The Big Picture

JOIN seeks to increase the number of Greater Philadelphia workers earning family-sustaining wages. To realize this vision, we support industry-led partnerships that train low-wage workers for high-demand, mid-skilled positions. Through our efforts, JOIN enhances the workforce system in the region to better meet the needs of 21st Century workers and employers.

Our strategy has three parts:

• Investment: We invest in industry-led partnerships that prepare low-wage workers with the skills to advance into high-demand, mid-level positions.
• Evaluation: We evaluate the impact of our partnerships, identifying best practices and illuminating opportunities for improvement.
• Advocacy: We advocate for the incorporation of these best practices into the public workforce system.

Our emphasis on industry-led partnerships recognizes that the skills needed for the 21st Century workforce are rapidly evolving. In our increasingly knowledge-based economy, businesses and workers need to work together to ensure a ready workforce. Since businesses are constantly changing their models to adapt to the competitive global economy, workers need to be constantly learning as well. For example, workers must be able to operate industry-specific technology that is rapidly evolving in areas from nursing to green building. The best way to ensure this ready talent pipeline is to build industry-led partnerships that bring together multiple employers in the same industry to identify their common talent needs and then train low-skilled workers to fill these needs.

Our knowledge-based economy: How the job market has changed over time.

JOIN’s work in Greater Philadelphia is part of a broader national effort being coordinated by the National Fund for Workforce Solutions (NFWS) to improve employment, training, and labor market outcomes for low-income individuals across the country. JOIN is a proud member of NFWS’ network of funding collaboratives. Learn more about NFWS.