Innovating for a More Inclusive, Equitable Workforce

The COVID-19 recession has been perhaps the most unequal in modern history, with women, people of color, and low-income workers being hit disproportionately hard. And there’s increasing evidence of a k-shaped recovery, with more educated, more affluent workers and families back to normal—financially, at least—while others are still in deep pain.

But this week brought a reminder that we can change that trajectory, and that hundreds of innovative education institutions, companies, and nonprofits are working to do just that.

Be the Change

MIT Solve, along with CSU Global and several other partners, announced the winners of its latest challenge, Reimagining Pathways to Employment in the U.S. They included an organization focused on creating career pathways for the formerly incarcerated, an app aimed at democratizing entrepreneurship, and a new model for apprenticeships in the creative fields. All are designed to expand opportunity for women and people of color.

Particularly dear to our own work is Generation USA, which provides free, bootcamp-style job training and placement support to unemployed and underemployed adults. When COVID-19 hit, it quickly retooled its formerly in-person programs and wraparound supports to be fully online. Given the tremendous need for services, the organization also redesigned its staffing model to enable it to serve far more participants, while preserving quality. It’s leaders have set an ambitious goal of training 500,000 people by 2030. As they said in their pitch, “it is clear that reskilling and reconnecting people to living-wage jobs is needed on a larger scale than anyone previously imagined.”

When Time is of the Essence

This work mirrors a new approach at CSU Global — where we’re launching shorter-term programs even as we double-down on the promise of high-quality online degree programs. It’s clear that far more Americans than ever before need timely, relevant training and credentials that both allow them to secure a well-paying job now and to grow in their career into the future.

Our new Direct Path Education programs in technology, first responder, and healthcare are designed to do just that. By working closely with individual employers and industry leaders, we’ve ensured the curriculum is aligned with immediate workforce needs and is designed to actually teach the skills that people need.

This new approach required us to think beyond the status quo, something that was evident in the work of all the MIT Solve winners as well. With a continued commitment to that kind of innovation, we can make real progress. We can change the trajectory of this recession and recovery—and build connections between education and career that can power opportunity and equity long-term.

We have reason to be optimistic, if we’re willing to think beyond the status quo.