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JOIN:
The Job Opportunity Investment Network
JOIN is a new, $2.7 million funding collaborative established to increase the number of Greater Philadelphia workers earning family-sustaining wages. JOIN’s strategy for accomplishing this goal is to raise the skill levels of beginning and underemployed workers so that they qualify for available mid-skill level jobs. This approach tackles Greater Philadelphia’s parallel workforce crises: employers are struggling to fill vacancies, while an alarmingly high percentage of adults are in the labor force only marginally or not at all.
The Challenge
Today:
For more on Low-Skilled Workers in the Region
- A majority of our working age adults lack the basic skills and competencies they need to succeed in the regional labor market. More than 60% of Philadelphia adults are classified as “low-literate.”
- Forty percent of Philadelphians who have found work are earning poverty wages, while 36 percent work only part-time.
- Employers in key industry sectors are reporting that openings for many critical mid-skill positions, such as machinist, medical technician and heating and air conditioning installer, are going unfilled.
JOIN in Action
JOIN’s plan is to maximize its impact by building upon the infrastructure already in place in our region. Greater Philadelphia has a diverse community of workforce development providers and a uniquely robust network of 18 Industry Partnerships (IP).
In box (unless it doesn’t look right): What are Industry Partnerships? Industry Partnerships (IPs) are groups of employers within the same industry sector, convened to address common workforce needs.
Industry Partnerships across the state have engaged training and education organizations in developing programs for currently employed (incumbent) workers that better meet the real needs of employers. JOIN’s strategy is for IPs and workforce development providers in our region to expand their efforts into preparing lower-skilled adults for specific, available mid-skill positions.
JOIN will:
Additional Links
- Award program grants to fund the implementation of Industry Partnership (IP) initiatives designed to help beginning and underemployed workers build the skills they need to get jobs paying family-sustaining wages.
- Issue capacity-building grants to improve the abilities of IPs to work with lower-skilled adults.
- Promote effective practices that expand opportunities for low-skilled workers across the full regional network of IPs.
- Pull in additional resources for workforce development by involving more foundations in this work.
- Advocate to permanently establish the IP model as the Commonwealth’s principal vehicle for workforce development, and for expanding and strengthening of IP networks.
JOIN In the News
Jobs In The Post-Recession Economy
(coverage by Fox 29, 3/10/2010)
If you are looking for work in the post-recession economy -- how can you make the numbers work for you?
Seth Green, director at the Job Opportunity Investment Network, talked to Fox 29 how you can stay prepared in a changing job market.
The Founding Partners in this public-private initiative are the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, The William Penn Foundation, the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry. JOIN is supported by contributions from the partner organizations, the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, and Living Cities.
