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Fedcap Inc. Partners with AACCNJ to Pilot ‘The Village Program’

Fedcap Inc. Partners with AACCNJ to Pilot ‘The Village Program’

TRENTON, NJ – The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ) in partnership with The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey, Junior Achievement of New Jersey and Fedcap, Inc. will pilot The Village Program over an eight-week period beginning May 24, 2021 to help address the financial disparities that black and brown families living in low-income communities face. Many are headed by parents who lack a high school diploma or GED, eliminating their ability to secure a single job that pays a living wage. Parents are too often forced to hold multiple jobs, requiring them to spend many hours at work, away from their children. These circumstances prevent them from helping their children with homework and supporting their academic success. The cycle of poverty then persists into the next generation with poor education and low-wage jobs. Economic well-being and financial literacy remains out of reach.

Click here to view the full details from the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

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The Fedcap Group Strengthens Technology Leadership with Acquisition of Civic Hall

The Fedcap Group Strengthens Technology Leadership with Acquisition of Civic Hall

Combination to Provide Technology Training to Unemployed and Underemployed New Yorkers

New York, NY, April 2021 — The Fedcap Group, a leading nonprofit that creates opportunities for individuals facing barriers to economic well-being, announced today that it has agreed to acquire Civic Hall through a combination.

Civic Hall is a company focused on learning and collaboration to advance technology and problem-solving for the public good. Its mission is to also help those in under-represented and under-served communities get trained and find well-paying technology jobs.

“Through this acquisition, The Fedcap Group will establish a technology training platform for high-tech jobs, specifically to help New Yorkers struggling with barriers to employment as well as those newly unemployed during the pandemic,” said The Fedcap Group’s President and CEO, Christine McMahon. The initiative will also address the re-skilling and up-skilling of workers whose jobs will be lost to automation. “With 355,000 jobs in the NYC tech ecosystem, half of which require high-tech skills, we’ll supply the workforce to meet the demand of our transforming economy and job landscape,” noted Ms. McMahon.

The Fedcap Group will leverage Civic Hall’s access to a community of cutting-edge technologists with expertise and relationships with technology companies, to expand the education and training offered by its Apex Technical School, which Fedcap acquired in 2020. Apex has a strong track record of successful technical training and job placement in highly skilled positions within construction, plumbing, automotive and other trades. With the goal of preparing New Yorkers for jobs in high tech, Apex will expand its offerings to include robotics, building automation, network support, web design and more.

“Together with The Fedcap Group, we’ll create an easily accessible entry point for digital skills training for underserved New Yorkers and a steady pipeline of tech talent to help the industry become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive” said Andrew Rasiej, Founder and CEO of Civic Hall. “Upon completion we plan to expand our model nationwide and leverage The Fedcap Group’s U.S. footprint–which includes operations in 22 states.”

Ms. McMahon continued, “With high-tech jobs a key growth driver for the NYC economy, we believe this is an opportune time to move ahead with an aggressive program to prepare those who are unemployed and underemployed for positions that offer a reliable pathway to the middle class. We look forward to working with our colleagues at Civic Hall on a holistic plan to fuel the local tech sector’s growth while supporting New Yorkers who have not had access to these jobs.”

The integrated plan also involves Single Stop. Acquired by The Fedcap Group in 2017, Single Stop combines advanced technology with localized services and can ensure our trainees are connected with essential services and benefits.

About The Fedcap Group
For 86 years, The Fedcap Group has developed innovative and scalable solutions to some of society’s most pressing problems. Serving over 250,000 people each year in 22 states, Canada and the UK, The Fedcap Group provides education and training, workforce and economic development and necessary supports—all targeted to helping people achieve economic wellbeing. and training, workforce, and economic development and necessary supports—all targeted to helping people achieve long-term self-sufficiency.

About Civic Hall
Founded in 2015, Civic Hall is one of the nation’s leading organizations focused on learning and collaboration to advance technology and problem-solving for the public good. It has grown into a thriving community with more than 1,000 members and organizations that includes tech companies, government and nonprofit agencies and philanthropic and academic institutions and has become the center for NYC’s efforts to develop a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive technology industry.

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Wait and See … A Good Leadership Strategy or Not?

Wait and See … A Good Leadership Strategy or Not?

May 17, 2021

The idea of wait and see is considered by some to be a passive approach to leadership. According to a recent article in Entreprenuer.com, “the reactive style of leadership–characterized by a ‘let’s-wait-and-see’ attitude and delayed decision-making–is rarely effective.”

Most of the time I might say the same thing. But over the years, I have come to see the wisdom in certain circumstances of … waiting. That may sound counterintuitive for those who regularly read my blog. You KNOW that I am a staunch advocate of proactive leadership, of understanding the environment in which we operate and positioning our company to be prepared for and even ahead of market trends. That said, when circumstances are unprecedented—such as 9/11 and the pandemic—the instinct to act may be exactly the wrong thing to do.

It takes time following world-changing events to understand the best course of action—or reaction. It takes time to understand what the data is telling us. Sometimes data changes as better questions are asked and answered. Good leaders ensure that they are as well-informed as possible, take steps critical to ensuring safety and solvency, and then as hard as it is, they wait … monitoring the situation to determine the right next step. This seems logical, right? Yet I am seeing responses to the pandemic similar to those I saw in the wake of 9/11. While much changed after 9/11, over time much stayed the same. Many reacted too soon, and as a result made decisions that seemed sound at the time, but in reflection were made without sufficient information.

I discussed this perspective with our leadership team just last week. We responded rapidly to the pandemic, to ensure business continuity and safety. We continued to monitor the information coming from a collection of reliable sources, we communicated regularly with board, staff and stakeholders …and we waited. There are several decisions that I have not made–specifically around mandatory vaccinations and remote work—because the time is just not right. We need more data. It has been interesting to watch how some large companies said that they were moving to a remote work model, only to change their position. Others have said that they were giving up their leases and downsizing their office space, only to change their mind as trends started to shift and more information was available.

Let me be clear—I am not saying do not prepare. I am not suggesting that we simply do nothing. I am suggesting that we delay action while preparing for just about everything. Preparation requires knowledge and scenario-based planning. Using the time to enact “what-if?” scenarios demonstrates the power of patience and observation.

And then, when we do act, our actions should be exceptionally well planned and well-executed. Do the simple things brilliantly—better than most. This kind of smart, “wait and see” leadership will generate confidence throughout the organization and with key stakeholders.

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

17 mayo 2021

Esperar y Ver… ¿Una Buena Estrategia de Liderazgo o No?

La idea de esperar y ver es considerada por algunos como un enfoque pasivo del liderazgo. Según un artículo reciente en “Entreprenuer.com”, “el estilo reactivo de liderazgo, caracterizado por una actitud de ‘esperemos y veamos’ y una toma de decisiones postergada, rara vez es eficaz. “

La mayoría de las veces podría decir lo mismo. Pero a lo largo de los años, he llegado a ver la sabiduría en ciertas circunstancias de … el esperar. Eso puede sonar contradictorio para aquellos que leen regularmente mi “blog”. Tú sabes que soy una firme defensora del liderazgo proactivo, de entender el entorno en el que operamos y posicionar a nuestra organización para estar preparada e incluso ponerla por delante de las tendencias del mercado. Dicho esto, cuando las circunstancias no tienen precedentes—como el “9/11” y la pandemia—el instinto de actuar puede ser exactamente la cosa incorrecta por hacer.

Toma tiempo seguir los eventos cambiantes mundialmente; para comprender el mejor curso de acción – o reacción. Se necesita tiempo para entender lo que los datos están diciéndonos. A veces los datos cambian, a medida que se hacen y se responden mejores preguntas. Los buenos líderes se aseguran de que también estén bien informados tanto como sea posible, tomen medidas críticas para garantizar la seguridad y la solvencia, y luego, por más difícil que sea, esperar… monitoreando la situación para determinar el siguiente paso correcto. Esto parece lógico, ¿verdad?. Sin embargo, estoy viendo respuestas a la pandemia similares a las que vi a raíz del “9/11”. Aunque mucho cambió después del “9/11”; con el tiempo mucho se mantuvo como antes. Muchos reaccionaron demasiado pronto, y como resultado tomaron decisiones que parecían sólidas en ese momento, pero reflexionando; se tomaron sin suficiente información.

Hablé de esta perspectiva con nuestro equipo de liderazgo justamente la semana pasada. Respondimos rápidamente a la pandemia; para garantizar la continuidad de la organización y la seguridad. Continuamos monitoreando la información procedente de una lista de fuentes confiables; nos comunicamos regularmente tanto con la mesa directiva, como con el personal y las partes interesadas … y esperábamos. Hay varias decisiones que no he tomado; específicamente en torno a las vacunas obligatorias y el trabajo a larga distancia; porque el tiempo simplemente no es el adecuado. Necesitamos más datos. Ha sido interesante ver cómo algunas grandes compañías; dijeron que estaban moviéndose a un modelo de trabajo de larga distancia, justo para cambiar su posición. Otras habían dicho que estaban cediendo sus contratos de arrendamiento y reduciendo el espacio de sus oficinas, sólo para cambiar de opinión, a medida que las tendencias comenzaron a cambiar y más información estaba disponible.

Permítanme ser clara— No estoy diciendo que no se preparen. No estoy sugiriendo que simplemente no hagamos nada. Lo que estoy sugiriendo, es que retrasemos la acción, mientras nos preparamos para casi todo. La preparación requiere conocimientos y planificación, basada en escenarios. El uso del tiempo para promulgar el escenario “¿y sí?”; demuestra el poder de la paciencia y la observación.

Y luego, cuando actuamos, nuestras acciones deben ser excepcionales, así como bien planificadas y bien ejecutadas. Hacer las cosas simples brillantemente, mejor que la mayoría. Este tipo de liderazgo inteligente, “esperar y ver”, generará confianza en toda la organización, así como con las partes interesadas cruciales.

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Are You Paying Attention to Organizational Health?

Are You Paying Attention to Organizational Health?

May 10, 2021

Peter Drucker famously said, “What gets measured gets managed.” It is not difficult to imagine the converse, when something goes unmeasured, it is vulnerable to being unmanaged.

The challenge is in measuring the right things—data that really tells you about the corporate health and performance of your organization.
In a recent article in the McKinsey Quarterly on successful organizations, the authors stressed that outperforming companies set clear, measurable organizational-health targets in conjunction with their financial objectives. This concept of organizational health targets is worthy of taking the time to dissect. It includes dimensions such as leadership, accountability, innovation and learning.

An organization’s health—its ability to align around and achieve strategic goals—is critical for long-term performance. However, many leaders struggle to find a clear way to measure and improve it. They focus solely on financial performance. And yet, according to McKinsey, which has been monitoring the health of well over a thousand companies for more than 15 years, companies that are healthy (as measured by a diverse set of benchmarks) consistently outperform their peers.

The following reflect McKinsey’s suggestions for how to “jump start” measurement of organizational health:

  • Set a strategic direction and build a shared vision that has been translated into crisp goals and milestones. Every member of the organization must know where the company is going, how it will get there and how progress will be measured along the way. And then practice leadership by walking around, holding Zoom conference calls. Find out if your staff know what they need to know. Track your findings.
  • Provide clarity and meaning for staff at all levels of the company. Ensure that everyone understands what they are accountable for to advance the strategic direction and vision of the company. This requires finding ways to tie an employee’s day-to-day activities to the company’s vision and strategy. In staff focus groups and employee surveys, leaders might find it valuable to ask staff if they understand how their job relates to the company’s goals. Track your findings.
  • Spark ideas and innovation–capturing fresh new approaches from people external and internal to the organization and then operationalize the idea—rapidly. When stakeholders and staff see their ideas being implemented, it creates a tremendous sense of shared ownership in outcomes. Track the types of innovations that are generated and the success of implementation.
  • Cultivate strong operations. This requires a rigorous level of discipline—where people are held accountable for performance expectations and in return there is a high degree of investment by company leadership in the employees. Maintaining operational discipline places a premium on supportive leadership including creating effective teams and demonstrating concern for the welfare of employees. Then ask employees—do they feel supported and part of an effective team? Why or why not?

Measure results and then measure them again, and again.

Investment in organizational health, when tied to strong financial performance, leads directly to long term sustainability.

10 mayo 2021

¿Estás poniendo atención a la salud organizativa?

Peter Drucker lo dijo estupendamente: “Lo que se mide puede manejarse”. No es difícil imaginar lo contrario, cuando algo no está medido, es vulnerable a no ser manejado.

El desafío consiste en medir las cosas apropiadas; datos que realmente te hablen de la salud corporativa y del rendimiento de tu organización.

En un artículo reciente en el “McKinsey Quarterly”, acerca de organizaciones exitosas; los autores destacaron que las empresas que obtienen mejores resultados establecen objetivos organizativos y de salud, claros y medibles, junto con sus objetivos financieros. Este concepto de objetivos de salud organizativos; vale la pena de tomarse el tiempo para revisarlos minuciosamente. Estos incluyen elementos como: el liderazgo, la rendición de cuentas, la innovación y el aprendizaje.

La salud de una organización, su capacidad para alinearse en torno a y alcanzar objetivos estratégicos; esto es fundamental para el desempeño a largo plazo. Sin embargo, muchos líderes luchan por encontrar un camino claro para medirlos y mejorarlos. Ellos se centran únicamente en el rendimiento financiero. Y sin embargo según McKinsey, que ha estado monitoreando la salud de por lo menos mil empresas durante más de 15 años; las empresas que están sanas (medidas por un conjunto diverso de puntos de referencia) superan consistentemente a sus pares.

A continuación, se reflejan las sugerencias de McKinsey sobre cómo “arrancar de emergencia” la medición de la salud organizativa:

  • Establecer una dirección estratégica y construir una visión compartida, que se haya traducido tanto en objetivos nítidos como logros. Cada miembro de la organización debe saber hacia dónde va la empresa, cómo llegará allí y cómo se medirá el progreso en el camino. Y luego practicar el liderazgo observando alrededor, llevando a cabo llamadas de conferencias por “Zoom”. Dándote cuenta, si tu personal sabe lo que necesita saber. Monitorea tus hallazgos.
  • Proporcionar claridad y significado para el personal, en todos los niveles de la organización. Asegurándose de que todos entiendan de lo que son responsables, para fomentar tanto la dirección estratégica como la visión de la organización. Esto requiere encontrar maneras de vincular las actividades diarias de un empleado/a a la visión y estrategia de la empresa. En los grupos de sondeo del personal y las encuestas de los empleados; los líderes podrían encontrar valioso preguntar al personal; si entienden cómo se relaciona su trabajo con los objetivos de la empresa. Monitorea tus hallazgos.
  • Animar ideas e innovación, capturando nuevos planteamientos para la organización; tanto de personas externas como internas y luego poniendo en acción la ideas rápidamente. Cuando las partes interesadas y el personal ven sus ideas siendo implementadas; crea una tremenda sensación de propiedad compartida en los resultados. Monitorea los tipos de innovaciones que se generan y el éxito de la implementación.
  • Cultivar operaciones fuertes. Esto requiere un nivel riguroso de disciplina; donde las personas son responsables de las expectativas de desempeño y a cambio hay un alto grado de inversión por parte del liderazgo de la empresa en los empleados. Manteniendo la disciplina operativa, pone una prima en el liderazgo de apoyo; incluyendo la creación de equipos eficaces y la demostración de preocupación por el bienestar de los empleados. Entonces, pregunta a los empleados: ¿si se sienten apoyados y forman parte de un equipo eficaz? ¿Por qué o por qué no?

Mide los resultados y luego mide nuevamente, y de nuevo otra vez.
La inversión en salud organizativa cuando está ligada a un sólido desempeño financiero, te lleva directamente a la sostenibilidad a largo plazo.

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Making the Most of ARP’s $40 Billion—Single Stop Plays a Critical Role on College Campuses

Making the Most of ARP’s $40 Billion—Single Stop Plays a Critical Role on College Campuses

Single Stop was featured in an opinion article on ways to use the American Rescue Plan’s $40 billion allocation for colleges.

Among the measures the authors recommend:

“Build an integrated support system. At both Miami Dade and Amarillo, the steps we have taken to address student needs during the pandemic are part of a larger, integrated system. Miami Dade’s Single Stop program is, as the name implies, a one-stop shop for a variety of social services.

Students experiencing food insecurity, for instance, can not only visit the pantry but also work with coordinators who can help them be screened for a variety of federal, state and local resources like SNAP. Over the past 12 years, Single Stop has helped 66,000 students receive food assistance, mental health counseling, financial coaching, legal aid and other services. Miami Dade has built an ecosystem of external partners that includes community-based organizations and private and public sector agencies that help provide holistic support to its students.”

Read the full article on the Inside Higher Ed website. Learn more about Single Stop at singlestop.org.

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