/employment options thanks to the realities of ADF service. (Much research to refer to - happy to share links.) The current Cowork Coplay programs provide the spouses (partners) of current- and former-serving ADF members a facilitated experience, welcoming space and an enthusiastic group of people around them to pursue career-related projects over 6 weeks. There's child care for parents of small children (0-5 years old). We also provide access to brilliant mentors plus a bucketload of resources and links to existing services. (At this stage there isn't a 'welcome pack' for new recruits or families so we provide our 'must know' information.) Through our model, we employ local facilitators from the Defence partner community. (Hat tip to the awesome Tamara Paton for being the incredible rock for the Perth group.) Thanks to Royal Australian Navy for trialling the program in Perth as part of it's Stay Onboard - People First initiative. Matt Keogh, Eric Young, CSC, GAICD, Tish Van Stralen, Ron Kovalcik, GAICD, Defence Families of Australia (DFA), Gwen Cherne #partneremployment #retention #defencecapability #defencefamilies #ADFfamilypolicy #innovation #socialenterprise #veteranownedbusiness #femaleentrepreneur

Skills... They can be like Legos if they are formed properly. Then with enough imagination and innovative drive your company can build new worlds. Maybe you have thoughts and ideas on a new world for your company. If that's you we should talk. Lightcast has put tons of skill resources together, mapped 100s of millions of data points to skills in the labor market, and is at the center of that conversation for many early adopters. The great work that Richard Rosenow is doing is just one example of how companies are pioneering the new world of work and giving people a powerful framework to start from. Below are just some questions you might want to consider as a primer if your company is leaning into your own "lego creation"... What is at the core of our skills strategy and how dynamic is it to the world of work at large? Do we have a structure by design that intelligently knows all the combinations of how these legos have been fit together in the past? Do we have a line of sight on how other companies are building new things with skills? Can we clearly see through the lens of skills who our people are internally and the ability to reconfigure to evolving needs of our workforce? Do we have a seamless way to look externally that helps us benchmark and compare apples to apples? How will our skills inform career pathways within our organization? How can we easily help our employees know the supply and demand of the skills they have? How do we effectively communicate the skills they don't have that are most important to the future of our workforce that are most similar to current skill profile they have? Does our L&D team have the ability to tap into that ecosystem and suggest learning content that generates the best ROI for the company and the employee?

Profit or Non, an organization’s success depends on its ability to establish, then achieve strategic goals and objectives. Which is precisely why TSHAMRELL Advisory Group has teamed with New Beginnings of Central Florida to support their efforts to Go for MORE in ’24. We’ll be co-creating something unique; something based on structure but customized to build confidence and guide the impassioned ambitions of a team whose vision is to offer a hand up, not a handout to those in need. This includes approaching year-end Infinity Point Goals through the lens of our three Ps: •     Enable People with continuous professional learning and awareness. •     Establish Processes that empower a sense of commitment through community. •     Engage in Practices that promote consistency and move results beyond the expected. It is especially gratifying to work with a team that possesses what we refer to as the “Implicit Ps”: A Passion for what matters most and incredible Pride in the community they serve. Ready, Set, Go for MORE! #tshamrell, #nbcfl, #goformore24, #infinitypointgoals  

Ever curious about how Arrow Staffing came to be? Here is a quick read on our roots!

HAPPENING NOW: Colorado Workforce Development Council's Council members are meeting in Alamosa. To kick off our day, Chair Jonathan Liebert grounded us in asking "WHY does this work matter?", centering us on the concept that we are in the business of hope. Therese A. Ivancovich echoed that not only is this work the business of hope - but the CWDC is about delivering on the promise of hope. So many stories of impact and learning to come from this meeting. WHY do you do this work? #WorkforceDevelopment #EconomicDevelopment #FindingYourWhy

B Corp businesses are always on the move, looking for new ways to improve their impact – even after they’ve been certified. And these actions all add up. Did you know that 119,000 workers can own shares in their B Corp company? That’s because 26% of B Corps give employees the opportunity to own a piece of the pie. bluedog is not only proudly employee-owned but a big advocate for the ESOP model as well. And we think we're in some pretty cool company, if we do say so ourselves. If you're interested in finding out more about the ins and outs of becoming an employee-owned company, this article is a great place to start: https://lnkd.in/geQz6nzS #bcorpmonth

Our partnership with Alabama and the launch of the Alabama Talent Triad is making waves, and putting other states on notice. The future of hiring is changing rapidly. In order to build, maintain and scale a new workforce economy on a state and national level, there needs to be immediate shifts in hiring practices by employers, as well as a focus on providing in-demand skills training in order for Americans to remain competitive in the global workforce. Alabama is doing what it takes to set Alabamians up for success with their implementation of the Alabama Talent Triad, and by 2025 we believe that Alabama will reach their goal of having 500,000 new credentialed and workforce-ready workers. See what Government Technology had to say about the Talent Triad in Alabama: https://buff.ly/47cq1SR #EBSCOed #TalentTriad #AlTalentTriad #Alabama #WorkforceReady #Training #Learning #Skills #Hiring

I agree with my Maryland Workforce Association Board President, Kirkland Murray, that House Bill 1128 has the potential to be good legislation and a great fund to support Maryland's economy. The bill needed to be amended to include Maryland's 13 Local Workforce Development Boards as an eligible applicant for the funds though. If the bill crosses over to the Maryland Senate, I could see several more amendments to truly make the bill and fund achieve its intent. Sadly though, the bill should have included Maryland's 13 Local Workforce Development Boards as an applicant in its initial drafting. Additionally, all workforce development programs funded by the Maryland Department of Labor should be required to be aligned with the in-demand industries identified in the grant applicants' local area's local plan (approved by the Maryland Department of Labor and the Governor's Workforce Development Board of Maryland). We have a lot of work to do to ensure in our "partnership" to ensure Maryland's 13 Local Workforce Development Boards aren't an afterthought or an amendment. Learn more about House Bill 1128 by clicking the link below. https://lnkd.in/epSpfZVe