The West Michigan Works! Workforce Development Board was presented with the 2019 WIOA Trailblazer Award in a ceremony at the NAWB Forum in Washington D.C. The award, which is an initiative of the NAWB, recognizes innovation and leadership in developing and delivering workforce solutions in the community. In this episode, Jacob Maas, CEO of West Michigan Works! joins the program to discuss some of innovative practices happening in his region, the importance of developing partnerships, and shares advice and tips for success.

Steve Wooderson, CEO of the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), Rita Martin, Deputy Director of CSAVR, and Kathy West-Evans, Director of Business Relations for CSAVR, ,join the program to discuss the impact that technology has had on vocational rehabilitation, the changing demographics of who is served, as well as industry trends.

Tamar Jacoby, President of Opportunity America, and Anne Kim, Vice President of Domestic Policy at The Progressive Policy Institute, join the program to discuss the report Work, Skills, Community: Restoring Opportunity for the Working Class – a slate of bipartisan proposals to create jobs, train and retrain workers and revitalize blue-collar communities.

Russell Krumnow, Director of Economic Mobility and Poverty Project at Convergence and Lisa Schumacher. Director of Education Strategies at McDonald's Corporation join the program to discuss how to close the education gap for low-wage workers. Discover how Convergence is creating dialogues between stakeholders with differing views, and how they are coming together to break down barriers for workers.

Oren Cass, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and author of "The Once and Future Worker- A Vision of Work in America" joins the program to discuss trends for the future of work, the impact that technology will have on workers, and the cultural importance of work. Oren reveals his thoughts about how we can rethink our assumptions about work and education, and how to ensure that every American has an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to society.

To order Oren's book, visit https://www.amazon.com/Once-Future-Worker-Renewal-America/dp/1641770147/

Jim McCutcheon, CEO of HighGrove Partners, LLC and Teddy Russell, CEO of Russell Landscape Companies, join the program to discuss the benefits of landscaping as a career and the breadth of jobs available. They also reveal misconceptions about the industry, as well as future trends.

Dr. Isabel Sawhill, senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution , joins the program to discuss her book The Forgotten Americans: An Economic Agenda for a Divided Nation. Dr. Sawhill addresses the enormous divisions in American society—economic, cultural, and political—and what might be done to bridge them. She reveals the core values of the segment of the U.S. population that she calls "The Forgotten Americans", and what they are looking for from work and from their employers.

To learn more and to get a copy of the book, visit https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Americans-Economic-Agenda-Divided/dp/0300230362

Jonathan Blitt, CEO of Aztec Software, joins the program to discuss the need for personalized adult education and distance learning and the impact it can have on the labor market. He also reveals the most in-demand skills for employers and surprising places to find new talent.

This episode features an interview with Robert Doar, the Morgridge Fellow in Poverty Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Robert discusses how connecting low-income individuals to job opportunities is a key piece of lifting people out of poverty, and how to combine job placement efforts with additional assistance in order to get the best results.

This epiosde features Clark Coco, dean of Washburn Institute of Technology in Topeka, Kansas as he discusses National CTE Letter of Intent Signing Day, a national event that recognizes students beginning career and technical education.

The National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) is sponsoring the sixth annual National CTE Letter of Intent Signing Day across the country on February 21st, 2019. The event mirrors the NCAA’s National Signing Day for athletes who commit to play sports in college, but instead of athletes, NC3’s Signing Day is designed to honor students who are entering a technical field and to celebrate the dignity of work.