Work In Progress

In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm joined by MK Palmore, director, Office of the CISO, Google Cloud and Todd Conklin, deputy assistant secretary, U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection. We're talking about how the federal government has partnered with Google Cloud to offer two new certifications and another training course to prepare workers for critical jobs protecting our national security. For the federal government and private employers across the country, the demand for AI and cybersecurity skills is insatiable. U.S. employers posted nearly 200,000 jobs requiring AI skills in the past 12 months. The World Economic Forum predicts demand for AI and machine learning specialists will grow 40% worldwide over the next five years. The demand for roles in cybersecurity is even stronger, with more than 400,000 jobs posted since April of last year. Both these areas of expertise point to employers' need for talent that can analyze data. However, simply put, there are not enough workers with the skills needed to fill all the available jobs. This week at the ASU+GSV Summit, Google Cloud and the Treasury Department announced a public-private partnership offering new certificate courses in cybersecurity and data analytics and a course in generative AI. It's part of the government's effort to help connect talent to these in-demand tech jobs across industries and sectors, including the government, which is in need of workers to protect our national security infrastructure. "It's a broad range of opportunities at Treasury in the cyberspace," explains Conklin, who in addition to being Treasury's deputy assistant secretary of cyber is also its chief AI officer. "You have the hands-on IT, actually being a person who is the first line of defense from a cybersecurity specialist perspective. We have general policy specialists that are more on the cyber policy that focus on how do we bolster standards." This includes in the financial sector. "Treasury ultimately serves as the bank for the U.S. government and we process a significant amount of payments on behalf of U.S. citizens on a daily basis, which rivals our largest [private] financial institution. Effectively, Treasury itself operates as a global bank to some degree," explains Conklin. In addition to cyber, he says there is also a demand at Treasury for people with advanced skills in data analytics and, now, AI, which is where the partnership with Google Cloud comes in. "Generative AI is the dominating topic today among technologists and cybersecurity practitioners, so that's the leading cert that's come out, but we also have a complementary cybersecurity and data analytics cert along with those," says Google's Palmore. "It's a growing field in terms of certifications that we've weighed into because we realize the value of providing certifications to folks as a bit of a shortened pathway in some ways. It provides substantive guidance, advice, and skill levels that will help people enter these growing fields of technology and explore the possibility of a career there." Palmore says the certification tells the potential employer a couple of things, especially when combined with practice experience, which you get as part of the training. "You are stating to an employer that not only can you grasp the academic portion of the work, but that you've shown the ability to then apply that work," he says. "I'm a big believer in the certification pathway and capability. I tell folks that as long as you are willing to do the work the certifications will give you that starting point." So, what do you learn in the new Google Cloud certifications training? "Everything in technology has foundational core components and elements. What we try and do in the certification space is infuse those foundational capabilities and skills into the cert so that at the end of that process the person gaining the c...

In this episode of Work in Progress, we share a WorkingNation panel discussion on apprenticeships for people with disabilities from the SXSW EDU conference in March in Austin, Texas. Moderated by WorkingNation Advisory Board member Josh Christianson, project director for the Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeships at the U.S. Department of Labor and senior specialist at the Cadmus Group, the panel examined apprenticeships as a rarely-tapped source of employment for people with disabilities. Joining him on the panel were Mike Hess, founder & CEO of The Blind Institute of Technology, David Fazio, founder and president of Helix Opportunity, and Zariah Cameron, an equity UX strategist. The distinguished group of panelists discuss the importance of inclusive apprenticeships, the benefits for both apprentices and employers, and the need for accessible technology and workplace environments. They also address challenges such as outdated job descriptions, the lack of support from vocational rehabilitation programs, and the discrimination faced by individuals with disabilities. The panelists provide resources and suggestions for creating more inclusive apprenticeships and vetting employers to ensure fair treatment of individuals with disabilities. You can listen to the podcast here, or download and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find it our Work in Progress YouTube channel. WorkingNation is a proud media partner with SXSW EDU. Episode 312: Josh Christianson, Zariah Cameron, Mike Hess, and David FazioHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm joined by Jennifer Maher, CEO of TechForce Foundation, to discuss one of the fastest-growing jobs in America – professional transportation technician – and how the nonprofit is supporting people of all ages and backgrounds trying to get into the field. Over the next four years, jobs in the transportation tech field are expected to grow by nearly 800,000, according to TechForce Foundation, as older workers leave the workforce and brand new jobs are created by advancements in technology. "We're talking about automobiles, airplanes, trucks, motorcycles, boats, race cars, anything that moves, even stationary engines," explains Maher. "And not only is it automobiles as we would traditionally think, but now it's the autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles. It's drones. It's charging stations. They all need skilled qualified technicians to keep them moving." Maher describes the crucial role the technician plays in our society. "Our motto at TechForce is 'When Techs Rock, America Rolls!' COVID gave us the term 'essential workers,' that there are certain jobs that have to keep going to keep us all rolling. The technician remains an essential job. "We all need to get to work, to get to school, to get groceries to our shelves. We need to be moving products and things all over the world, and we still want to take our vacations and/or fly from here to there. "Imagine the world without techs and how different it would be if everything came to a grinding halt. And that is why we advocate for this profession and for the industry because we need them," says Maher. Maher says anyone interested in working with their hands, problem-solving, and new technology should consider a career as a professional technician. But she adds, you will find the skills needed a little different than you would have imagined in the past. "There's still the outdated stigma of the shade tree mechanic or the grease monkey. And yes, there is wrenching and, yes, there's oil and lubricants and things, but it is so much more of a STEM career today – the science, technology, engineering, and math; the circuitry; the computer and the diagnostics; the calibration; and the advanced safety systems. You can't just lift your hood and work on most vehicles today. You've got to be trained and skilled." TechForce Foundation's mission is helping students of all ages and backgrounds – including older adults wanting to change careers – explore and enter the field through scholarships, connections to internships, and support of workforce development training. In the podcast, Maher shares stories of how the scholarships have help hundreds – including a veteran named Jose and a 16-year-old girl named Chris – found their paths to becoming professional transportation technicians. So how much does a tech make? Location and cost of living can affect a salary, but automotive techs typically average more than $60,000 and with additional certifications that salary can reach into six figures. For aviation techs, the average salary after three years ranges from $72,000 to over $100,000, depending on location, according to TechForce. Interested in exploring a career in transportation tech? You can listen to the podcast here, or download and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find it our Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 311: Jennifer Maher, CEO, TechForce FoundationHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, I am joined by Catherine Collinson, president and CEO of the nonprofit research foundation Transamerica Institute, to discuss the crucial role older workers can play in filling in-demand roles across the economy and how ageism may be standing in the way of tapping into that talent pool. "Ageism should be something in the past, not in the present. It's time to get over it," says Collinson, especially as employers express an inability to "attract and retain talent, as they're looking to grow their businesses. It is negatively impacting their ability to conduct business." A new report from Transamerica Institute and its Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies released this morning – Workplace Transformations: Employer Business Practices and Benefit Offerings – says employers are feeling the impact of a prolonged labor crunch. Thirty-seven percent (37%) say it is negatively impacting them. For larger employers, the number is much higher. It goes to six, even seven, in 10. There are four – some even say five – generations of workers in the labor force now. Midcareer and older workers are making up a bigger share each year. Since 1987, the share of workers aged 65 or older has grown from a little more than one in ten (11%) to almost one in five (19%). Currently, about 30% of the U.S. labor forces is over the age of 55. While these workers want or need to continue working, they are often overlooked when it comes to opportunities to "skill up" to do the jobs that employers say they having trouble filling, explains Collinson. "Our survey found almost nine in 10 employers feel that they are age-friendly and provide opportunities, resources, and training for workers of all ages to be successful. But when we looked a little bit further, we found not so much, especially as it relates to attracting and retaining talent. "Very few said they gave a great deal of consideration to age 50+ job applicants. Even some of the things that we saw in terms of professional development opportunities – which, by the way, they could be doing a lot more for workers of all ages – they just seem to be not yet tuned into that opportunity. "Employers on one hand are contending with labor crunches, and yet they're missing out on this talent pool that has expertise, experience, wisdom, that wants to work. Why are they not paying closer attention? That's a rhetorical question, but it also leads to that we've got to retire ageism." Collinson and I go on to discuss ways in which employers can attract workers of all ages and the benefits of a multigenerational workforce. We also discuss the impact of employers using artificial intelligence to "augment their human workforce." In Collinson's words, "Robotics and artificial intelligence may be revolutionizing the business world, but human workers are still critically needed." You can listen to the podcast here, or download and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find it our Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 310: Catherine Collinson, president and CEO, Transamerica InstituteHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of Work in Progress, Mayor Justin Bibb of Cleveland talks about how a coalition of American mayors are attacking the impact of extreme weather and environmental challenges in their communities and are bolstering their local economies by creating clean energy jobs. I recently traveled to Miami Beach for the Aspen Ideas: Climate conference, a gathering of global, federal, and local policymakers, corporate leaders, and scientists, brought together by the Aspen Institute to discuss solutions to the impacts of climate change and pollution. There I met members of Climate Mayors, a coalition of 750 mayors from 48 states representing more than 60 million Americans. Climate Mayors lays out its mission as: Supporting sustainable infrastructure projects that bolster resilience to extreme weather and climate change, and modernize the electric grid, Advancing environmental justice, and Creating an abundance of clean energy jobs in their communities. Mayor Justin Bibb of Cleveland – the chair of the group – sat down with me at the conference to discuss those goals and how the mayors are working to achieve results for the people they serve. He highlights the need for public-private partnerships and collaboration to drive sustainable economic growth and bring jobs to his cities and others around the country. Mayor Bibb says the bipartisan federal legislation that's making funding available for rebuilding infrastructure and creating jobs is key to those partnerships. "We're at the front lines of making sure we take this historic federal investment and have real solutions, real models of best practices in cities, from Madison to Cleveland to LA to New York City. Part of our work is ensuring that cities have the capacity and technical assistance they need to navigate the labyrinth of federal guidelines and regulations to navigate this funding." Mayor Bibb stresses the importance of making the benefits of the greening of the economy accessible to all residents, particularly those in marginalized communities. He also shares his vision for Cleveland as a resilient, equitable, and prosperous city that can serve as a model for the rest of the country. "We want to create high-paying, good-quality jobs, particularly in the building trades, for a lot of the work we need to do to address the built environment. We're also really focused on leveraging our roots in advanced manufacturing, and this new growing movement of sustainable manufacturing. The new reshoring trend that we're seeing coming out of the pandemic is going to bode well for the nation and bode really well for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio." I asked him he wants the country to describe Cleveland in the near future. "Hope, promise, resilience, opportunity. We've been a city that has been tough on ourselves for a long time. We know how to rebound in a way that I think is an embodiment of the Great American can-do spirit. And in many ways, Cleveland is America, and America is Cleveland from the legacy issues we've had around race, and disinvestment, and segregation and how globalization impacted our city's economy. And if we can see an equitable, prosperous, inclusive comeback in Cleveland, and I think it shows the nation that if it can be done in Cleveland, it can be done anywhere." You can listen to the podcast here, or download and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find it our Work in Progress YouTube channel. This podcast was created in collaboration with the Aspen Institute. Episode 309: Justin Bibb, Cleveland mayor and Climate Mayors chairHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of Work in Progress, I've brought together a group of experts to discuss the challenges faced by people with disabilities in finding meaningful employment, advancing in their careers, and the importance of creating inclusive workplaces. The discussion centers on how disclosing a disability and seeking a reasonable accommodation can be a difficult decision, one that has a profound impact. “Progress has been made, but certainly not enough has been done,” says Wendi Safstrom, president of the SHRM Foundation – addressing the fears and misconceptions that employers may have about hiring individuals with disabilities. She notes, “The more we can get HR professionals to learn and listen to one another in terms of some of the opportunities that they've had getting people [with disabilities] into their organizations and some of the great experiences they've had working with individuals who have disabilities, I think are a great way to really amplify that particular message. That's why we're continue to be committed to this kind of work across all of our untapped pools of talent.” In this episode, you'll hear from: Kirk Adams, Ph.D., managing director, Innovative Impact, LLC Everette Bacon, VP of blind initiatives, Aira Deb Dagit, president and consultant, Deb Dagit Diversity Sam Estoesta, project manager with a social innovation specialization, TD Bank Scott Hoesman, CEO and founder, inQUEST Consulting Becky Kekula, senior director of the Disability Equality Index, Disability:IN Wendi Safstrom, president, SHRM Foundation You can listen to the podcast here, or download and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find it our Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 308: A Discussion Around the Decision to Disclose a Disability at WorkHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm joined by Debbie Compeau, Washington State University’s Carson College of Business interim dean. A.I. I’m not sure if there are any other two letters in the English language right now that have evoked such anticipation, discussion, debate, or concern. A new report released by the Carson College of Business finds that people are generally excited about the possibilities of new generative AI tools in the workplace. But, more than half of professionals surveyed for the report (56%) are concerned they are going to be “left behind” unless they have the opportunity to learn how to leverage the newest iterations of the artificial intelligence. "Overall, people are seeing things in a positive light, but their approach is measured because they see the positives but they see the negatives," says Compeau. She adds that the workers expressed personal concerns about the speedy adaptation of new AI applications. "'I don't know how to do this. And if I don't know how to do this, I might lose my job' is very much on people's minds." Compeau says employees want more information from their employers on what to expect. "Only 32% of our professionals have received general news and resources on AI. Only 31% have received specific training on how they would use AI tools in their job, and 26% have received information on risks. One in four say that their organization hasn't provided any resources to them to learn how to use this. I think in that kind of an environment, people are feeling a little bit lost," she tells me. But, says Compeau, employers themselves are still trying to figure out the use cases for generative AI in the workforce. "When we think about generative AI, if we're all still trying to figure out where do we want to use it, I think the challenge today specifically around training is what would you train people to do?" Ultimately, it will be important for employers and higher education to step up and help prepare the workforce of today and tomorrow for the AI skills needed in the workforce in order for workers to thrive with the technology. She puts it this way: "Generative AI is not going to take your job. People who know how to use generative AI are going to take your job." Compeau and I go on to discuss the critical role higher education must play in preparing the next generation of workers, as well as preparing them for the potential risks that come with the technology. You can listen to my full conversation with Compeau here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find this conversation and other recent podcasts on our Work in Progress YouTube channel. You can read the full AI and Business Readiness report here. Episode 307: Debbie Compeau, Washington State University's Carson College of BusinessHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of Work in Progress, I am joined by Nitzan Pelman, the founder and CEO of Climb Hire, a nonprofit that upskills and builds a social network for working adults aged 24-to-40 for job opportunities in tech. No college degree required. "Who you know matters as much as what you know" is the guiding principal behind Climb Hire. Pelman explains she saw "a need to create economic opportunity and mobility for working adults with great potential but limited growth in their current career paths." Climb Hire accepts workers and job seekers making less than $30,000 a year to the online training program for in-demand tech jobs in IT and cybersecurity, combining the hands-own hard skills with relationship-building and networking skills. Pelman says the idea for the nonprofit came from her realization that four-year college graduates have built a network of people they can turn to when they are searching for work, especially in high-paying careers. "When you spend time in a four-year institution – and you live in dorms and you sing in acappella clubs and you play lacrosse and you write for the newspaper – these are all ways that you get to spend hundreds of hours with peers in a coming-of-age moment in time. And that's great. "But the vast majority of people coming from low-income communities don't go to schools like that. They go to community colleges – mostly for affordability purposes and so that they can work and take care of family members and be closer to home. "What happens to that population is that they finish school and they start applying to jobs cold. It's very hard to be noticed when you apply for jobs cold and you don't have relevant experience and no one's vouching for you," she adds. Climb Hire gives the student first-hand experience by exposing them to employers who act as mentors when it comes to relationship-building. It can lead to direct hiring of the student or helping them find someone who is hiring. If accepted into the program, the student doesn't pay anything until they reach a certain post-graduate income level. "It is a program specifically targeted to people that are low-income workers and we know that they can't possibly afford to pay. They're already drowning in their own bills and not being able to make ends meet. We don't expect for them to pay upfront, but once they get a job that does pay them at least $47,000 in California and above $40,000 in other places, it's $150 a month for four years, so that's $7,200," says Pelman. We go into much more on the power of social networking in your career pathway. You can listen to my conversation with Pelman here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find this conversation and other recent podcasts on our new Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 306: Nitzan Pelman, founder & CEO, Climb HireHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm joined by Pete Stavros, founder and chair of Ownership Works, a nonprofit leading the employee-ownership movement, whose mission is to provide employees with the opportunity to build wealth at work by making them owners of the company for which they work. At scale, Stavros says, employee ownership can help millions of lower-income workers and people of color build savings and wealth – often for the first time – at businesses that are more dynamic, resilient, and successful. He says it allows employees to benefit from the value they help create in a business. "The foundation of it is sharing stock ownership inside of a company with all employees, from the C-suite to the most junior colleagues who just joined the company, maybe working on the factory floor," explains Stavros. "If you look at Federal Reserve data on household wealth, and you look at why the top 1% and 10% are in the position that they're in financially versus the bottom 50%, the biggest driver by a mile is the ownership or lack of ownership of stock assets. "It's not housing. It's not other assets. It's really ownership of appreciating stocks that has created this massive gulf of wealth inequality, and it's what the folks at the bottom are lacking. I do not think this is going to solve all of our problems magically, but this is a way to help the bottom half of the country that does not own much in the way of assets. It's a way of getting appreciating assets in their hands. "One of the core principles is workers are not investing out of pocket, so they're not risking whatever savings they do have and they're not giving up wages or other benefits to get stock. This is a free incremental benefit." Ownership Works partners with companies and investors to find what Stavros – who is also co-head of private equity at KKR – describes as "fundamentally good businesses, with solid market positions, but where they're not fully optimized." He adds, "There are ways to accelerate the growth, take more market share in their market, maybe expand into new markets, be more productive, more efficient, et cetera. That's what we're looking for. We're buying the business. We're investing in the company. And we're going to make everyone an owner. "It's really about creating a different kind of culture – we call it an ownership culture – so people feel a different level of involvement in their business, not just through ownership, but through all of these different mechanisms that create a different kind of culture. "We mean giving people financial information about the business, helping them understand the business plan and where they're headed, really driving, measuring and managing to a higher level of employee engagement, teaching financial literacy, getting workers more involved in decision-making. "It is a long-term effort and it's got to be the top priority for the leadership team. The number one thing we are doing is we are going to engage employees in a different kind of way, and that is going to help us achieve all of our other objectives, which are secondary to this primary one of treating our people differently." Stavros says that, over a period of years, when it is well done, more value is created, benefiting the investors and allowing employees to build wealth at work. "I think this has a real potential across the entirety of the economy." Stavros discusses how his father's career as a construction worker sparked his passion to start Ownership Works, as well as sharing some stories of employees who have built wealth at work from the employee-ownership movement. You can listen to my conversation with Stavros here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find this conversation and other recent podcasts on our new Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 305: Pete Stavros, founder and chair, Ownership Works Host & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim,

In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm joined by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, a managing director of the Schultz Family Foundation, to talk about the American Opportunity Index, a joint project of the Schultz Family Foundation, Harvard Business School, and Burning Glass Institute that ranks companies on how they are driving economic mobility and career advancement for their workers. Whether you’re looking for a job or already have one, how do you know if your employer is interested in helping you get ahead in your career and, importantly, if they are interested in promoting talent from within? For the past two years, the American Opportunity Index has been looking at those questions, measuring the career trajectories of nearly 5 million employees at close to 400 of the nation's largest companies, and examining how those employers hire, pay, and promote workers. "Do employers value their human talent? Do they create pathways for them to advance? And do they see their people as real assets that they can continue to build and grow their businesses with?" Chandrasekaran says there are some of the core questions that the Index set out to answer. "What is so unique about the Index is that it's not looking at what companies say they do. There are plenty of other folks out there that try to compile lists of what corporate inputs are. That's all well and fine, but we decided to look at what's actually happening to workers. "For many workers, particularly those in lower wage jobs, those in mid-skill jobs, the reason that many workers get ahead and others don't isn't really because of their work ethic or their intelligence or their gumption. It's because of the practices of their employer," says Chandrasekaran. The American Opportunity Index measures a company's success in creating career advancement and economic mobility for its workers through five key components: hiring, pay, promotion, parity, and culture. During the podcast, we discuss all five. Here is some of what Chandrasekaran had to say about one of them: hiring. "We look at two critical things in hiring. We look at first jobs. We look at the percentage of open roles at a company that are open to people with little or no experience. How inclusive is this employer? Are they creating opportunities for people to enter the workforce? "And then we look at something we call 'degree barriers.' We're looking at the degree to which a company really hires for skills versus degrees. You've got a lot of companies out there that say, 'We are embracing skills-based hiring. We removed degree requirements.' "That is a policy that's made from on high and is intended to be cascaded down. But in reality, you have hiring managers, when choosing among the slate of candidates, will often still default to the candidate that has the degree, even if the job doesn't require it. And so assessing companies based on their policies, yes, you can learn something from it, but what's so unique about the Index is that it's actually examining what's happening within the workforce in these large corporations." We go into great details about each of the five measures that were used to create the index and which companies are performing best when it comes to economic mobility and career advancement. Which of the nation's top companies made the Top 10? What are some of the companies with the best initiatives and programs when it comes to helping promote workers from within? And why are the best companies helping their workers prepare for careers and jobs with other employers? Chandrasekaran answers all those questions and much more. Learn more about the American Opportunity Index, and how employers and employees can use the information to their advantages, by listening to the podcast here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find the conversation on our new Work in Progress YouTube channel. . Episode 304: Rajiv Chandrasekaran, managing partner,

In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm joined by Steve Ewell, executive director of Consumer Technology Association Foundation, and Keely Cat-Wells, founder & CEO of Making Space, to discuss how technology in improving access to jobs and career advancement for older adults and people with disabilities. Using tech to advance accessibility at work and at home was a key theme at this year's big CES 2024 conference in Las Vegas earlier this month. It is also the mission of the Consumer Technology Association Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the organization that runs the conference. Executive director Steve Ewell says the Foundation was created to serve "two growing, yet often overlooked, populations: older adults and people with disabilities. We really approach ways to use technology to improve lives of people in those populations." "It's really serving to both recognize companies that are doing this work really well, but also serving as a little bit of a carrot to attract the attention of companies that maybe hadn't addressed aging or disability yet." Ewell adds, "There's so much incredible innovation out there. Technology holds the promise to really improve lives across the board. When I meet these founders and look at the types of ideas that they're creating, the problems that they're trying to solve, I'm really a technology optimist for the opportunities that this technology can provide across work, home, and play. "The other piece that often gets ignored is you can live independently at home, and you can go to work, but if you don't have the opportunity to go out to a restaurant with friends, go to a movie, do other things like that, that's another opportunity for technology to really create those connections and create just that meaningful life that people can have." Among the startups catching the attention of CTA Foundation this year is Making Space, an accessible talent acquisition and learning experience platform that allows media companies to identify, train and access disabled, overlooked, and underrepresented talent pools. CEO Keely Cat-Wells explains that she founded Making Space as a result of her own personal experience as a person with a hidden disability in the workforce. "I was training to be a dancer in my teens, and then II became very unwell and then ended up spending a lot of my years in hospital. I got misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, and went through a lot of medical malpractice and trauma, and basically came out the other side of hospital as a disabled person. "I live with chronic illness and a hidden disability. I had never been in that space before. I had no idea what to expect, and I just started realizing that the world was so inaccessible." She says she was hired by a company in the entertainment industry, but after disclosing her disability and asking for accommodations and access requirements, she was told she no longer have the job. "That was the light bulb moment for me that I really wanted to do something and try and make sure that this doesn't happen to anyone else and just create a more equitable and accessible world for disabled people," says Cat-Wells. She says that Making Space has "built a tool and a feature within our platform that turns our lived experience of disability into transferable skills and professional strengths." The company has now partnered with Netflix and Comcast NBCUniversal to provide training and access to jobs in the entertainment industry. Learn more about those partnerships by listening to the podcast here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find the conversation on our new Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 303: Steve Ewell, executive director, Consumer Technology Association Foundation, and Keely Cat-Wells, founder & CEO, Making SpaceHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under C...

In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm joined by Jean Eddy, president and CEO of American Student Assistance (ASA), to discuss the growing importance of putting kids on a career pathway early, which she explores in her book, Crisis-Proofing Today's Learners: Reimagining Career Education to Prepare Kids for Tomorrow's World. How do we prepare our kids for careers post high school? College? Apprenticeships? What is the best pathway for career exploration? These are important questions that Eddy says we all must take a role in answering. "(Teachers) put in an awful lot of time. They have an awful lot of things to deliver within a very short window. And now we are saying, okay, let's switch it up and let's do more. Let's figure out how to get career education exploration into all of what you already do. "Parents have got to be involved in this and help. Teachers have to basically put pressure on the systems that they're within. It's school departments. It's employers too, and policymakers. We have to understand that this is an issue that one person is not going to be able to fix, or one system is going to be able to fix." ASA is a national nonprofit that describes its mission as helping students know themselves, know their options, and make informed decisions about their education and career goals early in life. "Our overall objective is to build a generation of successful individuals who are confident, competent, and ready to realize the future they envision," according to ASA. Eddy shares details of the digital ecosystem of platforms the are helping kids start on their school-to-work journey beginning in middle school. "We have digital programs that are entirely free that kids can use to start the process. Our research shows that middle school is prime time to start with young people. And the first thing we need to help them figure out is who they are. What do they love to do? What are they good at? What do they get fun from? And use that to basically then go and see the number of careers that are possible by doing that. "If we have kids figure out what they love, what they're good at, what the world needs, and what they can be paid for, at the end of the day, they're going to have a successful future." In the podcast, we go into much more detail as to how we get students to that point where they understand what they want to do and how to do it. Listen to the podcast here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find the conversation on our new Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 302: Jean Eddy, president and CEO, American Student AssistanceHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast for WorkingNation, we travel to the largest technology show in the world – CES 2024 in Las Vegas – to talk to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), about the impact of technology on the way we do our jobs and what job skills we're going to need in the future. CES, produced by the nonprofit CTA, showcases companies from around the world, including manufacturers, developers and suppliers of technology hardware, software, content, technology delivery systems, and more. "AI is the buzzword for CES 2024," Shapiro tells me. From manufacturing to health care to cybersecurity, most of the 4,000 exhibitors on the showroom floor are highlighting how they are changing their industry using advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Here is some of Shapiro's thoughts on the power of AI and the impact on the way we work and live. "AI has been around for a while, but what's changed in the last year or so is that generative AI has come along with ChatGPT, available to anyone who wants to download it, and, now, there's some other competitors out there. It basically can create things and learn from them based on feedback, which I think is a good thing. Certainly, 99.99% of the uses of this learning AI is such that it'll be very positive. "I think the long-term future potential is combining AI and robotics, which is what a self-driving car is. But to take that one step further, there would be all sorts of devices and things which provide service and mobility. "They'll move some of the horrible jobs of society that are perhaps more dangerous. Clearly, it started out years ago with bomb disposal units. Why should a human sacrifice their lives in the hope they're saving others, or their limbs, when a machine could do a lot of that, perhaps, with greater accuracy. "In every area of endeavor where people are getting hurt, or injured, or they're getting sick which is avoidable, I think we have an opportunity there with AI. And then, of course, some of the business processes that we all deal with in our jobs, those can be made more efficient with AI." Shapiro adds that in addition to highlighting the latest tech innovations using AI, CES is examining all tech’s potential impact on basic human securities – community security, health security, political security, environmental security. "You combine these technologies in incredible ways and the future for eliminating human suffering, improving the human condition, solving fundamental global problems with technology, is absolutely amazing." Listen to the podcast here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find the conversation on our new Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 301: Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology AssociationHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm joined by Ryan Rippel, the U.S. director of economic mobility and opportunity for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to discuss how the Gates Foundation is addressing barriers to economic opportunity for vulnerable individuals Recently, the Gates Foundation announced more than $100 million dollars in new partnerships and investments in economic mobility with the mission of improving the lives of more than 50 million people experiencing poverty in the U.S. Rippel says the Gates Foundation uses "200% of the federal poverty line, not as the only measure, but as a really important one...to tell a story of who is facing some of the greatest vulnerability in the country." "It is disproportionately people of color, individuals who identify as female, but it's a population that is in every corner of our country," he adds. "It is in urban areas, it is in small towns and mid-sized towns. It is in rural areas. And so it is a challenge that is not isolated to any one community but is present in all of our communities and is therefore a challenge for all of us." The Gates Foundation's strategy to lift up this vulnerable population includes three pillars: making lives better now by focusing on the safety net and work opportunities, supporting small- and medium-sized businesses in creating good jobs, and working with local governments to prioritize economic mobility issues. Rippel goes into detail about the Foundation's recent investments and partnerships, which he says have the ultimate goal of creating momentum and tangible improvements in people's lives, while also fostering a movement to address economic mobility challenges in the long term. Rippel tells me, "There is no time to rest. This is a critical moment in the course of history for our country and my children and my generation and what's going to be true 10, 20, 30 years from now. We have to be at work at it in new ways, in bolder ways, and in more collaborative ways." To learn more about the important work the Gates Foundation is doing to increase economic mobility for millions, you can listen to the full podcast here, or download it wherever you get your podcasts, including on our new Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 300: Ryan Rippel, U.S. director of economic mobility and opportunity, Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this final episode of Work in Progress for 2023, I am joined by Art Bilger, founder and CEO of WorkingNation, and Jane Oates, president of WorkingNation, to discuss the challenges and opportunities the workforce face in the year ahead, part of our The Future of Work 2024 series. As you can imagine, artificial intelligence and its implications on the way we do our jobs, and the skills we need to learn to be a part of the change, continue to be top of mind for many as we head into the new year. "The good news is, I think within companies, government, and the not-for-profit world, people are really digging in to gain an understanding of where AI can take them," says Art. He adds that he's beginning to see these organizations "implementing strategies for training and skilling personnel, so that they can participate in this very significantly changing work environment." Jane argues that AI is already having an impact, but doesn't think that society has moved forward quite that quickly. "All jobs are going to change and right now we have no idea how. We're still in the dark ages with this. I am not as optimistic as Art is that everybody's getting into it and training with it and using it. I think half the world is ready to figure out how to use it, and half the world is scared to death." Jane raises concerns about the potential exacerbation of existing inequalities and the need for educators to adapt to the changing landscape. "I think there are big issues we have to solve early in this. The big worry in my mind is will it exacerbate the divide that already exists between well-resourced schools, K12, and colleges and people with fewer resources and schools with fewer resources," she says. Art agrees with Jane on the last point. "We have very serious risks with regard to the expansion of that divide. We've got to figure it out – how to get educators educated with regard to AI and how they can utilize it in their efforts. I see (AI) as a long-term opportunity. I do think there is going to be very positive outcomes that flow out of it, but significant bumps along the way." "There are sectors where we're going to see the benefit. We're already seeing the benefit in health care; I think this is going to make personalized healthcare a reality," Jane says. She continues, "There's a real opportunity to do individualized education for the first time ever in a time effective way if, as Art sys, we get teachers the training they need." Reflections from the WorkingNation Advisory Board The growth and use of AI is just one of the many workforce issues – and potential solutions – discussed in depth by members of our WorkingNation Advisory Board in our annual year-end series The Future of Work. Art, Jane, and I also talk about some of those ideas, including the importance of lifelong learning, reskilling older workers, purposeful work, and equitable access to resources and support for workers in navigating the changing job market. Listen to the full Work in Progress episode on this page, or download it wherever you get your podcasts. And you can read and listen to what our distinguished WorkingNation Advisory Board had to share with us here: The Future of Work 2024. Wishing you a happy and prosperous new year! Episode 299: Art Bilger, Founder & CEO, WorkingNation, and Jane Oates, President, WorkingNationHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlExecutive Producers: Joan Lynch and Melissa PanzerTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Download the transcript for this podcast hereYou can check out all the other podcasts at this link: Work in Progress podcasts

In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, Taj Eldridge, managing director of Climate Innovation at JFFLabs, joins me to talk about how the rapidly growing demand for workers in jobs that are addressing climate change. The climate is changing and we need millions of green workers to help prepare for, recover from, and adapt to these changes. And we're not just talking about solar panel installers and wind turbine technicians. In fact, these jobs make up a very small fraction of the green jobs and potential green jobs out there. "We believe that all jobs can be and will be green jobs," says Eldridge. "The reason for that is because we think that sustainability is no longer going to be this offset by itself idea. It is encompassing everything that we're doing, from what we're putting inside of our bodies, how our food has grown to what we're putting on our bodies, the clothing that we're wearing and the materials that we're having as well." He adds that legacy companies in legacy industries are also thinking of new ways to become more sustainable to attract a new market. "We see that the population is pushing it, the population is wanting this. And I think that's the difference from what we've seen before." In the Green Jobs Now report prepared by Lightcast for WorkingNation earlier this year, we estimate that there is the potential for 51 million green jobs – jobs helping repair the damage of climate change or preventing future damage – nationwide. Some will be new jobs and some will be jobs that are redesigned with sustainability in mind. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will repair our roads and refurbish our bridges, is creating opportunities in industries such as construction, manufacturing, and architecture. "I love the fact that our federal government decided to have these laws in place from the Infrastructure Act to the CHIPS and Science Act, and so many others, to really move us forward," says Eldridge. "I also think that this idea of climate resiliency, the focus on climate and workforce is a global idea, (but) we're in the adolescent phase. There's a lot of growth. There's a lot of changes and there's a lot of organic changes." Helping workers and job seekers find the career opportunities connected to that movement into the green space is the mission of the Climate-Resilient Employers for a Sustainable Tomorrow (CREST) initiative, funded by Ares Charitable Foundation. CREST aims to close the gap between the demand for skilled green workers and the training needed to fill those positions. JFFLabs is one of the partners – along with World Resources Institute (WRI) – in the initiative. It's a nationwide effort, touching communities big and small. Eldridge explains, "We are working with local regional opportunities, organizations, municipalities, universities, schools, and community colleges, in order to train and place individuals into these jobs. We have a quantitative goal. The goal is 25,000 jobs within five years, but that's the minimum goal." "The hope is that the work that we're doing is catalytic, that other organizations would come on and see the issues that we're attacking and add to it, because we're going to need more organizations focus on this, more partners and everyone else," he adds. Eldridge and I go into detail about the types of climate-resilient jobs that are being created through this green jobs movement. We also talk more about the CREST initiative, including its support for entrepreneurs who have starting companies with protecting and repairing the environment in mind, and its support of micro, small, and medium enterprises in India that are key to the global supply chain. You can listen to our podcast here or download it wherever you get your podcasts. WorkingNation produced a digital magazine about the CREST initiative – Climate and Careers – which you can read here. Episode 298: Taj Eldridge,

In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Nicole Smith, chief economist for Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce and co-author on their new report examining which job skills will be the most in-demand over the next eight years and what kind of education and training will you need to get them. As we start this conversation, it's important to know that most jobs already require some kind of post-secondary education and training beyond high school. "We're not necessarily talking about a bachelor's degree only, or a master's degree, or some sort of technical PhD. We're actually talking about skills in the middle," explains Smith. "We're talking about certificates, test-based certifications, vocational training licenses that deal with these technical jobs, and associate's degrees, as well." Right now, about 68% of the nation's jobs already require that additional training beyond high school. According to CEW's After Everything: Projections of Jobs, Education, and Training Requirements through 2031, as we shift even more toward a knowledge-based, tech-based economy, the percentage of jobs requiring more than a high school diploma will soar to 72% by 2031. CEW researchers project that the U.S. will have 171 million jobs in 2031, an increase of 16 million net new jobs from 2021. During that period, the analysis suggests there will be 18.5 million job openings per year on average, and some 12.5 million of these annualized openings will require at least some college education. According to the report, these latest projections demonstrate the central role postsecondary education plays in preparing the workforce of the future, "despite the fact that young people increasingly doubt the value of a degree and college enrollments continue to decline." Smith says two major factors contribute to the increasing demand for postsecondary education and training – the fastest-growing industries require workers with disproportionately higher education levels compared to industries with slower growth and occupations as a whole are steadily requiring more education as tasks within occupations become more complex. She says it is important that workers and job seekers look at the skills needed as the nature of work changes and seek out opportunities to stay up-to-date on those skills to stay relevant in the job market and advance their careers. "All of our data, all of our information, all of our history, points us to the fact that, in order for you to move up in your job, in order for you to get that promotion, managers are requiring you to have higher levels of education, higher levels of skill, and you have to recognize lifelong learning as a thing now, where you go back and you get that certification" or additional training, says Smith. You can listen to the full podcast here, or you can find it and download it wherever you get your podcasts. Episode 297: Dr. Nicole Smith, Chief Economist, CEW Center on Education and the WorkforceHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlExecutive Producers: Joan Lynch and Melissa PanzerTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Download the transcript for this podcast hereYou can check out all the other podcasts at this link: Work in Progress podcasts

In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, I'm joined by Gary Eimerman, chief learning officer of Multiverse, to discuss the company's new report on the continuing trend of workers over the age of 50 retiring early – the Great Retirement – and what can be done to retain employees thinking about leaving and bring those who have already left back into the workforce. Hint: It has to do with reskilling. To be more precise, it has to do with employers offering them the opportunity to reskill and learn the newest technology being used in their jobs and professions today. In Multiverse's new report The Great Unretirement, the company says its analysis shows that there are over 2.4 million workers in the U.S. and another 450,000 in the U.K. who are thinking about leaving the labor market early because they can't keep up with the skills demanded of the modern workplace. "Technology has become pervasive in every single industry and every single role. That whole 'software is eating the world,' it's absolutely come true. And the speed that technology is evolving at is accelerating. It's not slowing down," says Eimerman. I ask him what I think are a couple of key questions: What's the point of new technology if there is no one around who can actually use it? How can you flip the Great Retirement to the Great Unretirement? "You just hit on the number one reason why having skills development strategies in an organization is so critical to being successful for any objective – whether it be a cloud transformation or (adding) AI into a business – whatever it might be. We're already sitting here looking at all the shortages," he points out. "I get to talk with executives at some of the largest companies from around the world day in and day out, and they're saying 'We just don't have enough security professionals, or we don't have enough people who understand AI, or whatever it might be. Well, yeah, you've got to actually develop them. There's a simple, simple solution to this." He says that the systems and practices that we've had around skills development haven't kept up with that change and when you are talking about workers in their 50s and 60s – workers that might have had their last formal education in their early 20s – on-the-job training is key to updating their skill sets. "If you dig a little bit deeper into the (report) data, four in 10 workers (40%) would be willing to stay longer if employers actually offer them true training and development and new skills at that company. Another data point on the workers interested in retiring in the next 12 months – 16% said that they'd actually change their mind if the employer would support training. Right there, you're looking at almost half the people looking to leave your business who would be willing to stay if you just focus on skill development," Eimerman adds. Multiverse started partnering with businesses to offer apprenticeships focused on "skills of the future" in the U.K. in 2016 and expanded to the U.S. in 2021. The company has now trained over 10,000 professional apprentices with more than 1,000 global employers. "The focus is tech, but the reality is this tech has expanded across every single industry. We're working everything from fintech to retail. Part of our mission is to unlock economic opportunity for everyone and have that equality component and the best jobs right now around the globe are in technology," says Eimerman. He continues, "But I wanna be very clear, Multiverse is not just a technology training company. We're working directly with a retail company on evolving how technology fits into their retail sales and actually front-of-the-store type training. And so really excited about continuing to grow the number of apprentice programs and create just a platform for everyone and anyone to be able to bring apprenticeships to their own role and skill needs in a way that hasn't been done at scale."

On this Giving Tuesday, a panel of distinguished leaders in philanthropy and business join me on the Work in Progress podcast to share their insight into the power of volunteering in your local community through your workplace. Since 2012, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving has been observed worldwide as Giving Tuesday. The message of the global movement is to give to your community – whether it is a donation of money or time – to help build a better world. Workplace volunteer programs have long been part of companies’ brand management and community relations strategies, but what do they offer the workers who actually perform the volunteer work? A lot, as it turns out, from helping refine their skills to bringing a sense of purpose, of satisfaction, and a sense of empowerment as change agents in their communities, according to research from Ares Management. Ares unveiled its key findings September 20 in a white paper, Philanthropy, Purpose and Professional Development: Why Workplace Volunteer Programs Matter, and discussed them on a special LinkedIn Live event presented by Ares and WorkingNation, which you can listen to here. Joining me in this conversation are: Michelle Armstrong, head of philanthropy at Ares Management, elaborating on the research’s findings about workplace volunteerism and why Ares employees are so passionate about giving back to their communities. Lee Fabiaschi, VP of employee engagement and community impact at Ares who shares insights into the company’s own workplace volunteer program, Ares in Motion (AIM) and how the company intends to grow the initiative. Joseph Fuller, co-head of the Project on Managing the Future of Work at Harvard Business School talks about the hidden benefit for employers who sponsor community-based volunteerism for their employees. Asha Varghese, president of Caterpillar Foundation discusses the incredible value these programs have on building skills for employees, particularly Gen Z workers. Angela F. Williams, president and CEO of United Way shares what she’s learned about the impact on the community when a company – big or small – invests in their employees who live and work there. Listen to the discussion here, or download and listen wherever you get your podcasts. Episode 295: The impact and value of volunteering in your community through your employerHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlExecutive Producers: Joan Lynch and Melissa PanzerTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Download the transcript for this podcast hereYou can check out all the other podcasts at this link: Work in Progress podcasts

In this episode of Work in Progress, Patrick J. Murphy, chairman of the Task Force Movement, joins me to discuss job opportunities in cybersecurity, health care, and trucking for American veterans and how these former service members can help U.S. businesses fill their labor shortages. There are more than 650,000 open cybersecurity jobs, as many as 100,000 open jobs for truck drivers, and more than a million job openings in health care right now in this county, and all those numbers are expected to grow over the next decade. Each year, more than 200,000 men and women leave the military for civilian life. Task Force Movement is a public-private business initiative to address those shortages by bringing transitioning service members, veterans, and military families into those in-demand industries. Patrick J. Murphy himself is a veteran of the U.S. Army, the former acting secretary of the U.S. Army, a former Congressman, a vetreprenuer, and chairman of the Task Force Movement. The Task Force Movement was launched by the Biden Administration in April 2022 to help help close the labor gap in the trucking industry, specifically recruiting veterans and military family members. "The fact is that we're between 80,000 to 100,000 truck drivers short. They're good-paying jobs. The average truck driver will make over $80,000 a year," Murphy explains. "There's misperceptions that most truck drivers are over-the-road or overnight truck drivers." He says that the opposite is true and the majority of them are "home for dinner every night to be with their family." Murphy says veterans have the skills and values needed to succeed in this crucial industry. "Trucking is what drives our country's economy. We have a saying in the military, 'Amateurs talk strategy, experts talk logistics.' To be a truck driver, you need to be good at logistics. "It's not just about driving a truck. A robot can do that. It's really doing the logistics on managing your time, managing when you're going to pick up materials, drop them off, reporting, have a personal connection, but being safe and secure, not just with your payload, but also with the folks around you as well. "(Veterans) live by the military values. Leadership, loyalty, duty, honor, self, and service. And then you look at personal courage and integrity." Task Force Movement has raised over $10 million with the private sector providing scholarship for training for veterans and members of the military community to get their commercial driver's licenses (CDL) or certifications if they want to go into the cybersecurity profession. Murphy and I discuss the growing unmet need for these cybersecurity professionals, jobs and careers that pay well and don't require a four-year college degree. We also go on to talk about the alarming shortage of health care workers, including the need for registered nurses. The conversation includes a look at some of the veteran supporting agencies helping prepare the military connection community to these jobs and how to find them. You can hear the full podcast with Patrick J. Murphy here on this page, or download it wherever you get your podcasts. Episode 294: Patrick J. Murphy, chairman, Task Force MovementHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlExecutive Producers: Joan Lynch and Melissa PanzerTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Download the transcript for this podcast hereYou can check out all the other podcasts at this link: Work in Progress podcasts