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Portland, ME: Championing a Vibrant, Inclusive State Workforce with SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
Grappling with an aging population and acute labor shortages, the Portland Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) joined the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) in 2018 with the goal of bolstering the local workforce through immigrant and refugee economic inclusion. For years, business leaders in Portland and throughout Maine had been sounding the alarm on a […]
Louisville, KY: A Regional Collaboration Positioned for Impact through SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
When a cohort of Louisville-based organizations joined the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) in 2017, the region had 30,000 open jobs – 9,000 requiring post-secondary training – and not enough workers to fill them. Local leaders from the Louisville Metro Government Office for Globalization (now called the Louisville Metro Government’s Office for Immigrant Affairs), KentuckianaWorks, […]
Lincoln, NE: Creating a “Ladder” for Immigrant & Refugee Inclusion with SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
Nebraska has a long history as a leading refugee resettlement state, and the recent years have been no exception. In 2019, Lincoln’s New Americans Task Force (NATF) and Employ LNK partnered to join the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) with the goal of expanding and building systems to better support the inclusion of individuals with […]
Buffalo, NY: Continuing a Century of Welcoming with SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
Continuing a 100-year legacy of championing local immigrants and refugees, the International Institute of Buffalo (IIB) joined the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) in 2019 with a goal to better serve a growing yet largely underserved community: immigrants and refugees with education, training, and credentials earned in other countries. As of the 2020 Census, Buffalo’s […]
How an Ohio Network is Advancing the Social Capital of Local Immigrant and Refugee Communities
Sara McElmurry |
Immigrants and refugees in the United States have high levels of post-secondary education, sought-after multilingual skills, and experience in high-demand STEM sectors, including health care—yet at least two million are unemployed or underemployed. A significant barrier to accessing employment opportunities is linked to the prevalence of networking in the U.S., and the fact that immigrants […]
Renewed Call to Action on “Bridging the Gap” Legislation
Jacki Esposito |
A physician with 25 years’ experience as head of a government clinic in Afghanistan’s Herat province came to the United States in 2019. He holds a degree from an Afghan medical college along with nearly 30 health-related trainings and certifications. However, to support his family, he has taken a job stocking shelves at a big-box […]
Advocates Instrumental in Driving More Inclusive Workforce in Maine
Fatima Sanz |
WES Global Talent Bridge is publishing a series of blog posts that highlight the critical work and unique perspectives of the IMPRINT Coalition. The New Mainers Resource Center (NMRC) is a Portland Adult Education program serving immigrants, refugees, and employers in the Greater Portland area. The NMRC’s Program Coordinator, Sally Sutton, has been a leader in advancing […]
Nevada’s Commitment to Welcoming Immigrants and Refugees Drives Growth
Sara McElmurry |
Two decades ago, Nevada was home to just over 100,000 immigrants and refugees, or 8.7 percent of its total population of 1.2 million. Yet as of 2020, the number of people in the state has mushroomed to 3.1 million, with immigration driving much of the growth. Nevada’s population is now 20 percent foreign-born, and the […]
How Community Colleges Provide Workforce Ed to Immigrants and Refugees
Sara McElmurry |
Members of the National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE) will convene on October 6-7, with the timely mission of mobilizing community colleges to activate a workforce that supports the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the nation’s full economic recovery. Rallying around NCWE’s core value of “workforce education for all,” conference session […]
‘Improving Opportunities’ Legislation Passes House with Bipartisan Support
Jacki Esposito |
Last week, bipartisan legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives, putting the United States a step closer to envisioning a workforce that works for all. First introduced in August 2020 as a stand-alone bill with bipartisan support, the Improving Opportunities for New Americans Act was reintroduced in June 2021 with six bipartisan co-sponsors. The legislation […]
How Buffalo’s Commitment to Immigrant Inclusion Reversed Decades of Decline
Sara McElmurry |
The 2020 census revealed a trend that city leaders in Buffalo, New York, had not seen in seven decades: growth. As of last year, the city was home to 278,349 residents, a 6.5 percent increase since 2010. The growth, the first recorded in Buffalo since the 1950 census, is the result of a dedicated effort […]
Advancing Inclusion From Capitol Hill to Local Economies
Sara McElmurry |
WES Global Talent Bridge is publishing a series of blog posts that highlight the critical work and unique perspectives of IMPRINT network members. This month, WES Global Talent Bridge communications and policy consultant Sara McElmurry connected with Jina Krause-Vilmar, president and CEO of Upwardly Global, a national non-profit that eliminates employment barriers for immigrant and […]