Helping State and Federal Policy Leaders Engage Business Strategically
May 5, 2011
Sara Toland and Jennifer Weber, Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 Team, held a webinar on Thursday, May 5, 2011, entitled "Tools for Engaging Business Leaders." The webinar was hosted by the Forum for Youth Investment's Children's Cabinet Network, which works directly with state and federal policy leaders. Corporate Voices introduced its suite of Business Engagement Tools, and answered questions about how to identify business leaders who will support sustainable partnerships with business for long-term success. More than 60 leaders from across the nation participated.
John-Anthony Meza Participates in Creating and Sustaining Successful Business-Community Partnerships Webinar
April 28, 2011
Corporate Voices' Vice President of Workforce Readiness John-Anthony Meza participated in the Creating and Sustaining Successful Business-Community Partnerships webinar hosted by Volunteer Match. He highlighted two series of tools that Corporate Voices has created, as well as provided best practice examples and tips on how to achieve successful business-community partnerships many organizations are seeking. Participants were able to share their successes and challenges in creating partnerships and walked away with the next steps they need to create and sustain their partnerships. Through the remainder of 2011, the Volunteer Match Best Practice Network Webinar Series will occassionally bring expert speakers and organizations to discuss various tool kits for improving engagement.
Forging Community-Business Partnerships: Newest Addition to the Ready by 21 Toolkit
April 14, 2011
Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 team remains busy with business engagement and education efforts around this ambitious national initiative to ensure that more youth are ready for college, work and life. Most recently, we released a valuable new resource to help local leaders and employers collaborate to support children, youth and families in their communities. Understanding the Needs of Your Business Partners: Building and Conducting a Successful Business Survey offers practical advice to community organizations, helping them work strategically with employers in their region and guiding them through a business survey to better understand the landscape of business investments in their community.
The publication is the latest addition to a unique suite of tools offered by Corporate Voices, based on a decade of experience studying the workforce needs and expectations of employers nationwide. It was released last week at "Community Solutions", a conference of Ready by 21 communities across the Southeast. At the gathering, our staff also contributed to a discussion around the importance of partnerships to support postsecondary education. The Forum for Youth Investment led the event, which was held in Atlanta.
Commenting on the new toolkit, Corporate Voices' Steve Wing said, "At a time when our nation's prosperity depends more than ever on a well-educated workforce, too many young Americans remain poorly equipped to excel in school today and in the economy of tomorrow. Our community-business tools aim to address an urgent goal: Strengthening the most effective public-private partnerships to ensure that more young people can step confidently into the exciting jobs of the future."
For more on our suite of tools for business and community leaders, please see: http://www.cvworkingfamilies.org/our-work/workforce-readiness/ready-21/tools-resources-business-community-leaders
Corporate Voices Meets with Local Leaders
March 30 - 31, 2011
Corporate Voices Ready by 21 participated in the Ready by 21 Southeast Communities Convening on March 30 - 31, 2011, in Atlanta, Georgia. Representatives from Atlanta, GA; Louisville, KY; Nashville, TN; Northern Kentucky; Richmond, VA; and Chattanooga, TN participated. Corporate Voices provided a workshop on their Business Engagement Toolkit for Community-Based Organizations, and provided expertise on postsecondary completion from the business perspective. For more information on how you can be connected to the Ready by 21 communities, please e-mail readyby21@corporatevoices.org.
Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 Team Presents at Pennsylvania Department of Education Event
March 9, 2011
Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 Team took its message to state and local policymakers at a conference hosted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The meeting in Harrisburg, PA, Continuing the Legacy, Shaping the Future, was focused on advancing and promoting collaboration and youth success, and on key elements of high-quality extra learning opportunities. Corporate Voices used the opportunity to educate community leaders about how best to engage employers in Ready by 21 and similar efforts to ensure more youth are ready for college, work and life.
Setting Bigger Goals: Postsecondary Success
February 22, 2011
Peg Walton, Corporate Voices for Working Families' Senior Director for Workforce Readiness, participated in the Ready by 21 Webinar Series event, entitled, Setting Bigger Goals: Postsecondary Success. The webinar focused on the transition to adulthood and in particular, the importance of postsecondary completion as a critical goal for communities to focus on. It identified some of the key barriers facing low-income, first-generation college students and identified the partners that need to be mobilized and supports that need to be in place in order to significantly increase both postsecondary completion rates and workforce readiness. Walton presented on the findings from Corporate Voices' Learn and Earn Micro-Business Case Series, along with Scott Emerick from Youth Build USA and Nicole Yohalem from the Forum for Youth Investment.
Presenting to School Leaders about College and Career Readiness
February 18, 2011
John-Anthony Meza, Corporate Voices for Working Families' Vice President for Workforce Readiness, presented at the American Association of School Administrator's National Conference on Education on Friday, February 18, 2011, in Denver, Colorado. As a national Ready by 21 partner, AASA, a membership organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders, holds an annual conference for school leaders and superintendents from across the country. Meza, who shared a panel with Dr. Wesley Boykin from the National Center for Educational Achievement, presented on the employers perspectives of college and career readiness and the benefits of business and education partnerships. He specifically highlighted research and tools from Corporate Voices' recent Ready by 21 and postsecondary education work.
Ready by 21 Working Group Conerence Call
February 14, 2011
On Monday, February 14, 2011, the Ready by 21 Working Group convened its quarterly conference call to build on the excitment of the in-person meeting which took place on December 7, 2010. The Ready by 21 Working Group was asked to consider mapping its education and community programs nationally, in major markets across the workforce readiness pipeline and within internal programs and divisions of labor. The goal of the mapping exercise was to help realize overlaps and potential avenues in major markets across the country. As requested, the companies will be provided with technical assistance from the Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 team to aide in this exercise and to dive deeper into these discussions. Participating member companies in the call included: Abbott Nutrition, CVS Caremark, KPMG, Ford Motor Company Fund, and Marriott International, Inc.
Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 Team Hosts Business Engagement Technical Assistance Call
February 10, 2011
Sara Toland and Jennifer Weber, the Corporate Voices for Working Families' Ready by 21 Team, hosted a Southeast Community Peer Learning Call on business engagement. Local representatives from Richmond, VA; Northern Kentucky; and Nashville, Tennessee participated. Corporate Voices provided an overview of our buisness engagement and partnership tools, along with the Supporting the Education Pipeline: A Business Engagement Toolkit for Community-Based Organization. Corporate Voices offered technical assistance to the communities around issues such as defining roles for business leaders, re-engaging business leaders to support educaiton, and how to measure business' impact in the community.
Ready by 21 Working Group Meeting
December 7, 2010
Corporate Voices hosted the first in-person meeting of the Ready by 21 Working Group on Tuesday, December 7, 2010. Karen Pittman, co-founder and president of the Forum for Youth Investment, facilitated a panel of community and business leaders from Northern Kentucky and Atlanta. These local leaders provided an in-depth look into how the Ready by 21 National Partnership's strategies and tools are translating to successes and coordination on the ground in their communities. Companies were also provided with the opportunity to participate in a rich discussion about their community/education programs. Participating members, included: Abbott Nutrition, CVS Caremark, Ford Motor Company Fund, Knowledge Universe and KPMG LLP. If you are a business leader and interested in participating in the Ready by 21 Working Group, please contact the Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 Team at readyby21@corporatevoices.org.
Business Partnerships Strategic Conversation with America's Promise Alliance 100 Best Communities, Dec 2010
December 2, 2010
Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 team led a strategic conversation focused on businss engagement with America's Promise Alliance's 100 Best Communities. Sara Toland and Jennifer Weber answered questions from communities across the country on how to identify business leaders to partner, the roles business can play, and how to sustain those partnerships overtime. Through this strategic conversation, the Supporting the Education Pipeline: Business Engagement Toolkit for Community-Based Organizations and other tools developed by Corporate Voices were highlighted. A free recording is available, by clicking here.
2010 Champion Award Winners Announced
November 18, 2010
Corporate Voices for Working Families and the Ready by 21 National Partnership are proud to announce the winners for the inaugural 2010 Champion Award: Preparing Youth for Work.
- Individual Leader: Tom Glenn, Ace Hardware (Tennessee)
- Community: Louisville, Kentucky
- Company: CVS Caremark
The 2010 Champion Award is bestowed to the Individual Leader, Community and Company who displayed exceptional leadership, vision and commitment to create local private/public partnerships dedicated to ensuring that youth have the structures and supports needed to be ready for work. All are invited to nominate winners for the 2011 Champion Award.
Business Engagement Toolkit Released
November 12, 2010
We are pleased to announce that Corporate Voices and United Way Worldwide, in partnership with Workforce Strategy Center, have just released Supporting the Education Pipeline: A Business Engagement Toolkit for Community-Based Organizations, which will assist community leaders in creating beneficial and sustainable partnerships with business by providing lessons on how to identify potential partners, make realistic goals and how to set up partnerships for long-term success. A companion website has been developed, which is a clearinghouse of tips, tools, resources and examples of techniques others in the education and workforce fields have used to engage business. We encourage individuals to upload successful business engagement documents and strategies to the website.
The Big Tent Conference: Quickly Approaching
October 29, 2010
The first-ever Big Tent Conference, an unprecedented gathering of youth-serving leaders, educators, advocates, and young people, will have inspiring speakers, 150+ practical workshops and community building to advance the health and well-being of families and children. Corporate Voices, along with the Ready by 21 National Partnership and dozens of other national youth serving organizations, is partnering with Search Institute on this conference. Bringing together thousands of professionals and youth from all youth-serving sectors, this first of its kind conference will energize and inspire those of us committed to the success of children and youth in our communities.
Business and Education Partnerships Webinar
October 7, 2010
On Thursday, October 7, 2010, the American Association of School Administrators and Corporate Voices for Working Families, both members of the Ready by 21 National Partnership, highlighted the benefits of business and education partnerships and provided tips for engaging and sustaining these partnerships.
Alice Campbell, Senior Director, Global Community Relations, at Baxter International Inc., a Corporate Voices' member company, highlighted their Science@Work Partnership with Chicago Public Schools. Dr. Jim Scales, Superintendent, of Hamilton County Schools also highlighted three business and education partnerships taking place in Tennessee.
Please feel free to view the slides and the presentation at any time.
Quarterly Ready by 21 Working Group Call
September 24, 2010
Corporate Voices hosted the quarterly Ready by 21 Working Group Call on Friday, September 24, 2010. The working group was provided with an update of Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 accomplishments over the last quarter and potential opportunities to get involved in the work. They also received an overview of the Ready by 21 National Partnership and the specific role each national partner plays through this work. This call kicked-off the idea of Peer-to-Peer Learning among the companies which will be built upon in their first in-person meeting on December 7, 2010. The participating organizations included Altria Client Services, Inc., CVS/Caremark, Ford Motor Company Fund, The TJX Companies, Inc., and the Forum for Youth Investment.
Upcoming Webinar: Building Business and Education Partnerships, Common Goals, Unique Strengths, October 7th at 2p.m. EST
Educators and business leaders must create meaningful, successful, and long lasting partnerships to ensure that all youth are ready for college, work and life. Collaboration between business and education can ensure that students graduate high school equipped with the skills necessary to thrive in the workplace, post-secondary education and life. The American Association of School Administrators and Corporate Voices for Working Families, members of the Ready by 21 National Partnership, will highlight the benefits of these partnerships and provide tips for engaging educators and business leaders. Hear from real business leaders and educators who have led successful private and public partnerships. Baxter International Inc., a Corporate Voices Member Company, will be providing an overview of their Science@Work Project with Chicago Public Schools. Both business and education representatives are encouraged to participate. To register, please visit here.
For a complete copy of the brief, please visit here.
Inaugural Ready by 21 Working Group Call
Corporate Voices held the inaugural Ready by 21 Working Group Call on Thursday, June 24, 2010. The working group was provided with an overview of Ready by 21 and Corporate Voices' role in the Ready by 21 National Partnership. There was heavy discussion around the strategy and focus of the working group and how the companies can get involved in Ready by 21 on the local and national level. The participating organizations included, Abbot Nutrition, Altria Client Services, Inc., CVS/Caremark, Ford Motor Company Fund, and Knowledge Learning Corp.
Karen Pittman Testifies on the Whole Child & ESEA Reauthorization
On Thursday, April 22nd, Karen Pittman, founder and executive director of the Forum for Youth Investment and the creator of Ready by 21, participated in a roundtable discussion held by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
The hearing, titled "Meeting the Needs of the Whole Student," sought ideas from leading experts about how federal policy can better support efforts to address the holistic needs of youth, since students who are healthy, safe, and engaged in learning are more likely to succeed. Karen urged the lawmakers to broaden their vision around ESEA, the nation's top federal investment in the K-12 system, to include a wide range of supports for families, community organizations-and employers, "who provide students with opportunities to apply their learning, pursue their interests and build social capital." And she quoted extensive research from Corporate Voices, among others, on what it takes to prepare students for productive, lifelong careers.
Watch a video and download the testimony here.