Rework America Alliance Announces Its Initial Resources to Help Job Seekers Displaced By COVID-19, Expands Partners

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Dec 16, 2020, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Markle Foundation's Rework America Alliance, a unique partnership of civil rights organizations, nonprofits, private sector employers, labor organizations and educators, is releasing the first of a new suite of resources to help unemployed job seekers move into better jobs.

With many workers facing the possibility they will not be able to return to the jobs they held before the pandemic, and other low wage workers seeking better jobs with higher wages, the first tools being released by the Alliance include an innovative new resume builder to help job seekers show how skills from their past experience are relevant to new jobs as the economy recovers. The Alliance is also releasing new training for career coaches that can be accessed remotely so they can provide better guidance to workers looking to move into good jobs. Working with employers, the Alliance is also developing resources to support job growth and drive greater racial equity in hiring and workforce practices.

The Alliance brings together deeply committed partners, including the National Urban League, NAACP, UnidosUS, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Google, IBM, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, North America's Building Trades Unions, Workday and other leading businesses, training and workforce organizations. These partners are joined by an expanding list of new members, including Boeing, Burning Glass Technologies, CVS Health, Zurich North America, and nonprofit partners, Patrick J McGovern Foundation, Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (Rural LISC), WorkRise, and Center for Employment Opportunities.

"We must drive an economic recovery that enables low income workers, particularly people of color, to achieve greater equity and economic mobility," said Zoë Baird, CEO and President of Markle. "The Alliance partner organizations are deeply connected within their communities. They will lead collaborations to share these resources to help unemployed workers move into good jobs."

"The pandemic triggered the most unequal recession in modern U.S. history," National Urban League President Marc H. Morial said. "Low-wage workers lost their jobs at eight times the rate of more affluent workers, and many of them have fallen into the ranks of the permanently unemployed. The depth of this crisis cries out for Rework America Alliance's bold agenda, and we are proud to work with this forward-thinking and deeply committed coalition of partners."

Markle formed the Rework America Alliance to support an inclusive recovery for unemployed and low wage workers, particularly people of color, who are disproportionately impacted by the current economic and health crisis. The Alliance will help millions of workers, regardless of formal education, move into good jobs by accelerating the development of a nationally scaled system of worker training aligned to jobs that employers will need to fill.

Going forward, Alliance partners will provide additional resources that support the end-to-end process of connecting workers to good jobs. The Alliance will help those most in need of support by working closely with organizations nationwide which are already making a difference in the communities they serve. The Alliance's integrated set of capabilities will include job market insights on roles that are most relevant to workers who have been displaced; guidance on affordable, effective training options that connect workers with good jobs; better training and support for career coaches so they can more effectively support workers in their job search; and resources that will drive employers to increase the hiring, training and advancement of people who have previously been overlooked or excluded.

The First of a New Suite of Digital Resources for Worker-Facing Organizations and Employers Includes:

Rework America Alliance's new resume builder, Skill My Resume, developed in partnership with workforce data experts Emsi. This free tool creates a skills-based resume which draws on data from thousands of job postings to help job seekers use their past experience to create a resume with the skills employers are looking for. Career coaches can use this tool to show job seekers how their past jobs can be applied to other roles or sectors for which employers are hiring.
The Alliance is also working with employers to drive the adoption of more equitable hiring practices that open opportunities for more workers. Developed with input from leading employers and small businesses, the first new resources for employers include the Rework America Alliance Sourcing and Hiring Playbook which provides a guide to hiring workers from more diverse backgrounds and recognizing talent in candidates that may otherwise be overlooked, without relying solely on credentials such as a four year college degree.

In early 2021, the Alliance will provide new labor market insights through an interactive data tool to highlight good jobs that employers are hiring for and how these align with the skills many displaced workers already possess. To help workers move into good jobs, the Alliance is also creating resources that will provide actionable, vital information on training options that succeed in preparing workers for good jobs with strong career mobility potential, including community college, online and union training programs.

Additional remote career coaching training modules will also be released. The Alliance will be collaborating with worker-serving organizations — including Alliance partners the National Urban League, UnidosUS, Goodwill Industries International and Rural LISC — to bring these resources to workers who have been hard hit by the current economic crisis.

About The Markle Foundation
The Markle Foundation challenges itself and diverse partners to deploy their varied expertise to identify solutions to critical public problems and achieve systemic change. Today as advanced technology and automation change the very nature of work, Markle's priority is advancing solutions toward a labor market that will enable workers in America to move into good jobs in the digital economy. Markle's workforce initiatives include Skillful and Rework America, and most recently, the Rework America Alliance. They follow Markle's success in creating the policy and technology architecture that has enabled improvements in healthcare, national security, and access to the Internet. For more information, visit markle.org, follow @MarkleFdn and @ReworkAmerica on Twitter, and read our book, America's Moment.