Welcoming Communities in Action
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Promoting Immigrant and Refugee Workforce Inclusion: In Michigan, State Government Takes the Lead
Trevor Shealy |
Summary: Michigan’s Innovative Approach: Michigan’s Office of Global Michigan has taken a proactive approach to promote workforce inclusion for immigrants and refugees. This includes creating resources such as occupational licensing guides and collaborating with other agencies and organizations. Participation in National Initiatives: Global Michigan’s involvement in national initiatives like the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) […]
State Policy Priorities for 2024: Promoting the Career Mobility and Economic Advancement of Immigrants and Refugees
Natalie Torres |
In 2023, states across the country passed legislation to advance the economic and career mobility of immigrants and refugees (the recent WES 2023 State Policy Report highlights these reforms). During 2024 state legislative sessions, policymakers have renewed opportunities to propose measures that bolster state economic interests and the economic mobility of immigrants and refugees. Labor […]
SIIP Best Practices: Using Federal and State Funding to Pay for Credential Evaluations
Trevor Shealy |
In May, WES Global Talent Bridge’s Katherine Gebremedhin and Mikaela Santos traveled to Reno and Las Vegas to partner with the Nevada Governor’s Office for New Americans (ONA). Together, they hosted the Northern and Southern Nevada Foreign Education Credentials Workshops, an in-depth training on credential evaluation and recognition. These workshops represented the culmination of the […]
Celebrating the Completion of the SIIP 2022-2023 Program Year
Trevor Shealy |
In early August, the 2022-2023 Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) cohort held its final quarterly call, culminating the successful launch of a new iteration of the program’s structure. The 16 participating communities[1] collaborated in sub-cohorts that centered on four thematic focus areas: Advancing and Retaining Internationally Skilled Employees, Creating Career Navigation Tools and Resources, Developing […]
Serving Internationally Trained Professionals in AEFLA-Funded Programs
Jessie Stadd |
Internationally trained professionals (ITPs) – a population that has long been served by adult education programs – bring many assets that range from credentials earned in other countries to fluency and literacy in multiple languages, professional work experience, and experience with building social capital. How can adult education programs best support and leverage these unique […]
Recently Introduced Federal Legislation Could Alleviate Health Care Shortages While Addressing Immigrant and Refugee Underemployment
Fatima Sanz |
Communities across the United States are facing severe health workforce shortages. The American Hospital Association (AHA) predicts a “shortage of up to 3.2 million health care workers by 2026.” While the shortages will be felt across all health-related occupations, the AHA projects a shortfall of up to 124,000 physicians by 2033, and the health care […]
Exploring Immigrant Narratives, Innovative Program Approaches, and Digital Inclusion at the 2023 COABE Conference
Stefanie Vasquez |
Mariam, originally from the Republic of Guinea in West Africa, had a dream of working as a fashion designer. After moving to Atlanta with her husband in 2016, she graduated from MyCity ATL, a program that empowers immigrants and refugees through engagement sessions with city agencies. In 2019, Mariam met Valerie Mills, the senior manager […]
How One Non-Profit Champions the Voices of Refugees
On World Refugee Day, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) calls on us to “champion [the right of refugees] to seek safety, build support for their economic and social inclusion, and advocate for solutions to their plight.” We recently sat down with Chris Khoury and Cheri Chan from Voice of Refugees, a referral […]
Putting DEI in Action: A SIIP Training on Job Quality
Trevor Shealy |
Last month, members of the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) network participated on a panel that explored the importance of job quality in building a more equitable economy that is inclusive of immigrant and refugee workers. Led by Brooke Valle, a technical assistance provider for SIIP’s Workforce Board Partnerships cohort, the panel included Erica Bouris, […]
Eid Mohammad Sultanzoy: WES Offers a Gateway to the Future
Rasha Faek |
“Beginnings have a perplexing beauty.” This is how Eid Mohammad Sultanzoy, a 43-year-old Afghan refugee, describes his experience of arriving in Canada in the summer of 2021. He and his family were forced to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban entered the capital city of Kabul, took control of the country, and imposed severe restrictions on […]
Empowering Internationally Trained Immigrants: Insights from a Group Mentoring Program
Stefanie Vasquez |
In 2022, WES Global Talent Bridge set out to lead a new mentoring initiative. Using a train-the-trainer model, the Global Talent Leadership Network (GTLN), an initiative of WES Global Talent Bridge, and JVS Toronto provided technical assistance over ten months to three organizations. The initiative supported two program rounds of industry-specific group mentoring. One Immigrant’s […]
New York City Newcomer Fair Supports Immigrants and Refugees in Navigating Career Services
Debra Means-West |
Many newcomers to New York City face a significant challenge: navigating local programs and services designed to help them rebuild their lives and achieve greater financial security. In this context, opportunities to form in-person connections are invaluable. That’s why WES Global Talent Bridge, in partnership with more than 15 national and local immigrant- and refugee-serving […]