E64: How The Retail Industry Supports Job Growth and Economic Development

Ellen Davis, President of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of research and strategic initiatives at the National Retail Federation, joins the program to discuss the facts and misconceptions about the retail industry in the U.S., the impact that retail has on other industries, and what workforce boards need to know about retail.

Recorded live at FORUM 2018, Roger Tadajewski, Executive Director of the National Coalition of Certification Centers, joins the program to discuss the work that the organization is doing to develop strong industry partnerships with educational institutions in order to develop, implement and sustain industry-driven and industry recognized, portable certifications that have strong validation and assessment standards in the transportation, energy and aviation sectors.

In this special episode, recorded live at FORUM 2018, Ron Painter is joined by Beth Cobert, CEO of Skillful. Discover the importance of building a skills-based labor market and the efforts that Skillful has been taking to achieve that goal.

Eric Kuster from the National Propane Gas Association joins the program to discuss the history of propane gas and the various opportunities for growth within the industry.

Discover the training and job opportunities that are available in the propane industry. This episode was recorded live at The Forum 2018.

Recorded live from Forum 2018, this episode features an interview with Governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper, as he shares his thoughts on workforce development in his state and the country.

Peter Callstrom, President and CEO of the San Diego Workforce Partnership and Phil Blair, Board Chair of the San Diego Workforce Partnership, join the program to discuss the efforts they are making to expand their ability to develop comprehensive workforce solutions for San Diego. San Diego Workforce Partnership was the winner of the 2018 WIOA Trailblazer Award.

Samuel Garcia, board member, and Mary Ross, executive director of Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas, join the program to discuss the Workforce Investment Fund, designed to help small businesses train current workers. Samuel also discusses the reasons why he joined the board as a small business owner and shares his thoughts about why local business owners should consider serving on their area workforce boards. Recorded live at Forum 2018.

Martha Ross, Fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, joins the program to discuss findings and takeaways from a recent study called “Meet The Out of Work” which looked at profiles of jobless adults in various geographic regions across the U.S. Martha reveals what she sees as the biggest challenges and opportunities for workforce boards, and the importance of relationship-based interventions.