THRIVE! June 2021

As we pass the one-year mark of George Floyd's death, the tragic event which seemed to set off a tangible momentum towards the work ahead of our nation to realize a fair, equitable, and just society, Philadelphia Works wants to reassure our customers, employer partners, program providers, and workforce peers that for us, the work continues. Philadelphia Works made a concerted commitment last year to hold ourselves accountable in doing the work that it takes to create an internal culture that celebrates diversity, is intentional about equity, and values inclusion. The work we do demands it. In the last year, Philadephia Works has:

• Published an organizational statement and commitment
• Secured a DEI consultant to work with each level of our staff
• Created an internal DE&I Council to hold us accountable to our commitments and act as a vehicle to sustain this strategy moving forward

There is far too much at stake for the businesses and residents of our great city to go back to business as usual. Philadelphia Works serves a diverse population, who deserves service delivery from an equitable lens and that creates room for all voices to be heard.

Yours in service,
H. Patrick Clancy

Philadelphia Works believes in creating economic opportunities for all. To achieve that vision, we are a proponent of diversity in the workplace. We strive to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse perspectives of our employees.

Sheila Boornazian, Vice President of Human Resources and Administration at Philadelphia Works, and Uva Coles, Founder, and CEO of Inclusiva, join the program to discuss the exciting efforts that have been underway around advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion at Philadelphia Works. Discover the differences between diversity, equity and inclusion, the biggest challenges and opportunities in DE&I work, and what it takes to create a positive impact. 

One solution to our vision of economic opportunity for every Philadelphia resident is to build Philadelphia's talent pipeline

Over the past several decades, Philadelphia's labor market has undergone a radical transformation. Increases in labor force participation and educational attainment have been met with a shift in the types of available job opportunities. Growth in high-skill and low-skill employment is causing a workforce divergence. While well-paying opportunities are available to highly educated workers, low-paying opportunities dominate for those with less than a postsecondary education. To promote positive employment outcomes for more city residents, we must continue to build Philadelphia's talent pipeline.

Recharge & Recover PHL is working to train, mentor, and hire workers dislocated from their jobs by the pandemic and those who have been disenfranchised by a system that has lacked support for Black and brown workers. 

The initiative will offer three learning tracks to provide focused training in the areas with the most opportunity for employment in our region. These tracks include Entrepreneurship, Health Tech and Administration, and Information Technology. Please note, in addition to the specialized career tracks, Career Seekers can also go through courses that focus on digital literacy, career management, and professional skills.

There's no time like the present to strengthen your skills and get ready for your next career move. When individuals register with the PHL Career Portal, they receive access to a free training and resource hub where they can strengthen their digital literacy skills, get help with their career exploration and job search, develop their resume, and learn how to make their professional profile stand out on networking sites.

The Women in Nontraditional Careers (WINC) Trades Readiness Program is a pre-apprenticeship program designed to prepare women to enter and succeed in a Registered Philadelphia Union Building Trades Apprenticeship or other careers in the trades. Participants will also be matched with a tradeswoman mentor.

Please email Erin Hofmann erin@fti.edu if you are interested in learning more about the course.

Last summer around this time, the Chamber initiated an unprecedented public-private collaboration, known as Recharge & Recover PHL, to devise, present, and implement solutions for inclusive recovery in a unified voice.

Since the release of the initiative’s initial recommendations and five key aspirations last fall, our community has been working tirelessly to ensure Greater Philadelphia emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic with a more equitable and prosperous economy.