The partnership, managed by United Way of Greater Cincinnati with major support from National Fund for Workforce Solutions and local funders, was recognized for its demonstrated success and progress in supporting workforce partnerships, implementing a well-defined systems change strategy, engaging key stakeholders, and putting in place a sustainable strategy.
“Partners for a Competitive Workforce was recognized as an exemplary collaborative because of their achievements in transforming how low-wage workers acquire the skills they need to obtain good careers,” said Fred Dedrick, National Fund for Workforce Solutions executive director. “They are a leader in this work and their ambitious goals move the field forward.”
“Our partners that have come together through Partners for a Competitive Workforce are proving that when many organizations join together across sectors, across the region to tackle the skills gap, we can achieve breakthrough results for employers and workers,” said John Prout, chair of Partners for a Competitive Workforce and president and CEO of TriHealth, Inc. “This national award is a great recognition of the strength of our partners.”
The Chairman’s Award is presented to a collaborative that has a clear vision and follows a clear regional workforce development strategy. The collaborative must also use labor market information and other intelligence on the regional economy to shape and form its strategy.
The focus of the National Fund’s annual meeting, which convened roughly 250 employers and practitioners from 32 regions across the country, is to recognize and build on the success in the National Fund Collaboratives and Partnerships sites. Participants engaged with employers, learned new ideas to promote systems change, recognized exemplary performance and shared lessons learned among the National Fund programs.
