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PRESS RELEASE Contact: Carmon Cunningham (617) 728-4446 ccunningham@jff.org   NATIONAL COLLABORATION ANNOUNCES TOOLS FOR IMPROVING LOCAL WORKFORCES Show How Employers Can Help Workers and Job Seekers to Succeed Boston, MA, February 7, 2003   Workforce Innovation Networks—WINs—announces a series of resources for engaging employers in workforce development. These tools will produce two sets of benefits: they will improve the economic prospects of job-seekers and workers, while also meeting the needs of businesses for employees at the entry-level and above. Launched in 1997, WINs is a collaboration of Boston-based Jobs for the Future, the Center for Workforce Preparation of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Center for Workforce Success of the National Association of Manufacturers. A basic principle of WINs is that efforts to help individuals succeed must provide education and training that meet employer needs for knowledge and high skills. Yet the top challenge faced by the people and organizations who serve either constituency—job seekers or employers—is the challenge of working effectively with employers. WINs asked a group of workforce development professionals, "What is the primary workforce development challenge facing your community?" Half the respondents answered, "Employers are not connected to the system." WINs also asked, "What is the biggest challenge you face in implementing the Workforce Investment Act?" Over 40 percent of respondents said, "Engaging employers." Between 1997 and 2002, WINs laid the groundwork for involving employers and their organizations in the workforce development system. Drawing on this experience, Jobs for the Future has prepared a series of resources on meeting the challenge of engaging employers in this system. The resources are:  Employer-Led Organizations and Career Ladders From Stakeholders to Partners: Organizing Community Partnerships for Workforce Development High-Leverage Governance Strategies for Workforce Development Systems High-Leverage Human Resource Strategies for Employers Mentoring Working Together on Worker Training  WINs works with local employer organizations, such as chambers of commerce, that are on the cutting-edge of workforce development. It tests the proposition that these organizations can play a unique intermediary role in achieving a dual goal: Improving the economic prospects of disadvantaged job-seekers and workers; and Meeting the needs of their member firms for employees at the entry level and above. ###   Jobs for the Future seeks to accelerate the educational and economic advancement of youth and adults struggling in today's economy. JFF partners with leaders in education, business, government, and communities around the nation to: strengthen opportunities for youth to succeed in postsecondary learning and high-skill careers; increase opportunities for low-income individuals to move into family-supporting careers; and meet the growing economic demand for knowledgeable and skilled workers. For more information about Jobs for the Future, please visit the Web site at www.jff.org.