Welcoming Communities in Action
Discover how cities, states, provinces, and campuses are working to ensure that newcomers can fully contribute to resilient futures.
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SIIP’s New Name, Same Mission: Building Inclusive Communities Together
Trevor Shealy |
World Education Services (WES) is excited to announce a new name for the SIIP program, reflecting its growing impact and ongoing commitment to fostering inclusion and opportunity. Formerly standing for Skilled Immigrant Integration Program, SIIP will now stand for Strengthening Immigrant Inclusion Program. This change aligns with WES’ evolving strategy to support the educational, economic, […]
From Vision to Impact: Five Years of the Fund Ambassadors Program
Ashley Taylor |
Written by Ashley Taylor, Senior Partnership & Strategy Associate for the Mariam Assefa Fund NEW YORK—(December 19, 2024) This year, we proudly celebrate the fifth year of the Fund Ambassadors Program alongside the WES Mariam Assefa Fund’s five-year anniversary. Since its launch in 2020, the Fund Ambassadors Program has empowered WES staff to have a […]
Colorado’s Office of New Americans Is Elevating Immigrant Inclusion in State Government
Ngoc Nguyen and Trevor Shealy |
In June 2021, Colorado’s General Assembly took a vital step forward by passing HB21-1150 with bipartisan support, creating the Colorado Office of New Americans (ONA). In creating the office, the state recognized the importance of the social and economic inclusion of its immigrant population, which comprises nearly 10 percent of the state’s population. Leveraging the […]
Texas: Catalyzing Statewide Synergies with SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
In 2019, a network of Texas-based adult educators led by the Texas Workforce Commission’s Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) program joined the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) to ensure that the state’s adult education system was providing optimized support for its 894,000 college-educated immigrants and refugees, an estimated 21% of whom are unemployed or underemployed […]
How State and Local Efforts Are Leading the Way on Data Collection to Better Serve Immigrants and Refugees
Sharif Krabti |
In April 2024, the United States Department of Labor released the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Final Report, which analyzes barriers to economic inclusion as well as strategies for overcoming them. In its analysis of currently available resources, the report highlights the need for additional data on internationally trained immigrant and refugee job seekers. […]
St. Louis, MO: Creating Career Pathways with SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
St. Louis has one of the country’s fastest-growing immigrant and refugee populations, yet the city misses out on $57 million in taxable earnings each year due to their systemic underemployment and unemployment. In 2018, the International Institute of St. Louis (IISTL) joined the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) to address the barriers driving this disparity. […]
WES Global Talent Bridge Evolves
Paul Feltman |
In 2012, World Education Services – long known as the leading North American provider of academic credential evaluations for international students and immigrants seeking to work and study in the United States and Canada – made its first foray into systems-change social impact work with the official launch of WES Global Talent Bridge. Our original […]
Portland, ME: Championing a Vibrant, Inclusive State Workforce with SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
Grappling with an aging population and acute labor shortages, the Portland Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) joined the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) in 2018 with the goal of bolstering the local workforce through immigrant and refugee economic inclusion. For years, business leaders in Portland and throughout Maine had been sounding the alarm on a […]
Nevada: From State Office to Statewide Action with SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
Immigrants and refugees make up nearly 20% of Nevada’s population, and a full quarter of the state’s workforce. Yet of the state’s 87,200 immigrant and refugee workers with a four-year degree or higher, nearly 40% are unemployed or underemployed – the result of systemic barriers like limited credential recognition and uneven access to career navigation […]
Louisville, KY: A Regional Collaboration Positioned for Impact through SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
When a cohort of Louisville-based organizations joined the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) in 2017, the region had 30,000 open jobs – 9,000 requiring post-secondary training – and not enough workers to fill them. Local leaders from the Louisville Metro Government Office for Globalization (now called the Louisville Metro Government’s Office for Immigrant Affairs), KentuckianaWorks, […]
Lincoln, NE: Creating a “Ladder” for Immigrant & Refugee Inclusion with SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
Nebraska has a long history as a leading refugee resettlement state, and the recent years have been no exception. In 2019, Lincoln’s New Americans Task Force (NATF) and Employ LNK partnered to join the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) with the goal of expanding and building systems to better support the inclusion of individuals with […]
Buffalo, NY: Continuing a Century of Welcoming with SIIP
Sara McElmurry and Trevor Shealy |
Continuing a 100-year legacy of championing local immigrants and refugees, the International Institute of Buffalo (IIB) joined the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) in 2019 with a goal to better serve a growing yet largely underserved community: immigrants and refugees with education, training, and credentials earned in other countries. As of the 2020 Census, Buffalo’s […]