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Workforce Development Efforts in Maine are Putting People to Work

Workforce Development Efforts in Maine are Putting People to Work

Families Forward offers job training and on-the job-experience, with an emphasis on education, skills development, wellness planning and employment.

Families Forward is the new name for Fedcap Inc.’s program to provide an array of services to individuals receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits throughout the state of Maine. Formerly known as Breaking the Cycle, Families Forward offers job training and on-the job-experience, with an emphasis on education, skills development, wellness planning and employment focused on assisting program participants in achieving their long-term goals.

The name change reflects the program’s emphasis not just on individuals but on families. “The new name better captures our two generational approach,” said Serena Powell, Executive Director of Fedcap Inc. – Serving Maine. “We want families to have more economic security and savings, so that their children can go to college or enter job training programs. We want folks in our programs to achieve meaningful careers, and the new name lets everyone understand that the end game is about the future of families we serve.”

Other recent changes also help to clarify the vision at the heart of Families Forward. The program’s Career Plan, formerly known as the Family Contract Amendment, is designed so that participants can set goals for various pathways, based on their evolving needs, as they progress towards their long-term career goals.

“We wanted to emphasize that we are about getting our people on a career path versus just finding a job,” Serena said. “We want folks to earn family sustaining wages, and we want them to engage in credentialed job training program or go to college, where they have opportunities for advancements in growing industries here in Maine, including health care, hospitality manufacturing and IT.”

Families Forward offers economic literacy classes to help families create educational savings accounts for their children. The agency has also added several new positions. Including a Director of Assessment and Education Services and a Director of New Mainer Services, to focus on growing resources for the state’s growing immigrant and refugee populations. Close to 35 percent of those served by Families Forward are immigrants or refugees from about 25 different countries, mostly in Africa and the Mideast.

The new director will focus on ensuring that services are meeting the needs of New Mainers, such as learning English skills and adapting to life in Maine. One Families Forward partner, Catholic Charities of Maine, have embedded cultural navigators throughout the 16 Families Forward offices in Maine. The cultural navigators are bilingual, and work with people who have been in this country less than three years. “They work beyond our traditional hours, providing another layer of case management and support for entire families,” Serena said. “They might take a family to get furniture or look for an apartment on a weekend. They help with any resource a family might need.”

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Easterseals is Changing the Landscape for Young People with Autism

Easterseals is Changing the Landscape for Young People with Autism

Greenleaf Neurodiversity Community Center in Austin, Texas, offers a daytime program for young adults who have autism or related neurodivergent conditions.

2021 was a year of incredible growth for Greenleaf Neurodiversity Community Center (NCC), an innovative project of Easterseals Central Texas as well as a charter school in the Austin, TX Independent School District (ISD). The year marked the realization of a dream shared by the project’s founders and supporters—in 2021, Greenleaf began offering a daytime educational program for young adults ages 18-22 who have autism or related neurodivergent conditions.

“The Center is an example of our important partnership with Austin School Districts,” said Tod Marvin, CEX of Easterseals Central Texas. “A large portion of the project has been funded by parents and local donors who are passionate about the work we are doing with people with autism in Central Texas.”

Since its launch by Easterseals Central Texas in 2019, Greenleaf had been offering social, creative and recreational programs to young people with autism who are transitioning to adulthood. The need is great, as there are few services available to this growing population. Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability—about one in 54 Americans will be diagnosed with autism.

The new educational program offers NCC participants the option to continue their education in the public school system, through project-based learning and community settings. It complements a robust menu of social and creative programming that includes performing arts, creativity clubs, cooking classes, yoga, mindfulness, a music club, a nature club, podcasting, storytelling, and poetry. Discussions are underway to offer a LGBTQ support group, and a support group for domestic violence awareness.

“As these young people get older the number of services available to them is less and less,” said Randi Shade, Greenleaf NCC Co-Chair. “There are very few extracurricular activities or programs that offer community connections for young people with autism who are transitioning to adulthood.”

Other highlights for 2021 include bringing four talented full-time staff on board; opening our community center space; developing strong relationships with community partners, and serving over 50 individuals in daily or weekly programs that build community and foster skills in workplace readiness, self-determination, wellness, relationships, and lifelong learning.

And there’s much more! “We are credentialed job skills trainers and authorized service providers, and are recruiting students for our new 18+ Public School Partnership Program with Austin ISD and our Workforce Readiness classes with Texas Workforce Solutions,” said Mitchell Bowman, Director of Social Creativity Programs. “We can help young people find a class that will support their vocational and independent living goals, and help them navigate vocational rehabilitation services at TWS!”

There is a unifying theme that runs through all of Greenleaf’s programming. “The curriculum has a beautiful element of self-advocacy,” said Tod. “There is an underlying goal of finding and sharing your voice through music, storytelling or gaming, just being with peers and serving as peer mentors.”

Greenleaf’s affiliation as a charter school with Austin ISD means that public funds will be available for all of its programming. Crucially, it means that any eligible young adult can participate, without regard to income.
“We are in a great position to respond to the needs of every person who comes to us,” said Tod. “Our school partners can’t provide individualized support and services to this growing population, but we can be responsive to the needs of each and every family.”

The introduction of a daytime educational program as a charter school brings Greenleaf full circle, realizing a vision Randi and the Greenleaf team shared with Easterseals Central Texas. “Easterseals was always a foundational part of the vision for Greenleaf,” Randi said. “They have such a long and successful record as providers of early intervention services, and working with people with all kinds of disabilities.”

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Honoring Black Women Who Made a Difference: Fannie Barrier Williams

Honoring Black Women Who Made a Difference: Fannie Barrier Williams

…social evils are dangerously contagious. The fixed policy of persecution and injustice against a class of women who are weak and defenseless will be necessarily hurtful to the cause of all women. —Fannie Barrier Williams

February 7, 2022

During Black History Month I thought it important to spend time in my blog honoring African American women who made a difference—but whose names don’t come to mind when reflecting on the history of our country. What is striking in nearly every profile I researched, is the Black woman’s ability to build their own communities within larger environments of oppression, mistreatment and racism.

The first woman I would like to highlight is Fannie Barrier Williams. Ms. Barrier Williams was born in 1855 in Brockport, New York. This was shortly after the Dred Scott decision, four years before the last slave ship arrived in the US, and ten years before the Emancipation Proclamation. The national debate over slavery was at a heightened state. Yet in Fannie’s world, she felt safe, secure and she is quoted as saying “my childhood experiences of ‘social equality’ ill-prepared me for the racism I faced later in life. My growing awareness of the unfair treatment African American women received was the catalyst behind my lifetime of activism.”

In 1870, Ms. Barrier Williams was the first African American to graduate from Brockport State Normal School Williams (now SUNY Brockport). After graduation, she moved to Washington, D.C. to teach recently freed Blacks who were migrating to the nation’s capital in the 1870s. During this time she enrolled in the School of Fine Arts in Washington to study portrait painting, and found herself surrounded by screens that separated her from the other students. In response to her complaints, she was informed that that was the only way she could remain in the class. She had a similar experience at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where she wanted to further her piano studies, but was asked to leave after all the students from the southern states threatened to quit if she stayed. These experiences awakened her spirit—and her fight.

Ms. Barrier Williams helped found the National League of Colored Women in 1893 and its successor, the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) in 1896. These organizations provided kindergartens, mothers’ groups, sewing classes, childcare centers, employment bureaus, and savings banks for women who would not have had access to them elsewhere. Similarly, when she became aware of the lack of African-American physicians and nurses in the hospitals, she helped to create Provident Hospital in 1891, an inter-racial medical facility that included a training school for nurses that admitted African-American women. She was also instrumental in the creation of the Frederick Douglass Center in 1905, a settlement house, and the Phillis Wheatley Home for Girls. The latter became part of a national movement, and the hospital and settlement house still serve the Chicago community today. She was also the first African-American and the first woman on the Chicago Library Board.

In one of her major speeches, The Intellectual Progress of the Colored Women of the United States Since the Emancipation Proclamation, Ms. Barrier Williams disputed the notion that slavery had rendered African-American women incapable of the same moral and intellectual levels as other women and called on all women to unite to claim their inalienable rights.

Ms. Barrier Williams’ contribution to the cause of women’s suffrage was recognized when, in 1907, she was the only African American selected to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the National American Women Suffrage Association convention. In 1909 she assisted W.E.B. DuBois in helping to found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.she continued to support women’s rights until her death on March 4, 1944, in her hometown of Brockport, NY.

"... los males sociales son peligrosamente contagiosos. La política inalterable de persecución e injusticia contra una clase de mujeres que son débiles e indefensas será necesariamente dañina para la causa de todas las mujeres". —Fannie Barrier Williams

Durante Black History Month, pensé que era importante emplear tiempo en mi blog honrando a las mujeres afroamericanas que hicieron la diferencia, pero cuyos nombres no vienen a la mente cuando se reflexiona sobre la historia de nuestro país. Lo que me llama la atención en casi todos los perfiles que investigué; es la capacidad de la mujer afroamericana para construir sus propias comunidades en entornos de opresión, maltrato y racismo de gran envergadura.

La primera mujer que me gustaría destacar es Fannie Barrier Williams. Barrier Williams nació en 1855 en Brockport, Nueva York. Esto fue poco después de la decisión de Dred Scott, cuatro años antes de que llegara el último barco de esclavos a los Estados Unidos, y diez años antes de la Proclamación de Emancipación. El debate nacional sobre la esclavitud estaba en su punto más alto. Sin embargo, en el mundo de Fannie, ella se sentía segura, confiada y se la cita diciendo que “mis experiencias infantiles de ‘igualdad social’ me prepararon mal para el racismo que enfrentaría en la vida. Mi creciente conciencia del trato injusto que recibieron las mujeres afroamericanas fue el catalizador detrás de mi vida de activismo”.

En 1870, Barrier Williams fue la primera afroamericana en graduarse de Brockport State Normal School Williams (ahora SUNY Brockport). Después de graduarse, se mudó a Washington, D.C. para enseñar a los recién liberados esclavos negros que estaban migrando a la capital de la nación en la década de 1870. Durante este tiempo se matriculó en la Escuela de Bellas Artes de Washington para estudiar pintura de retratos, y se encontró rodeada de biombos que la separaban de los otros estudiantes. En respuesta a sus quejas, se le informó que esa era la única forma en que podía permanecer en clase. Tuvo una experiencia similar en el Conservatorio de Música de Nueva Inglaterra en Boston, donde quería continuar sus estudios de piano, pero se le pidió que se fuera después de que todos los estudiantes de los estados del sur amenazaron con dejar la escuela si se quedaba. Estas experiencias despertaron su espíritu y su lucha.

Barrier Williams fundó The National League of Colored Women en 1893 y su afiliada The National Association of Colored Women , (NACW) en 1896. Estas organizaciones proporcionaron jardín de niños, reuniones de madres, clases de costura, guarderías, oficinas de empleo y cajas de ahorros; para mujeres que no hubiesen tenido acceso a ellos en otros lugares. Del mismo modo, cuando se dio cuenta de la falta de médicos y enfermeras afroamericanas en los hospitales, ayudó a crear el Provident Hospital en 1891, un centro médico interracial que incluía una escuela de capacitación para enfermeras que admitían mujeres afroamericanas. También jugó un papel decisivo en la creación del Frederick Douglass Center en 1905, una casa de asentamiento y el Phillis Wheatley Home for Girls. Este último se convirtió en parte de un movimiento nacional, y el hospital y la casa de asentamiento todavía sirven a la comunidad de Chicago hoy en día. También fue la primera afroamericana y la primera mujer en The Chicago Library Board.

En uno de sus mejores discursos, The Intellectual Progress of the Colored Women of the United States Since the Emancipation Proclamation, Barrier Williams cuestionó la noción de que la esclavitud había hecho que las mujeres afroamericanas fueran incapaces de los mismos niveles morales e intelectuales que otras mujeres y pidió a todas las mujeres que se unieran para reclamar sus derechos inalienables.

La contribución de Barrier Williams a la causa del sufragio femenino fue reconocida cuando, en 1907, fue la única afroamericana seleccionada para ensalzar a Susan B. Anthony en la National American Women Suffrage Association Convention. En 1909 ayudó a W.E.B. DuBois a fundar la National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) en 1909, continuó apoyando los derechos de las mujeres, hasta su muerte el 4 de marzo de 1944, en su ciudad natal de Brockport, Nueva York.

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Employee Engagement—Mission Critical in 2022

Employee Engagement—Mission Critical in 2022

January 31, 2022

In studying market trends for 2022 it is clear that re-energizing employees is mission critical.
The most successful organizations will find ways to reconnect and retain employees in a tight labor market. According to Matt Silver, Senior Partner Integrated Communications at ICF, “Distanced physically and emotionally, employees are craving belonging—to colleagues, the company, and a unified purpose. Organizations have the opportunity to create more meaningful and personalized experiences for their people and to invest in skill development and career growth. Now is also the time to enable workers to live your company purpose, not just talk about it.”

Critical to success in this effort is ensuring that all company leaders are trained so that the philosophy of well-being comes to life in new ways of working. One of the most common mistakes that leaders make is to approach engagement as a sporadic exercise in making their employees feel happy. Employees need ongoing purpose and development to achieve more optimal productivity.

IT’S YOUR EMPLOYEES WHO CREATE ALL THE ECONOMIC VALUE FOR YOUR ENTERPRISE. YOU NEED, THEREFORE, TO STAGE A REMARKABLE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE.

—B. JOSEPH PINE II, INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED CO-AUTHOR OF "THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY: COMPETING FOR CUSTOMER TIME, ATTENTION, AND MONEY."

Employees need to feel they are continuously developing in their work and overall lives. As work and life are now more blended than ever, it is critical that organizations address and manage employee engagement along with the five elements of well-being—career, social, financial, physical and community—to reduce the odds of burnout, stress, worry, anxiety and depression. Even engaged employees who are not thriving in these five elements have a higher risk of burnout.

Organizations can improve the overall lives of their managers and employees with the right conversations and taking the right steps which include:

Focus groups between staff and executives—even if via Zoom—are important efforts that let your staff know they matter. During these focus group sessions, it is important to let staff know that they are doing a great job, that the future of the company looks bright and that it is their efforts that are driving that bright future. Ensure that staff have time to ask questions—to better understand the direction and purpose of the organization.

Staff surveys are also an important vehicle for letting staff know that what they have to say matters. Ensure that the questions are structured in such that the answers can be transferred into action, e.g. name three things that the company can do to enhance your engagement with our mission. I would also ask the converse: What are three things you are doing to stay actively engaged in our mission? This way the responsibility for engagement is communicated as a two-way street. Further, act on survey results. Research tells us that when organizations act on survey results, employees are 1.9 times more likely to be engaged. If you’re not using a survey that provides a framework for taking action, now is the time to switch.

Ensure that your professional development opportunities include components around work-life balance, managing the ongoing expectation of working from home, staying connected from a distance and more. People working from home are looking for ways to stay close to their team, and they need opportunities to generate ideas and work intentionally toward this common goal.

Make it a regular point to ask leaders what they are doing to keep their team engaged. Company leaders need to be a driver of employee engagement. It is essential that managers effectively interact with and develop each team member over time.

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

 

31 de enero de 2022
Employee Engagement: Misión Crítica en 2022

Al estudiar las tendencias del mercado para 2022, está claro que revitalizar a los empleados es una misión crítica.

Las organizaciones más exitosas encontrarán formas de reconectarse y retener a los empleados en un mercado laboral ceñido. De acuerdo con Matt Silver, Senior Partner Integrated Communications de ICF, “Distanciados física y emocionalmente, los empleados anhelan ser una parte de los colegas, de la empresa y de un propósito unificado. Las organizaciones tienen la oportunidad de crear experiencias más profundas y personalizadas para su personal e invertir en el desarrollo de capacidades y de crecimiento profesional. Ahora también es el momento de permitir que los trabajadores vivan el propósito de su empresa y no solo hablen de ella”.

Fundamental para el éxito en este esfuerzo es garantizar que todos los líderes de la empresa estén capacitados para que la filosofía del bienestar común cobre vida en nuevas formas de trabajar. Uno de los errores más comunes que cometen los líderes, es abordar el deber como un ejercicio esporádico para hacer que sus empleados se sientan felices. Los empleados necesitan un propósito y una capacitación continua para lograr una productividad más óptima.

"SON TUS EMPLEADOS LOS QUE CREAN TODO EL VALOR ECONÓMICO PARA TU EMPRESA. POR LO TANTO, ES NECESARIO ORGANIZAR UNA EXPERIENCIA EXTRAORDINARIA PARA LOS EMPLEADOS".

—B. JOSEPH PINE II, COAUTOR INTERNACIONALMENTE ACLAMADO POR; LA ECONOMÍA DE LA EXPERIENCIA: COMPETIR POR EL TIEMPO, LA ATENCIÓN Y EL DINERO DEL CLIENTE. "

Los empleados necesitan sentir que están en continuo desarrollo tanto en en su trabajo como en su vida en general. A medida que el trabajo y la vida están ahora combinándose más que nunca, es fundamental que las organizaciones aborden y gestionen el compromiso de los empleados junto con los cinco elementos del bienestar común como: profesional, social, financiero, físico y comunitario; para reducir las probabilidades de agotamiento, estrés, preocupación, ansiedad y depresión. Aún los empleados comprometidos que no están prosperando en estos cinco elementos, tienen un mayor riesgo de agotamiento.

Las organizaciones pueden mejorar completamente tanto la vida de sus gerentes como la de sus empleados, con las conversaciones adecuadas y tomando las medidas correctas que incluyan:

Grupos de Sondeo entre el personal y los ejecutivos; incluso si es a través de Zoom, son esfuerzos importantes que le permiten a tu personal saber que valen la penan. Durante estas sesiones de grupos de sondeo, es importante que el personal sepa que están haciendo un gran trabajo, que el futuro de la empresa se ve brillante y que son sus esfuerzos los que están impulsando ese futuro brillante. Asegúrate de que el personal tenga tiempo para hacer preguntas, para comprender mejor la dirección y el propósito de la organización.

Encuestas del Personal también son un vehículo importante para que el personal sepa que lo que tienen que decir importa. Asegúrate de que las preguntas estén estructuradas de tal manera que las respuestas puedan transferirse a la acción, por ejemplo, menciona: tres cosas que la empresa puede hacer para mejorar su compromiso con nuestra misión. También preguntaría lo contrario: ¿Cuáles son las tres cosas que estás haciendo para mantenerte activamente involucrado/a en nuestra misión? De esta manera, la responsabilidad del compromiso se comunica como una calle dedoble sentido. Además, Comprométete con los resultados de la encuesta. La investigación nos dice que cuando las organizaciones actúan sobre los resultados de la encuesta; los empleados tienen 1.9 veces más probabilidades de estar comprometidos. Si no estás utilizando una encuesta que proporcione un marco para tomar medidas, ahora es el momento de cambiarla.

Asegúrate de que tus oportunidades de desarrollo profesional incluyan componentes relacionados con el equilibrio entre el trabajo y la vida, la gestión de la expectación continua de trabajar desde casa, mantenerse conectado desde lejos y más. Las personas que trabajan desde casa están buscando formas de mantenerse cerca de su equipo, y necesitan oportunidades para generar ideas y trabajar deliberadamente hacia este objetivo común.

Haz que sea un objetivo regular preguntar a los líderes qué están haciendo para mantener a su equipo comprometido. Los líderes de la empresa deben ser un impulsor del compromiso de los empleados. Es esencial que los gerentes interactúen y capaciten de manera efectiva a cada miembro del equipo a lo largo del tiempo.

Como siempre, espero tus comentarios.

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Amplification: Increasing the Strength or Amount of Impact

Amplification: Increasing the Strength or Amount of Impact

January 20, 2022

Over the past several years The Fedcap Group has been focused on the concept of amplification. Our collective staff and Board are united by a belief that we can fundamentally improve long-term economic well-being, not merely ensuring people survive but thrive. We are committed to building not just a safety net to catch people who might fall through the cracks, but a trampoline to help people soar, ensuring that people can reach for the greatness that exists within them.

This takes more than setting minimal expectations for those that walk through our doors—it requires we take risks, pushing well beyond what is “required,” amplifying our services so that the impact ripples to the next generation, and the next.

For our communities, amplification means that we work with our partners to improve access to those resources that matter most, working to build communities that are structured fairly, where opportunities for quality education and financial stability can be achieved regardless the zip code in which you grew up.

 

In practical terms it means that we achieve outcomes beyond what is contractually required. At any given point in time, we have 300+ contracts to provide an array of services across our footprint. Our goal is to amplify our impact through a variety of actions.

If, for example, the contract requires that we place a certain number of people in jobs—we seek to amplify our impact by placing more people than is required. We might conduct more aggressive outreach, striving to engage what some people call the “hard to engage”. Or if the contract requires a certain percentage of individuals achieve 90-day job retention, we might provide additional on the job supports to ensure that the retention rate is higher than contractually required. We look for these opportunities to amplify impact in every contract—going over and above that which is required of us.

It also means that we provide services that are not required, but evidence tells us really matter.

For example, because we are committed to the economic well-being of every person we serve, we have begun to stress financial literacy in every one of our programs—as demonstrated by having a savings account. Research is clear that individuals with savings accounts do better in every well-being measure including overall health, food security, housing stability, and college entrance and graduation. Our goal is that every person served by The Fedcap Group leaves us with a savings account to which they are regularly contributing.

Additionally, we have initiated a focus on improving the lives of children ages 0-8 in all of our programs, not just our child-serving services. We serve thousands of individuals in our workforce development programs—and nearly all of these individuals have children.

We are building the capacity to provide evidence-based parenting classes to assist these parents (many of them young parents) in developing their skills—something that almost all of us need in the early days of parenting. Our goal is that people with children in any of our programs gain the tools and resources they need to meet their children’s needs.

Further, we are expanding our vision of higher levels of education and training as a strategy to improve economic outcomes. Through our combinations with Apex Technical School and Civic Hall, we will be providing education and training in the fields of clean energy and technology and building a learning and collaboration platform to advance technology and problem-solving for the public good—while helping those in under-represented and under-served communities obtain high quality training and find well-paying technology jobs.

Amplificación: Aumentando la Fuerza o la Cantidad de Impacto

19 enero 2021

En los últimos años, The Fedcap Group se ha centrado en el concepto de amplificación. Tanto nuestro personal como la Junta colectivamente están unidos por la creencia de que podemos mejorar fundamentalmente el bienestar económico a largo plazo, no simplemente asegurando que las personas sobrevivan, sino que prosperen. Estamos comprometidos a construir no solo una red de seguridad para captar a las personas que podrían pasar desapercibidas, sino un trampolín para ayudar a las personas a subir muy alto, asegurándonos que las personas puedan alcanzar la grandeza que existe dentro de ellos.

Esto nos requiere más que establecer expectativas mínimas para aquellos que entran por nuestras puertas: nos requiere que tomemos riesgos, haciendo mucho más allá de lo que se “requiere”, amplificando nuestros servicios para que el impacto se extienda tanto a la próxima generación como a la siguiente.

Para nuestras comunidades, la amplificación significa que trabajemos con nuestros socios para mejorar el acceso a los recursos que más importan, así como trabajando para construir comunidades que estén estructuradas de manera justa, donde se puedan lograr oportunidades de educación de calidad y estabilidad financiera, independientemente del código postal en el que crecieron.

En términos prácticos, significa que logremos resultados más allá de lo que se requiere mediante contrato.

En todo momento, tenemos más de 300 contratos para proporcionar una variedad de servicios en toda nuestra presencia. Nuestro objetivo es amplificar nuestro impacto a través de una variedad de medidas.

Si, por ejemplo, el contrato requiriera que colocáramos a un cierto número de personas en puestos de trabajo, buscáramos amplificar nuestro impacto colocando a más personas de las requeridas; podríamos llevar a cabo un alcance más agresivo, esforzándonos por involucrar lo que algunas personas llaman lo “difícil de involucrar”. O si el contrato requiriera que un cierto porcentaje de personas lograran una retención de trabajo de 90 días, podríamos proporcionar apoyos adicionales en el trabajo para garantizar que la tasa de retención sea más alta de lo requerido mediante contrato. Buscamos estas oportunidades para amplificar el impacto en cada contrato, yendo más allá de lo que se requiere de nosotros.

También significa que brindemos serviciosque no son requeridos, pero la evidencia nos dice que realmente importan.

Por ejemplo, debido a que estamos comprometidos con el bienestar económico de cada persona a la que servimos, hemos comenzado a enfatizar la educación financiera en cada uno de nuestros programas; como lo es demostrado, teniendo una cuenta de ahorros. La investigación es clara en cuanto a que las personas con cuentas de ahorros les va mejor en todos los sentidos; incluida la salud general, la seguridad alimentaria, la estabilidad de la vivienda así como el ingreso y la graduación de la universidad. Nuestro objetivo es que cada persona atendida por The Fedcap Group lodeje, con una cuenta de ahorros a la que contribuyan regularmente.

Además, hemos iniciado un enfoque en mejorar las vidas de los niños de 0 a 8 años en todos nuestros programas, no solo en nuestros servicios de cuidado a los niños. Servimos a miles de personas en nuestros programas de desarrollo de la fuerza laboral, y casi todas estas personas tienen hijos. Estamos desarrollando la capacidad de proporcionar clases de crianza basadas en evidencias para ayudar a estos padres (muchos de ellos padres jóvenes) a desarrollar sus habilidades, algo que casi todos necesitamos en los primeros días de la crianza de los hijos. Nuestro objetivo es que las personas con niños en cualquiera de nuestros programas obtengan las herramientas y los recursos que necesiten para satisfacer las necesidades de sus hijos.

Además, estamos ampliando nuestra visión hacia niveles más altos de educación y capacitación como una estrategia para mejorar los resultados económicos. A través de nuestras combinaciones con Apex Technical School y Civic Hall, proporcionaremos educación y capacitación en los campos de energía limpia y en el de tecnología y construiremos una plataforma de aprendizaje y colaboración para avanzar en la tecnología y la resolución de problemas para el bien público, al tiempo que ayudamos a aquellos en comunidades subrepresentadas y desatendidas a obtener capacitación de alta calidad y encontrar empleos tecnológicos bien remunerados.

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The Fedcap Group Financial and Programmatic Results for FY 2021 Demonstrate Effective Implementation and Strong Financial Performance

The Fedcap Group Financial and Programmatic Results for FY 2021 Demonstrate Effective Implementation and Strong Financial Performance

On Thursday, December 16, The Fedcap Group reported its operating and financial results for fiscal year 2021 ended September 30, 2021. These biannual presentations provide our investors including donor and funders, supply chain and other key stakeholders with regular and timely disclosures about financial and operational performance, mission-related impact, and trends and challenges for The Fedcap Group, while underscoring our commitment to fiscal transparency. View the press release.

Highlights from a very successful year—include double digit revenue growth reflecting both organic and acquisition growth, contract awards exceeding $435 million, an expanded international footprint, and the acquisition of Civic Hall, a high profile and innovative provider of advanced technology training solutions.

Christine McMahon, CEO of The Fedcap Group, said–“Year-on-year revenue growth of 23% in fiscal 2021 was led by full year contributions from our large Canadian workforce development contract and from our FY 202 acquisition of APEX Technical School, a New York City institution having graduated over 40,000 people as plumbers, electricians and other high-demand trades. Additionally, we ramped up our substantial new contract in the UK, valued at $267 million, to provide support for people who are unemployed as a direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

 

Other highlights include the employment of over 1,500 people in our commercial business operations, most of whom have disabilities or other barriers; provided functional capacity assessments, employment readiness training, vocational evaluations, and wellness services to over 40,000 people; placed 13,100 people in jobs, along with follow-on job retention services, provided services to 10,000 children ages 0-8, and launched the Greenleaf Neurodiversity Community Center in Austin, Texas, an innovative public-private partnership that serves young people with autism who are transitioning to adulthood.

Looking ahead, The Fedcap Group plans to launch an innovative digital training center leveraging the assets of both Apex and Civic Hall. This 80,000-square-foot digital training center will address the re-skilling and up-skilling of workers, supplying a trained workforce to meet the demand of our transforming economy and job landscape. And to gain a higher education platform, the agency recently announced a strategic partnership with Paul Smith’s College, located in Upstate New York. The college serves approximately 1,000 students a year, over 46 percent of whom are the first in their families to attend college.

Summing up a successful year, Christine said–“I could not be prouder of The Fedcap Group leadership and staff who have worked diligently to bring our essential services to the at-risk populations we serve. This is an indication of the strong culture that unites us and enables us to continue to make a significant impact on the lives of people with barriers to economic wellbeing in 22 states and Canada, Scotland and England.”

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Fedcap Inc.’s Kelly Washburn appointed to NYCETC Workforce Policy Strategy Council

Fedcap Inc.’s Kelly Washburn appointed to NYCETC Workforce Policy Strategy Council

NYCETC works to ensure that every New Yorker has access to the skills, training, and education needed to thrive in the local economy, and that every business is able to maintain a highly skilled workforce.

January 14, 2022 — New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC), the nation’s largest city-based workforce development association with over 200 members providing jobs for more than 600,000 people, this week announced the 27 inaugural members of its new Workforce Policy Strategy Council—a group of workforce development experts that includes Kelly Washburn, Senior Director of Workforce Development, Fedcap Inc.

NYCETC works to ensure that every New Yorker has access to the skills, training, and education needed to thrive in the local economy, and that every business is able to maintain a highly skilled workforce. The Policy Council, a new council within the Coalition, will provide additional space for NYCETC members to inform policy recommendations and strategies, and develop a vehicle for more active external policy engagement with key stakeholders.

View the news story, and learn more about Fedcap Inc., on the Fedcap Inc. website.

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The Power and Potency of Reflection

The Power and Potency of Reflection

January 13, 2022

Each New Year I spend a good amount of time reflecting on the past year and setting goals for the next. This ritual, which has been going on for several decades in my life, has the benefit of keeping one both grounded and ready to fly. It provides an opportunity for honest assessment and sincere optimism.

Having been the President and CEO of The Fedcap Group for 13 years, a good portion of my reflection is on the state of the agency, its accomplishments, its struggles and its future. As any executive knows, overseeing the future of a large, international company, holding in your hands the responsibility for the well-being of thousands of staff, ensuring that services to consumers meet/exceed expectations, and keeping an eye on the emerging market trends to ensure the organization is always a step ahead, is not easy. In the words in the late Colin Powell, “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.”

Reflection provides a necessary opportunity to better understand how one’s strengths and capacities align with the organizational demands. And as gaps are identified (as they naturally will be—no one is good at everything), reflection provides time to determine the specific kinds of talent, technology and training required to fill gaps and help the organization get to the next level. When fully understood, this knowledge feeds recruitment and hiring decisions, investment in technology, and it drives how we structure the professional development of our leaders. There is an inextricable link between reflection and effective planning.

 

Reflection also provides the chance to honestly assess how to do a better job. This part of the process requires a tremendous amount of courage and a willingness to grow in your understanding of who you are, your values, your strengths, why you think what you think and do what you do. It can result in alignment with where you are and where you wish to be.

I believe it is imperative that all leaders reserve the space in their lives for reflection.

An article in Forbes entitled How Daily Self-Reflection Practice Improves Leadership Performance by Naz Behesti talks about the concept of radical honesty and the role it plays in building leadership muscles and contributes to a leadership style characterized by continuous learning and growth. This is the foundation of hope—a future that is better than the past.

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

 

Enero 13, 2022

El poder y la potencia de la reflexión

Cada Nuevo Año paso una buena cantidad de tiempo reflexionando sobre el año que termina y estableciendo metas para el siguiente. Este ritual, que ha estado pasando durante varias décadas en mi vida, tiene el beneficio de mantener a uno conectado a la tierra y listo para volar. Te Proporciona una oportunidad para una evaluación honesta y un optimismo sincero.

Habiendo sido la Presidenta Ejecutiva del The Fedcap Group por 13 años, una buena parte de mi reflexión es sobre el estado de la organización, sus logros, sus luchas y su futuro. Como cualquier ejecutivo sabe, supervisar el futuro de una gran empresa internacional, tener en sus manos la responsabilidad del bienestar de miles de empleados, garantizar que los servicios a los consumidores cumplan o superen las expectativas y vigilar las tendencias de los mercados emergentes para garantizar que la organización esté siempre un paso adelante, no es fácil. En palabras del finado Colin Powell “Un sueño no se hace realidad a través de la magia; requiere sudor, determinación y trabajo duro. “

La reflexión proporciona una oportunidad necesaria para comprender mejor cómo las fortalezas y capacidades de uno se ajustan con las demandas de la organización. Y a medida que se identifican las brechas (como lo harán naturalmente, nadie es bueno en todo), la reflexión proporciona tiempo para determinar los tipos específicos de talento, tecnología y capacitación necesaria para llenar los vacíos y ayudar a la organización a llegar al siguiente nivel. Cuando se comprende completamente este conocimiento alimenta las decisiones de reclutamiento y contratación, la inversión en tecnología e impulsa la forma en que estructuramos el desarrollo profesional de nuestros líderes. Existe un vínculo inextricable entre la reflexión y la planificación eficaz.

La reflexión también brinda la oportunidad de evaluar honestamente cómo hacer un mejor trabajo. Esta parte del proceso requiere una tremenda cantidad de esfuerzo y la voluntad de crecer en tu entendimiento de quién eres, tus valores, tus fortalezas; por qué piensas lo que piensas y haces lo que haces. Esto puede resultar en el posicionamiento de dónde estás y dónde deseas estar.

Creo que es imperativo que todos los líderes reserven el tiempo en sus vidas para la reflexión.

Un artículo en Forbes titulado How Daily Self-Reflection Practice Improve Leadership Performance de Naz Behesti, habla sobre el concepto de honestidad radical y el papel que desempeña en la construcción de fuerza de liderazgo, contribuyendo a un estilo de liderazgo caracterizado por el aprendizaje y el crecimiento continuo. Ésta es la base de la esperanza, un futuro que es mejor que el pasado.

Como siempre, espero tus comentarios.

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