Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today announced that USDA is inviting organizations to join a national network of public-private partners to support rural workforce development and skills management. USDA’s Rural Development Innovation Center created the Rural Workforce Innovation Network (RWIN) initiative to enable rural partners to share solutions to complex issues, identify available resources, and increase access to workforce opportunities. The network also will collaborate to ensure that rural workers have access to training that aligns with the skills employers need. Please indicate your interest in joining the network by emailing RD.Innovation@osec.usda.gov by Aug. 31, 2018.
Interested partners should submit a document no longer than two pages that includes the organization’s name, contact information, and its past and present contributions, which should include one or more of the following workforce development interests:
• Use of labor market and data to drive strategies;
• Public-private collaboration to attract employers and define workforce requirements;
• Workforce readiness and training;
• Apprenticeship and job placements;
• Recruitment and retention;
• Sector-based best practices related to workforce (i.e. veterans, telecommunications, water, manufacturing, health care, etc.); and
• Succession planning, including strategies such as worker cooperatives.
RWIN members will be announced in September.