August 30 --The National Science Foundation is helping to modernize the American workforce. And it all started with a challenge: The Career Compass Challenge.
Today, the agency announced the Challenge winner, Amy Huber, who developed a working prototype for an IT platform to help the American workforce not only identify new roles in today's rapidly changing workforce, but also ways to locate the training to make such a pivot. Huber is the science and operations lead at Jobzology and earned $75,000 as the Career Compass Challenge winner.
The Career Compass Challenge judges, representing multiple federal government agencies, selected Huber because her functional prototype best addressed the changing nature of work. Her prototype, PathwayU, enables individuals to both identify optimal career paths and focus their reskilling efforts. Specifically, the platform:
- Measures interests, values, personality, and workplace preferences with scientific assessments
- Uses an algorithmic approach to recommend careers
- Provides up-to-date information about required knowledge and skills for matched jobs
- Guides users to relevant learning opportunities, and
- Identifies well-fitting job opportunities available both within and outside of the federal government.
An "Honorable Mention" was also made to Levi Perkins, founder and chief technology officer of his company, SteppingBlocks, which shares the name of his prototype. The prototype harnesses over 60 million career paths to provide users with real-world statistics on ways to expand their career horizons.
NSF's Career Compass Challenge launched in November 2018 as part of an effort to modernize the American workforce, a key part of the President's Management Agenda . This Challenge addressed not only the changing nature of work but also the pace of change to the types of work needed to carry out essential missions for American people and create the Workforce for the 21st Century.
The first part of the competition focused on collecting white paper concepts of possible solutions, and the second part encouraged submitters to leverage and build upon winning concepts to develop a working prototype.
For more information on NSF's Career Compass Challenge, click here .
Growing Equity and Diversity through Apprenticeship: Business Perspectives
An advisory from the Jobs for the Future:
Although apprenticeship can elevate workers into middle- and high-skill careers with good wages, disparities are prevalent across gender, race, and ability in terms of who has access to programs and how much apprentices are paid.
To address these disparities and provide more people with opportunities, we need targeted approaches to increase diversity and equity in apprenticeship programs.
Over the past year, JFF has engaged with more than 20 business leaders to understand their ongoing efforts to improve diversity and equity in their apprenticeship programs.
In Growing Equity and Diversity Through Apprenticeship: Business Perspectives , learn how businesses like Techtonic, IBM, Coleman Spohn, and CVS Health Services are implementing diversity and equity strategies under 4 categories:
- Adjust Recruitment and Selection Processes
- Prepare Candidates for Entry into Apprenticeship
- Plan Flexible and Responsive Training
- Design Supports for Post-Apprenticeship Success
Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee to Meet on September 19; Investment in Low-Income Communities, Infrastructure Deployment Job Skills and Training Opportunities, and Disaster Response and Recovery on Agenda; Webcast Available
The Federal Communications Commission has announced today that the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDCC) will meet on September 19 (9:30 a.m.) at the FCC, 445 12th Street SW, Room TW-C305, Washington, DC 20554.
At this meeting, the BDAC will receive status reports and updates from its three working groups:
- Increasing Broadband Investment in Low-Income Communities
- Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Job Skills and Training Opportunities
- Disaster Response and Recovery
The meeting is open to the public.
The FCC will also provide audio and/or video coverage of the meeting over the Internet from the FCC's web page at www.fcc.gov/live .
The August 30 FEDERAL REGISTER has full background and protocols for attendance.
New Report: Positioning Low-Income Workers to Succeed in a Changing Economy
Funded by the Annie E. Casey and Joyce foundations, this report -- Positioning Low Income Workers to Succeed in a Changing Economy -- posted to the Casey website examines educational and employment disparities in the United States and highlights policies, programs and strategies designed to improve current and future work for lower-wage individuals and their families.
Twelve case studies fill the report and fit into 1 of 3 categories: 1) strategies that prepare young people for jobs that provide family-sustaining wages; 2) responses to concerns about worker power and agency amid a rising tide of gig and contract work; and 3) state and local policies that address wages, work and a changing economic environment.