Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1488011
UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT | COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT 2022 | 11 C onnecticut United Ways' ALICE* Report, a study on financial hardship, demonstrates that the cost of living in Connecticut has far outpaced wages. United Way and our partners focus on ensuring that people in our region have access to in-demand jobs through training and education; and, at the same time, that employers have the talent they need to be successful. Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford is a United Way-managed partnership that invests in employer-led and worker-centered approaches to connect job seekers to quality jobs with opportunities for advancement and earnings. We do this because when families earn more than enough to just make ends meet, they are more likely to be financially secure, achieve educational milestones and improve health outcomes. As a result of the generosity of our donors and funders, United Way and our partners connect underemployed adults in our region with meaningful careers within local companies through programs, services and initiatives such as Workforce Solutions. To do this, we focus on industries important to the regional economy and on occupations identified by industry employers and confirmed by labor-market data. Our priority is to serve jobseekers facing LAST YEAR, TOGETHER WE ENSURED 2,807 ADULTS OBTAINED AND RETAINED JOBS OFFERING WAGES THAT SUSTAIN FAMILIES AND PROMOTE CAREER ADVANCEMENT. UNITED WAY IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THE FOLLOWING WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS COLLABORATIVE INVESTORS: • American Savings Foundation • Bank of America • Hartford Foundation for Public Giving • JPMorgan Chase • Liberty Bank Foundation • Middlesex United Way • National Fund for Workforce Solutions • Prudential Foundation • State of Connecticut Department of Labor • United Way Worldwide / Deloitte LLP Together, we can strengthen the workforce in our community. Learn more about all the ways United Way works collaboratively to support workforce development at unitedwayinc.org/ our-work. Pictured (L-R): Monica Perez, Coordinator of Workforce Innovations at Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc.; Taniqua Huguley, Director of Economic Mobility, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut; and, Charles Daniels, Chief Financial Officer, Wepco Plastics attend the National Fund for Workforce Solutions Summit. IMPACT ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT * Asset, Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. barriers to employment, such as women seeking to work in non-traditional careers, young adults, people of color and others who face challenges such as a past record of incarceration. In September 2022, Charles Daniels of Wepco Plastics represented our region on the "Trauma and Resilience: How We Are Shifting Our Workplace" panel at the National Fund for Workforce Solutions Summit in Minneapolis, MN. Daniels has been a longtime leader within the Advanced Manufacturing Employer Partnership (AMEP) through Workforce Solutions. "It's an honor for me to partner with Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford on workforce development strategies and their implementation that have high impact in our region. The fact that these efforts have been nationally recognized highlights that these are best-in- class solutions that will help many people in our community," said Daniels. Due to Daniels' leadership and commitment, Wepco Plastics has been recognized by the National Fund for Workforce Solutions as a "Frontline Forward" employer whose job practices have protected, supported and developed frontline workers throughout the pandemic and beyond.