Philanthropy Can Help Close the Skills Gap

As the economy seeks a balance between reopening and public health safety, employers are making plans for what their workforces will look like in the coming months. There are many unknowns ahead, but we’re already hearing that it won’t be “business as usual.” Pre-pandemic, employers were already saying they couldn’t find enough skilled workers for their open jobs. That gap threatens to widen. So does the opportunity gap. The issue can’t be solved in a vacuum. Each business in each community has individualized workforce needs that requires industry, academia, nonprofits, and local government to work together to build programs that will create a pipeline of skilled workers. Philanthropic organizations can help—and are helping—bring these critical programs to life. This panel examines how major corporations and individual donors are investing their philanthropic dollars in workforce development initiatives that are closing the skills gap, creating opportunities, and providing good jobs for everyone in their communities.

Moderator: Ramona Schindelheim

Panelists:

Gayatri Agnew

Hector Mujica

Jennifer Stredler

Angela Jackson

Jacqueline Valouch