Identifying Skill Gaps in the Local Workforce – An Expert Panel
Expert panel on what specific skills local employers need that can be taught to non-degreed individuals in the local workforce.
Moderated by Brendan Conlin, Chief Program Officer at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc.
Panelists Include:
Barbara Allen, Philadelphia Works
Zakiyyah Ali, Commerce Department – Workforce Development
Makeeda Holley, Philadelphia Housing Authority
Ron Story, Philadelphia Works
Under-resourced communities in the U.S. face systemic barriers to learning, mobility, and progress. Core problems impeding effective workforce development include a widening skills gap, deteriorating job quality, and a lack of collaboration between players in the labor market. With an unprecedented digital disruption and adoption caused by COVID-19 comes a new opportunity to radically change the lives of millions of Americans.
We are going to train unutilized workers in the North Philadelphia area. Workers in that area tend to be black, brown, and people of color; they typically are uncertified and non-degreed.
We want workers to rapidly attain new and more relevant skills to their current workplace — and their next one. Our goal is to rapidly train these individuals for sustainable wage jobs.