On December 7th, the SkillsFWD initiative, led by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors with funding support from Ascendium Education Group, the Charles Koch Foundation, Strada Education Foundation, Walmart and others, announced six inaugural grantees, each receiving up to $1.5 million to catalyze a more equitable skills-based hiring ecosystem. Of those six grantees, Learning Economy Foundation is proud to serve as a technical partner for three of the six coalitions across the US.
Accelerate Montana
Accelerate Montana will pilot statewide adoption of LERs among employers of all sizes in the construction trades and technology industries across urban, rural, and tribal communities. In partnership with BrightHive and DXtera Institute, LearnCloud will serve as the core LER infrastructure for this project.
ColoradoFWD
ColoradoFWD, a flagship ecosystem for LEF, will leverage LERs to efficiently match skills and talent to opportunity, promote economic mobility, and empower learners and earners in order to address urgent direct care and behavioral healthcare talent shortages in the state. Building on years of investment, Learning Economy will provide ongoing thought leadership, technical support, and digital wallet infrastructure via LearnCloud.
Scaling the Skills-Based Workforce System in CT
Scaling the Skills-Based Workforce System in CT will expand the state’s existing skills-based hiring infrastructure, leveraging LERs to bridge the skills gap, foster equitable and effective employment practices, and set a scalable model for nationwide, demand-driven workforce development. Learning Economy will provide technical guidance and LER implementation services for this project.
“We’re thrilled to support such a wide-range of impactful projects”, says LEF CEO Chris Purifoy. “These initiatives will allow us to scale the impact of our work and support a new demographic of learners, earners, educators and employers across the country”.
SkillsFWD projects officially start in January, and continue until mid-2025. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions, or subscribe to the LEF email list to stay up to date on the latest from these projects and more.
