In it Together: Engaging Employers as Partners in FOC/Bridges Work 

Robust employer partnerships are a cornerstone of the Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities models; throughout the FOC/Bridges network, site cultivate relationships with employer who provide jobs opportunities, advise on curriculum content and career pathways, help strengthen participants' employment retention through ongoing communication with FOC/Bridges coaches, and much more. In this session, experienced FOC/Bridges staff will share employer engagement best practices and successes and challenges with a variety of different types of employer partners, including city agencies, unions, and regional industry associations. Speakers will also invite the audience to share their employer engagement challenges and strategies in an interactive discussion. Presentation Slides

Forward Momentum: Strategies for Expanding Access to TDL Career Pathways

Women and people of color have been historically underrepresented in Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics (TDL) and related careers (including manufacturing and welding) that can provide stable, family-sustaining employment and opportunities for continuing education and advancement.  LISC and Union Pacific Railroad embarked on an innovative three-year partnership in 2018 to increase access to rail and TDL career pathways for residents of the communities where LISC's Financial Opportunity Centers and Bridges to Career Opportunities sites work.  In this workshop session, Union Pacific will share employer insights and discuss their industry-leading role in helping to prepare neighborhood residents for TDL jobs in demand today and into the future; and expert Bridges to Career Opportunities practitioners will share their strategies for recruiting, upskilling, retaining, and advancing the TDL workforce of tomorrow. 

Stregthening Opportunities for Inclusive Wealth Building

Implementing innovative asset-building strategies to improve the financial stability and mobility of FOC participants is a key focus of our work. Imperative to this focus is the need to examine the opportunities and challenges that impact the scalability of inclusive wealth building programs serving low-and moderate-income families. Using a multi-dimensional lens, this session will focus on using the FOC services as a tool to increase income and wealth and explore different contexts for innovations and strategies that support asset-building efforts of FOC participants. We will look at the evidence of efficacy and assess how we might achieve greater leverage and impact. Presentation Slides

Myth Busters: Employing the Re-entry Population

Inspired by the National Reentry Resource Center's "Reentry Myth busters" series, this session will explore common myths of working with and employing formerly incarcerated clients. The re-entry population faces a unique set of barriers when returning to their communities and FOC staff often feel ill-equipped to help their clients navigate these challenges. This interactive session will test your knowledge and bust down any misconceptions. Safer Foundation toolkit

Data Evaluation: Paving the Way to Program Success

Are you interested in learning about the current network data evaluations and how their insights might inform your program strategy? Join us as we dive into three separate evaluations: 1) LISC's Financial Opportunity Center Study, 2) From 6thGrade to $16 an hour Initiative, & 3) The Bridges to Career Opportunities Program Evaluation. During the session, you'll hear about FOC outcome findings and how implementation drives program success. Presentation Slides

Retention and Advancement Strategies 

Participant retention (in employment as well as in sustained engagement with the Financial Opportunity Center/Bridges site) and career advancement are critical to the success of the FOC/.Bridges models, and to long-term wage gains and career growth.  Yet retention is an ongoing challenge across the FOC/Bridges network, especially post-job placement as FOC clients juggle work schedules and home obligations that can leave little time for continued follow-up with employment and financial coaches.  Over the past year, numerous FOC/Bridges sites have engaged in retention/advancement initiatives, including creating dedicated staff positions for retention coaching and creatively leveraging technology to increase client engagement.  Workshop guests will hear examples of promising retention and advancement strategies and also have the opportunity to peer-share their own retention and advancement solutions in this interactive session.

Using Regional Data to Understand Employment Barriers 

The purpose of this session is to provide workforce development professionals the tools to gather information on barriers to obtaining and sustaining employment faced by their residents as part of the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce Data Toolkit: Understanding your Community. Presentation Slides

Homelessness to Homeownership: Coaching Clients Along the Housing Continuum 

In this session, we share success stories from the field to inspire and inform practitioners about the best ways to integrate services to help clients pursue their housing goals. Whether your clients' goals are to transition to stable housing or to buy a home of their own, we'll look at how you can help them plan and how FOCs can partner with other agencies to help clients on their journeys. Presentation Slides

Career Pathways in Creative Industries

This session will highlight two arts organizations working at the intersection of workforce development and skills training. Juxtaposition Arts in Minneapolis, MN and The Steel Yard in Providence, RI will share their experiences and histories working to create pathways to career opportunities. After hearing from the organizations, attendees will work in small groups to respond to a set of questions designed to identify challenges and opportunities in merging arts, culture and workforce development.