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 Grow with Google 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. empl ..read more

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, D ..read more

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, bo ..read more

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 abili ..read more

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 ..read more

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 h ..read more

Ikram Mansori, chief operating officer of VetsinTech, speaks with journalist Hari Sreenivasan about the personal and professional issues that veterans face while transitioning out of military service and into the civilian sector, as well as the opportunities and programs available to them. VetsinTech is a leading nonprofit dedicated to advancing career opportunities for veterans in the tech industry. The organization consists of 20 chapters across the country and harnesses their coalition of tech companies to help transition veterans returning from active duty into tech careers. Each chapter o ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more