National Fund for Workforce Solutions to Present Award in June for Excellence in Workforce Development
June 4, 2014
BOSTON —The National Fund for Workforce Solutions (National Fund), a national partnership of communities, employers, workers, and philanthropy, has named the Greenville Region Workforce Collaborative (GRWC) in Greenville, South Carolina, as a recipient of its 2014 Partners Council Award for Exemplary Industry Partnership.
A National Fund collaborative partner, GRWC invests in Career Skills Now, a workforce partnership in the transportation manufacturing sector. Career Skills Now focuses on providing pipeline development between employers and production workers that creates employment and advancement opportunities for the region’s workforce.
Fred Dedrick, executive director of the National Fund, said of this recognition, “The Greenville Region Workforce Collaborative is highly deserving of this award. This high-performing partnership is working closely with employers to link education and training with the region’s economic development priorities. This type of smart and strategic investment is leading to a talent supply chain for employers while helping workers and jobseekers obtain careers with advancement opportunities, higher wages, and greater economic security.”
Led by John Baker, executive director of Greenville Works, GRWC’s Career Skills Now partnership began by recruiting unemployed and underemployed workers, providing case management, training, and job placement services. The program has since expanded to provide next-level skills training to help initial trainees and other entry-level incumbent workers advance to higher-skill, higher-wage jobs. The next-level training focuses on CNC machining, multi-skill maintenance technology, and/or advanced welding skills. Thanks to aligned funding from the South Carolina Manufacturing Certified program, Career Skills Now is contributing funding for advanced-level training for these program completers over a seven-county region in Upstate South Carolina.
Baker said the collaborative has made quick strides since beginning training activities in late 2011. ”Over this two-and-a-half year journey we have learned a great deal about building a partnership around employer needs. Because we have strong employer support for our efforts, we have been able to give people employment opportunities and advancement into next-level skilled jobs that are so critical to the manufacturing workforce pipeline in our region. We began funding regional efforts last year and will continue to spread funding across the Upstate labor shed to provide opportunities for workers to grow personal income and for manufacturers to grow the value of their operations here.”
John Baker and other representatives from the Greenville Region Workforce Collaborative will formally receive their award at the National Fund Fourth Annual Meeting from June 17-19, 2014 in Chicago, IL.
Greenville Region Workforce Collaborative is one of two organizations selected to receive this year’s Partners Council Award for Exemplary Industry Partnership. For information about the National Fund for Workforce Solutions Fourth Annual Meeting, visit www.nfwsolutions.org. For more information about the Greenville Region Workforce Collaborative, visit http://www.unitedwaygc.org/greenville•regional-workforce-collaborat.php
About GRWC
Greenville Region Workforce Collaborative (GRWC) is a partnership of funders that include public, private, local, state, and federal funders with the single purpose of bridging the skills gap between low-income job seekers and advanced manufacturing operations through case management, initial training, placement, and ongoing training for in-demand market skills. GRWC began its initial training class in October 2011 under the Career Skills Now brand program. Since that time, the Career Skills Now program has provided training for hundreds of entry-level and advanced skill workers.
Through Career Skills Now, eligible job seekers and incumbent workers receive free training that lead to certifications in Certified Production Technician, CNC Machining, Mechatronics, Welding, and Chemical Operator. GRWC works with employers to place workers in entry level jobs followed by additional training to increase their value and meet employer needs for higher-level skills.
Current GRWC funders include: Community Foundation of Greenville, Hollingsworth Fund, Greenville Chamber, Greenville County, Greenville Technical College, Greenville County Workforce Development, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, readySC, and United Way of Greenville County.
Visit careerskillsnow.com for more information.
About the National Fund for Workforce Solutions
The National Fund for Workforce Solutions is a growing national partnership of employers, communities, workers, and philanthropy investing in more than 30 regional funder collaboratives to strengthen local economies by implementing demand-driven workforce strategies that create talent supply chains, close skill gaps, and improve systems. To learn more, visit http://nfwsolutions.org.
