Funding to 10 Workforce Development Boards are part of $10.9 million
grant awarded to The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership
BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- (Business Wire)
As a next step in an effort to increase economic mobility of workers in
retail and adjacent sectors in the U.S., the Walmart Foundation today
announced 10 Workforce Development Boards (WDBs) across the country will
receive funding from The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The
Partnership). The Partnership selected 10 WDBs to collectively form and
implement new models of career services specific to retail—models that
will serve as best practices for the approximately 550 WDBs in the U.S.
that already provide services, such as career coaching, soft skills
training, specialized skills training and referrals to other resources.
The funding is part of a $10.9 million grant the Walmart Foundation made
to The Partnership in March 2016. The two-year grant program is the
largest investment to date as part of Walmart and the Walmart
Foundation’s Opportunity initiative, which aims to increase the economic
mobility of workers in retail and adjacent sectors by working with
nonprofits, educational institutions and government agencies to make it
easier for frontline workers to move faster into middle skills roles.
According to the National Retail Federation, the retail industry
supports one in four American jobs—a total of 42 million.
“The advancement of our nation’s workforce is imperative and investments
made by the Walmart Foundation and The Chicago Cook Workforce
Partnership in our national network of WDBs will create a significant
ripple effect that will help boards across the country make informed,
smart decisions about how to invest in workforce strategies that align
with the needs of their local retailers,” said Ron Painter, president of
the National Association of Workforce Boards. “The models this network
creates will advance the nation’s workforce by supporting incumbent
workers, fulfilling employer needs and empowering thousands of working
Americans to climb the economic ladder.”
A paper
authored by the Harvard Business School, Accenture and Burning Glass
refutes the retail sector’s reputation as a dead-end industry,
explaining how entry-level jobs can lead to supervisory roles or
parallel pathways within adjacent sectors with high occupational demand
and high wages.
“As one of the largest providers of jobs for the American workforce, the
retail industry presents many opportunities for workers to grow and
thrive,” said Kathleen McLaughlin, president of the Walmart Foundation
and chief sustainability officer for Walmart. “Through our work with The
Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, we are helping ensure that retail
workers have the skills, training and education needed to build
long-lasting careers.”
“The need to provide career pathways for workers to advance in the
retail sector is a national challenge,” said Karin M. Norington-Reaves,
CEO of The Partnership. “The Partnership is excited to work with
Workforce Development Boards from across the country to demonstrate the
great strides we are making to implement new models and strategies
focused on growing the retail workforce.”
The 10 WDBs receiving funding from The Partnership will provide a
variety of services to job seekers, including:
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Job readiness training customized to the retail sector, including
helping jobseekers acquire the “soft skills” that are critical for
workplace success such as teamwork, leadership, communication and
conflict resolution.
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Specialized skills training.
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Job placement assistance, resume writing assistance and interviewing
skills workshops.
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Post placement services to promote job retention.
Among the services the WDBs will offer employers are:
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Serving as a point of contact for retail employers in the area for
recruiting and training opportunities, including career tracks such as
sales, customer service, logistics, operations, merchandising/buying
and management.
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Incumbent worker training.
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Customized recruiting and candidate pre-screening and assistance in
writing job descriptions for new positions.
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Employee retention assistance and improving the supply of qualified
job candidates.
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The 10 WDBs selected by The Partnership to receive grants in the
first year of the two-year grant program include:
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| Workforce Development Board |
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| Grant Amount |
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| Estimated Number of People Who Will Benefit |
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Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation, Millersville, Md.
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$200,000
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200 participants
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Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services, Inc., Monticello, Minn.
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$300,000
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200 participants
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Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department, Los
Angeles, Calif.
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$400,000
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325 participants
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Denver Workforce Development Board, Denver, Colo.
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$422,652
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325 participants
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Metro North Regional Employment Board, Cambridge, Mass.
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$400,000
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200 participants
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Center of Workforce Innovations (Northwest Indiana Workforce
Board), Valparaiso, Ind.
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$387,421
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200 participants
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Philadelphia Works, Philadelphia, Pa.
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$399,430
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325 participants
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San Diego Workforce Partnership, San Diego, Calif.
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$400,000
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325 participants
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The WorkPlace, Bridgeport, Conn. (Southwestern Connecticut Regional
Workforce Development Board)
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$400,000
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200 participants
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Workforce Snohomish, Everett, Wash.
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$314,180
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200 participants
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In addition to providing greater opportunities for retail workers in
these communities, this work will have large-scale impact for
potentially thousands of workers as key learnings and new models for
training and development are shared and may be implemented by WDBs
across the U.S.
In February 2015, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation committed $100
million over five years to strengthen the skills of the broader U.S.
workforce by funding programs to create career paths in retail and
related industries and training thousands of workers outside of Walmart.
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are working with outside experts to
develop a system of industry-recognized curricula and credentials for
workers so they can gain new skills, training and education to grow
their careers. To date, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have given
grants totaling $39 million as part of this Opportunity initiative.
For more information about the Walmart Foundation’s grant to The
Partnership, visit http://workforceboard.org/about-us/funders-and-partners/grants/wal-mart-foundation-grant/.
To learn more about Walmart’s Opportunity initiative, visit http://corporate.walmart.com/opportunity.
About Philanthropy at Walmart
By
using our strengths to help others, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation
create opportunities for people to live better every day. We have stores
in 28 countries, employing more than 2.3 million associates and doing
business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of
people. We are helping people live better by accelerating upward job
mobility and economic development for the retail workforce; addressing
hunger and making healthier, more sustainably-grown food a reality; and
building strong communities where we operate and inspire our associates
to give back. Whether it is helping to lead the fight against hunger in
the United States with $2 billion in cash and in-kind donations or
supporting Women’s Economic Empowerment through a series of grants
totaling $10 million to the Women in Factories training program in
Bangladesh, China, India and Central America, Walmart and the Walmart
Foundation are not only working to tackle key social issues, we are also
collaborating with others to inspire solutions for long-lasting systemic
change. To learn more about Walmart’s giving, visit foundation.walmart.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160907005133/en/
Contacts:
Walmart Foundation
Tricia Moriarty, 800-331-0085
news.walmart.com/reporter
Source: Walmart Foundation
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