Tag: Workforce Inclusion

How State and Local Efforts Are Leading the Way on Data Collection to Better Serve Immigrants and Refugees

In April 2024, the United States Department of Labor released the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Final Report, which analyzes barriers to economic inclusion as well as strategies for overcoming them. In its analysis of currently available resources, the report highlights the need for additional data on internationally trained immigrant and refugee job seekers. […]

Bridging the Language Gap: Empowering Immigrant Professionals Through Contextualized English Programs

Published in March 2024, the Department of Labor’s Bridging the Gap for New Americans report explores the barriers faced by internationally educated immigrants and refugees who seek to resume their careers in the United States. With our labor market increasingly in need of their skills and experience, the report highlights a key factor in workforce […]

Workforce Navigation Programs Fostering Inclusive Economies Across States 

In April, the U.S. Department of Labor released its Bridging the Gap for New Americans study of the barriers and opportunities facing internationally educated immigrants and refugees seeking to resume their careers in the United States. The study provides needed guidance for local, state, and federal stakeholders to further strengthen the inclusion of these workers […]

How Two Immigrant-Led Organizations Are Harnessing an Opportunity to Create a More Inclusive Health Care Workforce

  The United States faces growing health care workforce shortages, which are only expected to increase in the coming decade with projections estimating a national shortfall of over 900,000 nurses and up to 124,000 physicians by the year 2030. To address this issue, analysts and policymakers have begun looking to immigrants and refugees with health […]

Celebrating the Completion of the SIIP 2022-2023 Program Year

In early August, the 2022-2023 Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) cohort held its final quarterly call, culminating the successful launch of a new iteration of the program’s structure. The 16 participating communities[1] collaborated in sub-cohorts that centered on four thematic focus areas: Advancing and Retaining Internationally Skilled Employees, Creating Career Navigation Tools and Resources, Developing […]

Serving Internationally Trained Professionals in AEFLA-Funded Programs

Internationally trained professionals (ITPs) – a population that has long been served by adult education programs – bring many assets that range from credentials earned in other countries to fluency and literacy in multiple languages, professional work experience, and experience with building social capital. How can adult education programs best support and leverage these unique […]

Recently Introduced Federal Legislation Could Alleviate Health Care Shortages While Addressing Immigrant and Refugee Underemployment

Communities across the United States are facing severe health workforce shortages. The American Hospital Association (AHA) predicts a “shortage of up to 3.2 million health care workers by 2026.” While the shortages will be felt across all health-related occupations, the AHA projects a shortfall of up to 124,000 physicians by 2033, and the health care […]

Empowering Internationally Trained Immigrants: Insights from a Group Mentoring Program

In 2022, WES Global Talent Bridge set out to lead a new mentoring initiative. Using a train-the-trainer model, the Global Talent Leadership Network (GTLN), an initiative of WES Global Talent Bridge, and JVS Toronto provided technical assistance over ten months to three organizations. The initiative supported two program rounds of industry-specific group mentoring. One Immigrant’s […]

Celebrating Immigrant and Refugee Educators in Maine on National Teacher Appreciation Day

In 2015, Nabaa Alobaidi resettled in Portland, Maine, having fled her home in Iraq as a refugee. With a master’s degree and experience practicing interior design and teaching at the university level, she hoped to continue her craft and her love of teaching. At a time when schools across the country are facing chronic teacher […]

The IMPRINT Coalition Submits Recommendations to White House Task Force on New Americans

Last week, the IMPRINT Coalition submitted a set of policy recommendations to the White House Task Force on New Americans to support the workforce inclusion of internationally trained immigrants and refugees. The IMPRINT Coalition comprises 29 member organizations from across the U.S.—including service providers, advocates, and educational institutions—that are committed to increasing access to economic […]

State Investments Address Workforce Challenges

Across the United States, workforce shortages are deepening. Essential sectors like health care and education have been particularly hard-hit, with critical staffing gaps affecting hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and other key institutions across the country. At the same time, more than two million immigrants and refugees who have at least a bachelor’s degree are unemployed […]

Driving Systemic Change: New Oregon Bill Would Open Pathway to Practice for Internationally Trained Immigrants

Forced to flee Myanmar because of political persecution, Win Mar Lar Kyin eventually resettled in Oregon, leaving her family behind. Since then systemic barriers, including the lack of recognition of international credentials, have prevented Win from resuming her career as a primary care physician—despite having 12 years of experience practicing medicine in Myanmar. “With my […]