As I read details about the investigation of the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency, I was incredibly saddened. Thousands of Atlantans need job training, apprenticeships and jobs; apparently, some funds were mismanaged. I also had a sinking feeling as I read that this may taint the public perception of job-training programs. What a shame it would be if “workforce development organization” became a negative term to Atlantans.
Since 2006, The Center for Working Families Inc. has worked in the five neighborhoods surrounding Atlanta’s Turner Field, providing low-income families with skills and training to ensure economic success. We have successfully connected residents to more than 1,800 jobs, and we are on target to realize our 2,000th job placement this year. We have managed this work with limited funds while serving those who are often deemed the hardest to employ. I say that not to promote our individual success, but to refute assumptions that all programs mirror the unfortunate revelations from the investigation into the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency.
We are not alone in this effort. Atlanta has an array of innovative, resourceful, non-profit organizations that serve the unemployed and underemployed to guide, train, encourage and connect them to jobs. These include New Hope Enterprises, Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency and others. We partner with each other and with technical colleges, local businesses and other entities to help people overcome obstacles in their path to employment. The obstacles we address go beyond job readiness and technical skills to include lack of quality child care, low literacy, unstable housing, health issues and unreliable transportation.
The news media recently announced that the U.S. labor force participation rate has dropped to the lowest level since 1978. The contributions of so many are not being tapped; we all lose when our citizens are not effectively prepared and matched with employment. We need more, well-managed workforce development, not less.
Atlanta does not have the liberty of years to redesign its workforce center. The influx of residents daily at our doors demands an urgent, thorough and thoughtful response. Atlanta’s residents deserve better than a tweak of the existing model. We need a coordinated strategy that draws on Atlanta’s assets.
The time is now to work with agencies on the ground, leveraging their best practices, investing in proven track records and building a collective response. We stand ready to support the city as it redevelops its workforce preparation system and, in the interim, will be serving Atlanta’s vulnerable residents every day.
Natallie Keiser is interim executive director of The Center for Working Families Inc. and TCWFI Solutions LLC.
