Project Overview
Third Sector is working with The Families and Workers Fund to support a cohort of four states – Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Mexico – in designing workforce initiatives to build a pipeline of quality jobs in the climate and infrastructure sectors. Third Sector’s support is part of the Fund’s Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers Challenge.
At Third Sector, we are working toward a future where integrated and coordinated workforce development systems provide the tools and the support necessary for all people to have access to basic economic security, jobs that pay a living wage, and the opportunity to build a life of their dreams. Now more than ever, as communities across the country face economic uncertainty and the impacts of climate change, we need worker-centered, cross-sector collaboration to connect skilled laborers with careers that can power the nation's climate and infrastructure needs.
The Families and Workers Fund’s Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers Challenge (PCIC) selected 14 awardees from across the country who are "leading the way in building uplifting career pathways, training, and job opportunities for all" to receive grant funding and technical assistance to support their efforts solving climate and infrastructure workforce challenges.
Third Sector is working with four of the state-level awardees, providing both cohort and direct 1:1 technical assistance to develop strategic plans for building an inclusive workforce in climate industries. These plans support each state in building and sustaining its internal capacity to center worker power and implement effective data governance systems to track job quality and equity, ensuring that women, people in rural communities, and people facing inequities have the opportunity to obtain quality careers in the climate and infrastructure sectors. In partnership with subject matter experts at UC Berkeley Labor Center and Julius, Third Sector is supporting each state to:
- Define outcomes and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the success of its PCIC initiatives;
- Identify available data for measuring and tracking KPIs ;
- Establish and facilitate effective stakeholder engagement, including ongoing governance structures that incorporate worker voice; and
- Explore innovative funding models to expand access to essential wraparound services and training support.
After the project, Third Sector will have supported each state to develop actionable plans to:
- Mobilize cross-sector buy-in on labor and market information tools defining high-demand occupations, requisite skills and qualifications, and pathways into these jobs, as well as job quality frameworks;
- Establish governance structures to advance equitable pathways; and
- Build braided funding strategies to pay for wraparound support services.
Ultimately, at the end of the engagement, each state will be equipped to pilot these policies in its priority climate industries, increase the availability of quality jobs, and help skilled workers access these jobs.
Economic Mobility
| Project Name | Scope | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advancing Economic Mobility for MA DTA Participants | State | Closed | |
| MassHire Workforce Board Cohort | State | MA | Closed |
| Third Sector lead a series of workshops with the MassHire Learning Community - a cohort of Massachusetts workforce boards - designed to build a greater understanding of outcomes-orientation strategies and identify concrete next steps for implementing components of outcomes-orientation. | |||