Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
Aspen Institute
Webinar: Social Enterprise in Workforce Development: The Goodwill Experience
Note: This is a past event, additional resources may be available below.
Join the Aspen Institute Workforce Strategies Initiative for the third webinar in its four-part series on social enterprise. Social enterprises in workforce development are businesses that sells goods or services in the marketplace while also helping disadvantaged workers gain meaningful employment and work experience. Today, landscaping businesses, restaurants, retail establishments and temporary staffing firms are just a few of the types of businesses workforce development organizations have started as social enterprises. While many social enterprises have created positive outcomes for workers, there are many challenges to starting, financing, managing, and sustaining a social enterprise.
In this webinar, leaders from Goodwill Industries will discuss their experience in starting and managing social enterprise businesses. Presenters will discuss the lessons they have learned about creating successful businesses that serve the common good and also generate high revenues.
Moderator:
Matt Helmer, senior research associate, Aspen Workforce Strategies Initiative
Speakers:
Jim Gibbons, President and CEO, Goodwill Industries International
Lorna Utley, President and CEO, Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit
The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program will soon release a report, Fixing Work: Lessons from Job Quality Practitioners, based on in-depth interviews with more than 20 leaders across the country about the work they are doing to create good jobs that provide economic security, the opportunity to advance and grow, and a safe, dignified, and equitable workplace.
Hear from CDFIs about their approaches to building job quality advising into their work, and share your questions and comments. We are eager to hear what you think!
In addition to providing an overview of the nomination and application process, we’re pleased to welcome two Job Quality Fellows to this conversation — Neidi Dominguez Zamorano, founding executive director of Organized Power in Numbers, and Bo Delp, executive director of the Texas Climate Jobs Project — who will share their experience as members of the Fellowship.
“There Is No Place for Us” not only brings these unseen lives into focus but also forces us to confront a pressing question: If hard work is no longer enough to keep a roof over one’s head, what does that say about the promise of economic opportunity in the US?
Markets and our economy don’t just happen — they’re crafted. While we often hear about the “free market” as a natural force governed by the invisible hand, the reality is far more intentional.
“There Is No Place for Us” not only brings these unseen lives into focus but also forces us to confront a pressing question: If hard work is no longer enough to keep a roof over one’s head, what does that say about the promise of economic opportunity in the US?
Only 56% of full-time workers in the United States make enough money to cover their families basic needs. Job quality is vital not only for workers, but also for small businesses and communities.
