REWORK AMERICA STATE NETWORK

A Forum for State Leaders to Share and Accelerate Workforce Innovation

The Rework America State Network, formed by Markle in 2018, is a non-partisan collaboration with 30 state governors and the mayor of the District of Columbia working to unlock economic mobility for all American workers. The State Network provides a forum for governors and their senior teams to share innovative workforce practices, tools, data, and resources to transform the labor market at a scale and pace not possible through individual state actions. In turn, member states bring a commitment from the governor and senior state leaders to work towards expanding economic security and mobility for all, particularly for populations with the least economic power.

Achieving Workforce Goals

The State Network supports states by:

• Sharing practices and highlighting successful programs through webinars, convenings, and individual conversations with education and workforce leaders.
• Partnering with states on policy development to share insights, policy strategies, and case studies on what is working in states.
• Providing a vehicle for scaling successful workforce strategies across more states.

The pandemic’s acute economic impact on workers—particularly those without a bachelor’s degree, and Black, Latino and women workers—brought long-standing economic precarity into greater focus. These trends create a clear urgency and opportunity to build workforce, higher education and training systems that combat low job quality, address systemic racism and other problems, and prioritize expansive economic security.

State leaders are critically positioned to build a better system that provides opportunity for all workers to get good jobs and experience economic security.

Rework America State Network Governors

Sharing Rework America Alliance Resources and Insights

The State Network elevates practices that states can adopt to achieve their workforce goals. For example, resources developed by Markle’s Rework America Alliance are shared with State Network members. The Alliance, a collaboration of more than 30 leading organizations including civil rights organizations, nonprofits, private sector employers, labor unions, educators, and others, is working to help unemployed workers from low-wage roles move into better jobs, particularly Black and Latino workers who have been disproportionately impacted by the current economic crisis. Resources shared by the Alliance include robust data insights and tools to help workforce leaders access insights on good jobs and training; training and tools for career coaches to help them better support job seekers; and resources to help drive the adoption of equitable hiring and talent management practices by employers. Learn more at markle.org/alliance-resources

Providing Policy Support

The State Network team:

• Engages in extensive research and engagement with federal policymakers and relevant organizations.
• Focuses on policies that leverage the workforce and training systems to address problems in the labor market such as low job quality and systemic racism.
• Identifies promising policy strategies that expand economic security and mobility within four areas of focus:
  - Postsecondary education and training
  - Labor market transformation and job quality
  - Workforce training performance and accountability
  - Career counseling and coaching