Resource Library
Past Conference Presentations
TAWB Quarterly Meeting - August 1 & 2, 2023Arlington, Texas
TAWB Executive Directors Council Annual Retreat - August 3, 2023
Advocacy
NAWB 2023 Legislative Priorities
With the help of our members, NAWB is proud to release our 2023 Legislative Priorities, which focus on leveraging WDBs’ positions as the convenors, collaborators, and navigators of the workforce ecosystem to better align federal workforce programs.
House Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Letter
TAWB was one of more than 20 state workforce associations and other workforce organizations to sign on to a letter provided to the US House Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations Subcommittee earlier this month. The Subcommittee is taking written testimony on its FY24 priorities.
National Association of Workforce Board Workforce Advocacy Toolkit
Utilize NAWB's Workforce Advocacy Toolkit to assist in your advocacy efforts as NAWB continues to champion investments in our nation’s workforce.
BLU Federal Legislative Agenda for Congress
A new 2022 Business Leaders United (BLU) Federal Legislative Agenda for Congress that continues decade long advocacy efforts to promote solutions that help build a skilled workforce that businesses need to grow and thrive.
Stand for Your Mission – Advocacy
Initiated by BoardSource — together with the Alliance for Justice, the Campion Foundation, the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the National Council of Nonprofits — the Stand for Your Mission campaign seeks to unleash the full potential of the nonprofit sector to create positive impact by engaging board leaders more directly in the advocacy work of their organizations.
What is Advocacy?
Advocacy helps nonprofits advance their mission, increase their funding sources, and solve community and societal problems. Many nonprofit organizations’ missions address the needs, misfortunes, and inadequacies of individuals and communities, and even help individuals and communities aspire and dream for a better quality of life.
Board Governance
A Nonprofit Board’s Dynamics and Processes — FAQs
Are you interested in becoming a more accountable, efficient, and productive board of directors? Dive into the many questions that leaders have shared with BoardSource over the last 30 years and get the answers that our experts have supplied to learn about board dynamics and processes.
Skill Sets of Exceptional Partners
Collaboration takes a variety of skills to ensure success. Whether it’s between your peers, other nonprofits, or community groups, meaningful partnerships always begin with individual, interpersonal, and group skills. Discover the different attributes, processes, and knowledge to strive for with this downloadable infographic.
Mastering Strategic Planning for Nonprofits
Strategic planning and vision-casting for years ahead can seem daunting, especially if you haven’t had much experience developing a strategic plan before, but Nonprofit Megaphone has you covered — from the basics on building a foundation to industry-leading examples, explore the ins-and-outs of how to strategically plan for the future.
Integrity Is Foundational to Leadership
Leading with integrity means keeping your word, following your values in public but also when no one is watching, and letting others know your intentions so they can hold you accountable, writes coach, educator and author McKinlee Covey.
Taking action on board diversity: 5 questions to get you started
At the most fundamental level, who serves on a board impacts how it functions and the decisions it makes. While board composition is not one-size-fits all, a board that is homogeneous in any way risks having blind spots that negatively impact its ability to make the best decisions and plans for the organization.
Reimagining Boards for High Impact - An Introduction and Invitation
Extensive research and experience have shown that addressing shared goals at a network level and cultivating trust-based relationships offer the clearest path toward greater efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of impact. Over a dozen nonprofit leaders share their stories, bringing to life the best practices of both purpose-driven board leadership and network leadership.
Eight Ways to Increase Your Board’s Ability to Work as a Team
Teamwork, especially in nonprofit leadership, is key to remaining mission-minded and focused on the strategic plan. Explore this downloadable, eight-step guide to learn how to build a strong, unified, and communicative board.
Handling Conflict During Board Meetings
Interpersonal relationships play a large role in a nonprofit’s day-to-day success, so facilitating healthy communication practices and managing conflict well is important for board leadership. Use these tips for conflict resolution to learn how to handle conflict well and strengthen your team.
Five Barriers to Advancing Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Within Boards
These 5 barriers call out areas of opportunities for boards to reflect upon and make progress towards. Inside the full 7-page resource you will find 10 opportunities centered around ways boards can prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion, not only on the board level, but also on the individual level.
Ensure You Know Your Roles and Responsibilities
Determine if you check all the boxes when it comes to handling your obligations.
Prioritizing Diversity in the Boardroom
While nonprofits are moving in the right direction in many ways, one of the areas that needs to be addressed continually is board diversity. Your board will benefit greatly by including individuals of different backgrounds. Start prioritizing diversity in the boardroom and see the positive results.
Career Pathways
If Not Now, When? The Urgent Need for an All-One-System Approach to Youth Policy
If Not Now, When? The Urgent Need for an All-One-System Approach to Youth Policy makes the case that the United States’ disjointed approach to youth policy has failed young people. In the current fragmented system, pre-K–12, postsecondary education, and the workforce operate in silos that allow many young people to fall through the cracks. In its place, the country needs an all-one-system approach that supports youth on their journey through education and training and into careers.
Career & Technical Education (CTE)
ACT Workforce Solutions
From the ACT® WorkKeys® Assessments and Curriculum, to the National Career Readiness Certificate® (NCRC®), ACT offers leading workforce development solutions for businesses and communities.
Tools to Assess and Teach Soft Skills
TAWB Webinar provided by The Conover Company on December 9 addressing the need to assess and teach soft skills, how to give participants an opportunity to earn a soft skills credential, and the top soft skills employers are looking for.
The Role of Community and Technical Colleges in Workforce Education
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to accelerate changes in the labor market, community and technical colleges are increasingly seen as essential institutions to provide workforce education. While two-year institutions have the reach, scale and infrastructure to deliver the upskilling that will be needed in years ahead, policymakers are challenged with a lack of data on workforce education. To address this information gap, Opportunity America, in collaboration with the Lumina Foundation and Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, recently published a report on noncredit and credit workforce education programs using survey responses from more than 600 public two-year institutions.
Economic Development
Economic Competitiveness One-pager
Life After COVID 19: Technologies, Trends, and Practices to Ponder in the Post-pandemic Economy
Presentation by Richard Froeschle, Senior Economist at the Texas State Technical College System, at the TAWB 4th Quarter meetings on November 17, 2021.
Education
Developing a Thriving Teacher Workforce in Texas: Teacher Vacancy Task Force Final Report, February 2023
The Teacher Vacancy Task Force (TVTF) was established in March 2022 by Governor Abbott to examine teacher retention and recruitment challenges across Texas. Through examining research and evidence, considering the perspectives of educators across the state, and continuous stakeholder input, the TVTF developed recommendations focused on support for teachers in the key areas of teacher compensation, training and support, and working conditions.
The State of Readiness: Are Texas Students Prepared for Life After High School?
The George W. Bush Institute and Texas 2036’s new report details how Texas students do not have the knowledge and skills to succeed as they move on to the next grade level, much less in the workforce.
The Texas School Readiness Dashboard
The new Texas School Readiness Dashboard by Texans Care for Children highlights where children are struggling most and provides recommendations for what policymakers can do.
Making the Connection: Aligning Advising to Improve Postsecondary Access and Success
Education Strategy Group recently released a new microsite – Making the Connection: Aligning Advising to Improve Postsecondary Access and Success – that makes the case for prioritizing alignment of advising across K-12 and postsecondary education. It shares action steps and resources for different stakeholders, including secondary education, postsecondary education, state government, federal government, nonprofits and college access organizations, and philanthropies.
50-State Comparison: Dual/Concurrent Enrollment Policies
Recently, Education Commission of the States compiled dual enrollment policies across all 50 states to create a comprehensive resource that lets users explore and compare states’ policies. Included in the resource is information on student access, eligibility requirements, course offerings, funding and program quality.
Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative Final Report 2020
Linking Education and Workforce: Spurring Economic Growth Across Texas.
The Workforce in Texas: Aligning Education to Meet the Needs of Texas Employers
2014 TAWB Education Paper.
Labor Market Information
Texas Labor Market Review
Monthly newsletter produced by TWC Labor Market and Career Information Department covering issues relating to the Texas economy.
Veterans
Veterans' Guide to Vocational Schools and Apprenticeship Programs
Breakdown of the different benefits available to veterans for non-traditional postsecondary education and review other important details such as eligibility, costs, and making the transition from soldier to working civilian.
Work Based Learning
Apprenticeship Resources by State
This guide will cover apprenticeship basics and walk you through the need-to-know information on this popular alternative career approach.
Apprentices “Earn While They Learn” to Build a Clean Energy Future
Today, apprentices continue to make critical contributions to our country’s economy, infrastructure, and industry. While apprenticeship thrive across a range of industries, the construction sector has particularly benefited from this training model, which has maintained a skilled and trained workforce to keep up with changing industry demands. Now, with the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), apprentices are assured a vital role in supporting the clean energy transition.
The Options Multiplier: Decoding the CareerWise Youth Apprentice Journey
New research from the Project on Workforce draws on a novel dataset from CareerWise Colorado to explore the key drivers of retention and completion for youth apprentices.
States Bolster Transportation Workforce Through Apprenticeship Programs
The National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices is working with four states – Connecticut, Idaho, Oregon and North Carolina – to utilize IIJA funds to scale pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.
WE CAN TX: Workforce and Education Community College Apprenticeship Network in Texas
WE CAN TX is a peer-learning network that brings together leaders from across the state to support building education-to-workforce pathways that lead Texans to livable-wage jobs. Leaders from community colleges and workforce organizations partner to develop and expand innovative, modern work-based learning experiences and academic structures (e.g. internships and youth apprenticeships) that address employer needs in high-demand careers.
TXWORKS Internship Program
TXWORKS is an internship program that works with Texas undergraduate college students and Texas Employers to develop and provide paid internship opportunities. These internships are funded in part by the State of Texas. Students employed through the program attend public or private higher education institutions in Texas while exploring career options, developing, and improving career readiness, and strengthening workforce skills.
Research Roundup: Work-based Learning
State Work-based Learning Toolkits: State work-based learning (WBL) toolkits provide guidance to educators, administrators and other career development professionals about effective WBL program implementation in that state.
Women and Parents in the Texas Workforce: Building a Path to Apprenticeship
A robust future for the state’s workforce demands a more robust and equitable approach to work-based learning initiatives.
Promising Approaches for Connecting Opportunity Youth to Registered Apprenticeships
JFF’s new online resource outlines effective approaches to designing and running apprenticeship programs for opportunity youth—people ages 16 to 24 who aren’t in school and aren’t working.
Improving Apprenticeship Outcomes Through Skills Alignment: A Toolkit for Apprenticeship Quality
Discover strategies for revitalizing apprenticeships and meeting expectations for completion rates and alignment to in-demand skills
Workforce Policy/Operations
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the One-Stop Delivery System
Congressional Research Service Report updated September 26, 2022.
Workforce and Labor Policy: Resources for Congressional Staff
This report serves as a starting point for congressional staff assigned to cover issues related to federal workforce and labor programs and policies. The report outlines federal workforce and labor programs and benefits, congressional committees of jurisdiction, statistical sources, laws, regulations, and other sources of data.
Texas Workforce Commission Annual Report 2021
Summary of TWC and Texas Workforce Solutions achievements and financial status in the previous year.
Evaluation 2022: Accomplishments and Outcomes of the Texas Workforce System
This report from the Texas Workforce Investment Council is the seventh annual evaluation report for The Texas Workforce System Strategic Plan FY 2016–FY 2023. The focal point is a balanced scorecard that presents outcome and trend data for system performance.
Texas Workforce Investment Council Annual Report
The Council’s annual report summarizes the activities and products of the Council during the previous fiscal year.
Workforce Training
Digital Credentials and Today's Workforce
Pat Leonard, vice president at Pearson (formerly Credly), discusses the importance of learners being able to tout their accomplishments through digital badging, including earning the ACT® WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate® (NCRC®). Watch as Pat discusses the importance of skill building for workforce resilience and ways for job seekers of all ages to easily showcase their skills to employers.
Closing the Digital Skill Divide
The National Skills Coalition, in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, has released Closing the Digital Skill Divide - a real-time snapshot of demand for digital skills in the U.S. labor market.
CLOSING THE SKILLS GAP: Employer perspectives on educating the post-pandemic workforce
As organizations adapt to a post-pandemic world,many stumble on the skills gap — a significant disparity between the skills needed to achieve their goals and their workforce’s capabilities. Wiley Inc. surveyed 600 human resources professionals to capture insights for addressing this challenge.
Recruiting and retaining the best: Transit workforce best practices
Transit agencies now have the federal funding needed to develop a world-class transit workforce, but pulling it off is another question. We’ve compiled strategies for success from agencies that have implemented real solutions to empower their operator and maintenance workforce.
Department of Labor Grants
The U.S. Department of Labor releases a mapping tool to help find active grants across the U.S.
Tips for Training your Workforce Remotely
The pandemic changed how we work, with more employees working from home than ever before. But remote workers bring on some new and different challenges for employers that weren’t there before the pandemic. This resource from HotDog.com provides guidance on the best ways to train your workforce remotely.
Coming Soon!
|
