Aspen Institute and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Announce Partnership to Strengthen Job Quality for Workers and Businesses

August 30, 2022

New training content will help businesses across the country define, measure, and prioritize job quality to support their talent attraction and retention goals

Contact:
Adrienne Lee
Senior Communications Manager
The Aspen Institute
Adrienne.lee@aspeninstitute.org

Washington DC, August 30, 2022 – The Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation today announced a partnership to improve and scale job quality for workers by developing training materials and supports for employers and employer collaboratives using the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Talent Pipeline Management® (TPM) framework.

This collaboration represents a unique opportunity to leverage the strengths and capabilities of both organizations to promote strategies and practices that strengthen job quality, improve outcomes for businesses and workers, and bolster America’s long-term competitiveness.

“For an economic recovery that is truly inclusive, the old strategy of creating more jobs and getting better at filling existing jobs won’t do. We need to encourage business to reimagine jobs so that all jobs are good jobs,” said Maureen Conway, vice president at the Aspen Institute and executive director of the Economic Opportunities Program. “We are pleased to join forces with the U.S. Chamber Foundation to provide the training needed to support  employers in understanding job quality in their organization and implementing job quality practice improvements that yield positive results for workers and for business.”

Too many working people in the U.S. today are employed in jobs that make meeting even basic needs such as housing and food very difficult. And poor job quality  not only hurts workers and families – a disproportionate number of whom are women and people of color – but it also slows economic growth and decreases business performance.

Aspen Institute’s EOP, funded by Walmart, has expertise and experience with diverse partners to advance job quality and equity. Drawing from this expertise, the U.S. Chamber Foundation will develop course content applying job quality to the TPM strategies for its upcoming online learning platform, TPM Co/Lab™. There will be further opportunities for job quality course content inclusion as part of TPM Academy® facilitation and engagement with existing TPM partners and practitioners.

“Designing and reimagining jobs in ways that benefit workers requires the business community’s leadership and full participation,” said Cheryl Oldham, senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. “The Aspen Institute is an ideal partner for us to develop and expand resources to our network of Talent Pipeline Management partners committed to delivering better value and opportunity for workers while increasing business performance.”

EOP and the U.S. Chamber Foundation will be joined by an advisory committee of experts who will review the job quality course content and support the development of a curated list of best practices, processes, and methodologies to share with the growing TPM Network and the employer community more broadly. Advisory committee members include:

  • Barbara Stapleton, Charleston Chamber of Commerce
  • Kimberly Shin, FSG
  • Tracy DiSanto, General Motors
  • Sarah Kalloch, Good Jobs Institute
  • Shelia Harden, GSHA Quality Services
  • David Boulay, IMEC
  • Tameshia Bridges Mansfield, Jobs for the Future
  • LaKisha Miller, Kentucky Chamber Foundation
  • Tom Strong, National Fund for Workforce Solutions
  • Patricia Gill, National Restaurant Association Education Foundation
  • Patti Constantakis, Walmart

Under this project, course modules will introduce employers and employer collaboratives to a job quality framework and associated metrics and assessment tools. Employers can explore how prioritizing job quality in job design and improving the quality of existing jobs can address business pain points and will learn to set goals and establish performance measures and dashboards to track job quality improvements and outcomes.

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The Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals’ opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity. For more information, visit: as.pn/eop.

About the U.S. Chamber Foundation

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness. We educate the public on the conditions necessary for business and communities to thrive, how business positively impacts communities, and emerging issues and creative solutions that will shape the future.

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