State of Our Workforce

What could workforce systems accomplish if contracts were designed around the results they aim to achieve, rather than simply the activities they fund? And how can workforce leaders make sure those results translate into better opportunities and outcomes for job seekers?In the latest episode of State of Our Workforce: Unpacked, Henry Danner is joined by Kier Scott, Policy and Performance Manager at Aspyr, Shift Work Forward’s Network Partner in Columbus, Ohio, to explore the possibilities of results-driven contracting. Together, they’ll take a closer look at how workforce systems can define meaningful outcomes, use data to understand performance, identify what’s working and where adjustments may be needed, and create incentives that encourage high-quality results.What can workforce leaders learn from experimenting with new approaches to contracting, performance, and accountability?

Workforce systems are complex. Education, employers, nonprofits, funders, and public institutions all play a role. Too often, those pieces operate separately. Creating better pathways to economic mobility requires bringing people and systems together around shared challenges and solutions. In this episode, we’re getting to know one of Shift Work Forward’s newest Network Partners: the Future of Work Action Lab at United Way of the Greater Triangle in North Carolina. Henry Danner sits down with Will Dorsey Eden, director of Future at Work, to learn more about the Action Lab’s work across the Research Triangle and what brought the organization to the Shift Work Forward Network. We'll learn how the Action Lab is bringing employers, educators, funders and public partners together around shared workforce challenges, from better understanding employer needs to coordinating investments and creating stronger pathways from high school to quality jobs. He also discusses what the Action Lab hopes to learn from and contribute to the Shift Work Forward Network as a new Network Partner, particularly around closing the gap between research and implementation, and looks ahead to a more connected region where workforce systems help produce measurable gains in economic mobility.

What does it take to build a local economy where workers, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and communities can all thrive? In this episode of State of Our Workforce: Unpacked, Henry Danner sits down with Dee Manyama, Initiatives Director at Prosper in Birmingham, Alabama, one of Shift Work Forward’s newest Network Partners. Dee shares how Prosper is working to build a more thriving and inclusive local economy, why small businesses and entrepreneurs are central to that work, and what the organization hopes to accomplish in the years ahead. They also talk about what brought Prosper into the Shift Work Forward network and how collaboration across communities can help turn local ideas into lasting systems change.

Creating a stronger childcare system doesn't happen through one program or one organization. It requires communities willing to work together, test new approaches, and learn from one another.In this second special episode recorded during Shift Work Forward's June 2026 Childcare Cross-Site Meeting in Chicago, three additional community leaders discuss how they're advancing systems-level strategies to improve job quality in early childhood education as part of the Shifting the Childcare Industry initiative. From launching new partnerships to building on existing successes, this conversation explores what it takes to create lasting change for childcare educators, providers, and families.Guests include Kate Bennett of United Way of Central Iowa, Karen Yarbrough of the University of Illinois Chicago's Collaborative for Young Children and Families, and Marlo Nash of the Maryland Philanthropy Network.---Got a question? Send it our way for an upcoming listener mailbag episode using this link or on the State of Our Workforce webpage.

When people talk about fixing childcare, the conversation often centers on affordability for families or access to available seats. Those challenges are real, but they only tell part of the story. Behind every childcare classroom are educators whose working conditions shape not only their own futures, but the quality and stability of care that families depend on.In this first of two special episodes recorded during Shift Work Forward's June 2026 Childcare Cross-Site Meeting in Chicago, leaders from three communities participating in our Shifting the Childcare Industry initiative share how they're working to improve job quality in the childcare sector. You'll hear how they're strengthening partnerships, engaging employers and providers, and building momentum for systems-level change that benefits educators, businesses, families, and children alike.Guests include Thomas Williams Jr. of Thrive by 5 Louisville, Bonny Yeager of Partner4Work in Pittsburgh, and Maria Spencer of the Early Childhood Resource Center in Akron, Ohio.---Got a question? Send it our way for an upcoming listener mailbag episode using this link or on the State of Our Workforce webpage.