Ready and Able: Addressing Labor Market Needs and Building Productive Careers for People with Disabilities through Collaborative Approaches

The report describes market-driven practices that increase hiring, retention, promotion and accommodation of people with disabilities through partnerships with employers.Approaches profiled in the research include: collaborations between major national employers and public sector agencies; models that focus on an industry or occupational sector; private and "alternative" staffing services that place people with disabilities; partnerships that expand opportunities for college students and graduates with disabilities; and local and regional hubs that connect people with disabilities and employers. The research also profiles two organizations where lead disability and employment partnerships act as catalysts

Nonprofit Leadership: A Sampler of Networks, Fellowships, and Workshops

The Leadership Working Group of the Nonprofit Congress (a major initiative of the National Council of Nonprofit Associations) began meeting in February 2007 to examine the status of leadership development throughout the nonprofit sector and attempt to draw conclusions based on what they observed. The product of their research is the report Nonprofit Leadership: A Sampler of Networks, Fellowships, and Workshops. The purpose of this document is to provide information and guidance to those building or growing leadership programs. It includes qualitative reviews of 12 leadership programs throughout the country. This report was just the first step in a larger effort to identify the leadership needs of the sector and provide resources to help fill those needs. The Leadership Working Group has also developed curriculum pieces for nonprofits to use in encouraging intergenerational dialogue and building leadership among all staff. This document, titled "Work With Me: Intergenerational Conversations for Nonprofit Leadership," seeks to provide a means for nonprofit staffers of all generations to discuss the organizational, structural, and emotional barriers to true leadership transfer. For more information on that document, please visit our website: http://www.nonprofitcongress.org/workwithme

Texas' historically underutilized business program : can affirmative action run on good faith?

The State of Texas has long been known for its thriving economy, but it has left many behind on its path to greatness. Systematic and deep-rooted hurdles have stopped minority-owned businesses from being able to flourish in the Lone Star State. Lack of access to capital and difficulty breaking into business circles that white men have dominated for years have plagued these businesses, curtailing their growth. As a result, the state founded the Historically Underutilized Business program nearly 30 years ago to address these barriers to entry. The program seeks to make “good faith” efforts to boost minority-owned businesses by proactively allocating state contracts to these businesses. However, without enforcement or oversight protocols in place, and no repercussions for those who sidestep the program, many minority-owned businesses see the program as obsolete. The statistics agree: the program has not seen any improvement in overall minority-contracting levels in 25 years. While some minorities, like woman-owned businesses, have grown under the program, other minorities, predominantly black-owned businesses, remain stagnant. The disparity has created a cultural and monetary divide between these communities. This rift has led to allegations of corruption and shed a harsh light on persisten issues with the state’s contracting process. Minority-owned businesses have been hesitant to speak out against the program in the fear that they will be blacklisted by the state agencies that distribute the contracts. In recent years, the program’s issues and the divide between minority business owners have come to the forefront of African-American legislators’ minds. Lawmakers are now looking for ways to incentivize the “good faith” program in the hopes that minorities will finally see equal and sustainable success. However, with 25 years of stagnation and no enforcement strategy, business owners are skeptical.Journalis

FEMA's Integration of Preparedness and Development of Robust Regional Offices

In October 2006, Congress enacted major legislation to reform the function and organization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in response to the recognized failures in preparation for and response to Hurricane Katrina. The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (PKEMRA) focused national preparedness responsibilities within FEMA and directed additional resources and responsibilities to FEMA's ten regional offices. Directed by Congress, in October 2008 a National Academy Panel began an independent assessment of FEMA's integration of preparedness functions and progress in development of robust regional offices.Main FindingsOver the past three years, FEMA has taken significant steps in an effort to integrate preparedness and develop more robust regional offices. These efforts, undertaken by both the previous and current Administrations, are documented throughout this report and should be recognized and applauded. However, FEMA has yet to define specific goals and outcomes that would permit it, Congress or the public to determine when preparedness has been fully integrated into all aspects of FEMA's work and whether the development and ongoing operation of robust regional offices has been achieved. In the absence of well-defined, measurable outcome indicators, the National Academy Panel relied upon the assessments of FEMA leaders and staff, documentation provided by FEMA, and a review of secondary sources material to inform its findings and recommendations. Based upon this evidence, the Panel has concluded that, while progress has been made: (1) preparedness is not fully integrated across FEMA, (2) FEMA's regional offices do not yet have the capacity required to ensure the nation is fully prepared, (3) stakeholders are not yet full partners with FEMA in national preparedness, and (4) FEMA has ineffective internal business practices, particularly with regard to human resource management. The Panel made seven recommendations for FEMA:Establish a cross-organizational process, with participation from internal and external stakeholders, to develop a shared understanding of preparedness integrationEstablish a robust set of outcome metrics and standards for preparedness integration, as well as a system to monitor and evaluate progress on an ongoing basisWork to eliminate organizational barriers that are adversely impacting the full integration of preparedness across the agencyContinue to build regional office capacity and monitor implementation consistent with the Administrator's recent policy guidanceUndertake steps to improve the ongoing working relationship between headquarters and the regions in accord with Panel-identified principlesTake steps to improve stakeholder engagement and relationships at all levels in accord with Panel-identified principles; andStrengthen internal business practices, especially in the area of human capital planning

Got Women? Hiring and Retaining Female Information Technology Professionals Through Effective Human Resource Marketing

The current pipeline for information technology (IT) professionals is dismal, with increasing jobs and decreasing applicants. We propose that one solution to this problem is encouraging women to pursue careers in IT. Today, women are underrepresented, and as a result, they comprise an untapped market segment. After discussing the current state of the industry, we propose that HR professionals should take a proactive, marketing approach to the recruitment and retention of women in the IT field. Lastly, we provide specific recommendations and discuss approaches taken by several companies to address this dilemma

Sustaining the Promise: Realizing the Potential of Workforce Intermediaries and Sector Projects

Reviews the outcomes of sector-specific workforce development projects run by intermediaries with a comprehensive, long-term approach. Outlines the challenges of and recommendations for securing sustainability in financing, infrastructure, and operations

AGRICULTURAL ECONOMISTS IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT: RESPONSIBILITIES, OPPORTUNITIES, RISKS, AND PAYOFFS

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Information Systems Skills Differences between High-Wage and Low-Wage Regions: Implications for Global Sourcing

Developing Information Systems (IS) skills for a company’s workforce has always been challenging, but global sourcing growth has caused the determination of needed IS skills to be more complex. The increased use of outsourcing to an IS service provider and from high-wage regions to low-wage regions has affected what IS skills are required globally and how to distribute the workforce to meet these needs. To understand what skills are needed in locations that seek and those that provide outsourcing, we surveyed IS service provider managers in global locations. Results from 126 reporting units provide empirical evidence that provider units in low-wage regions value technical skills more than those in high-wage regions. Despite the emphasis on commodity skills in low-wage areas, high- and low-wage providers value project management skills. Low-wage regions note global and virtual teamwork more than high-wage regions do. The mix of skills and the variation by region have implications for domestic and offshore sourcing. Service providers can vary their staffing models in global regions which has consequences for recruiting, corporate training, and curriculum