Winter Edition: February 4, 2009 |
||||
|
Feature: Corporation for a Skilled Workforce Report Highlights Business and Training Partnerships to Support Growing Hispanic Workforce By 2014, America's workforce will be strongly defined by two factors: the aging out of baby boomers and the rapid growth of the immigrant Hispanic workforce, the fastest growing segment of employees but often among the least educated. Even in the midst of pounding negative news about the economy and job losses, community colleges and manufacturers are forging strategic links to ensure that today's workers have the skills required to fill current and future needs of the manufacturing sector. The Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, together with other concerned organizations, identified successful educational/industry partnerships around the country that advance Hispanic workers, and determined that some of these practices are replicable to the wider population. CSW compiled these findings in the comprehensive report, "Building Tomorrow's Workforce: Promoting the Education & Advancement of Hispanic Workers in America." To read the full report, click here. Douglas Gould and Company is working with CSW and its partner organizations to disseminate this report more broadly and develop a long-term communications strategy to impact policies, practices and attitudes throughout other industry sectors. The chief urgency that we face is that the U.S. will depend upon the success of Hispanic immigrant workers and there is no time to waste:
Click here for more quick facts and recommendations for practice and policy. Each of the six programs highlighted in "Building Tomorrow's Workforce" provide Hispanic immigrant workers access to the English skills, job skills and academic credentials required for success. Through this effort, CSW hopes to improve the quality of our workforce overall and expand opportunities for Hispanic immigrant adults. Lumina Foundation for Education is funding CSW in this ongoing work, which is supported by Excelencia in Education and the National Council for Workforce Education. The Manufacturing Institute of the National Association of Manufacturers was an important partner in the original report. |
|
Notes from the Field: Media Analysis – Mapping the U.S. Immigration Landscape Our analysis shows that the American public is getting a skewed picture of the immigration issue, and the language used to describe immigrants on popular TV and radio shows is often extremely biased, reinforcing negative stereotypes and dehumanizing immigrants. Our analysis also uncovered that some pro-immigrant activists struggle with communicating a positive message, and we provide a series of recommendations for advocates in our study. Hewlett Leaders in Student Success Offers Models for Enabling Community College Students to Meet Academic Goals Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) |
|
On my Radar: Community Colleges, Winning Strategies for Weathering the Downturn Community colleges throughout the United States provide a perfect example of a sector that, while threatened by budget cuts, can offer viable solutions to support recovery and, with a solid research-based communications platform, can mount a strong case for stimulus support and program growth. To that end, earlier this winter, Douglas Gould published articles in the Commentary section of the Chronicle of Higher Education (online edition) and Community College Times sharing important opinion research and suggestions on how community colleges can use winning communications to weather the crisis. According to Gould, "Many non-profits and foundations can benefit from the ideas and concepts offered in this article. It can help to initiate a dialogue within your institution and to help inform an action plan." To read the entire article from Community College Times, click here. For more information and to obtain a link or copy of the article to disseminate to your organization, please contact: Pattie Haubner at phaubner@douglasgould.com. Bad News or a Crisis; How to Prepare for Either Messages of Change – President Obama's Inaugural Speech "What is required now is a new era of responsibility – a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to the difficult task." The President cautioned, however, that as we take on the daunting work in front of us, we have to preserve our nation, our ideals and the integrity of our founding documents. The message here being that we got off course in recent history, causing many to argue that much of our current condition is due at least in part to those missteps. "The question is not whether government is too big or too small. The question is whether it works." With stirrings of the caliber of President Kennedy's refrain, "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country," President Obama made it abundantly clear that as the government does all it can to usher in recovery, ultimate success will only occur as we work together and build off of what may be one of our greatest strengths – our "patchwork heritage." No small characteristic of our nation, President Obama said that "as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace." We at Douglas Gould and Company as well as everyone who works for improving civil society and human condition are greatly encouraged by the prospects for just, equitable progress in America, and indeed in the world. The new administration's messages map to what the philanthropic sector has practiced for decades – collaborative partnerships and public-private initiatives to tackle some of the most pressing issues of our day, from family-sustaining jobs, to education and training, to human rights and equal justice. The stakes overall are now higher, but so is our resolve. And, so are our hopes. |
|
Beyond the Click: www.CommunityCollegeCentral.org gets fresh look for the New Year
The Web site aims to reach and energize larger audiences nationwide that may not know the value of community colleges as agents of change on a variety of important social and economic issues. It includes a number of new easy-to-use interactive features including tell-a-friend capability and an e-mail sign up. We have developed new sections for research, resources, news clips and multimedia elements. Check out the new and improved www.CommunityCollegeCentral.org today. |
|
The Guide for Community College Leaders Click here to request a complimentary copy of the publication. DGC is Proud to Welcome Our New Clients:
For a listing of all our clients click here |
Just in time for 2009, Douglas Gould and Company unveiled a newly designed 
"Bridges to Opportunity for Underprepared Adults: A State Policy Guide for Community College Leaders," written by Davis Jenkins (senior research associate at the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University), is part of the Ford Foundation Bridges to Opportunity initiative and invaluable for governors, legislators, and state agency officials who are concerned about workforce competitiveness within their states. Douglas Gould and Company designed and is widely distributing the report and a CD containing all the initiative’s webinars. The Guide also benefits business leaders, labor leaders, and groups that advocate on behalf of low-income people, higher education leaders, and those who seek to reduce barriers that underprepared adults face and enable them to pursue and succeed in collegiate work. The Guide provides strategies, tools and case studies to improve education and employment outcomes for educationally and economically disadvantaged adults.