Partners since 2007, DirectEmployers Association and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) have accomplished a lot over their time together. From establishing the National Labor Exchange (NLx) and the launch of the NLx Research Hub to policy advocacy and smaller wins between DE’s Member employers and state workforce agencies, it’s proof that collaboration is an essential part of making a difference. In our latest episode of the DE Talk Podcast, we sit down with NASWA President & CEO Scott Sanders to discuss our successes and what more is to come as we extend our partnership through 2037. Take a peek!
Shannon Offord:
You talk a lot about the advocacy and your time on The Hill – can you talk about maybe some of the priorities that NASWA has as it relates to legislative issues?
Scott Sanders:
Absolutely. That is one of the keys, and I know I’m always mindful of changes going on at OFCCP, which really affect your Members, as well as the Employment and Training Administration, where we spend a lot of our time and effort, but our advocacy issues really span the whole workforce arena. It has to do with not only data. It has to do with employees, it has to do with employers, typically, every year. And we’ve done this now for almost 10 years. We do put together legislative priorities that are on our website at www.naswa.org, but our policies really are driven probably like your Members would do, from a grassroots effort and then all of our agencies formulate policy committees. And these committees get together four times a year and typically in the fall we start to come together to put together our next year’s priorities. And they deal with mainly workforce development flexibility, enhanced services, enhanced unemployment insurance, program reform, support for technology, infrastructure, data needs, and workforce labor market trends.
That’s part of it is to really pull all of this together so then we can go and talk to folks on The Hill about it. We take a little bit of a different advocacy approach in that we deal with typically heads of the committees themselves because they really set the agenda for the committees in House Ways and Means, Education and Workforce, as well as Senate and Finance, and then Senate HELP, which is Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. And it’s key to make those connections and leverage those individuals that are leading those committees and their staff back to the states and then really bring to them stories of success in the workforce arena that tie back to employers, which a lot of those employers are your Members, as well, and highlight the successes of the partnerships together. So, we have their support also.
Shannon Offord:
So, I guess on The Hill, obviously some interest around the NLx, too.
Scott Sanders:
Absolutely. They want to know in each of their states what are the trends that they see from the employment market, what are the skills that are needed? And DE, you, and your other workers there have helped us really hone in on what are the things we should be pulling out of job listings to really build this platform. And that’s been key to show them how individuals are being upskilled and what skills they need to be upskilled into. And I really think our partnership has really been able to help us highlight that through the NLx Research Hub.
Shannon Offord:
It’s so funny, every time we get on a call or I spend time with you, even though obviously from the DE side, I lead the NLx, but I learn so much from you every time I talk to you. So I’m sure that a lot of people who may not be as familiar with the NLx or NASWA as I am, they’re probably learning a ton from you right now. So, I definitely appreciate that. So, obviously we’re in the process of renewing our partnership through 2037, and I know we’ve talked about this at length, we’ve had several meetings around this. Interested to see what you’re going to say around this, but what are some of the things you hope to accomplish over the next 12 years, I guess, of this partnership?
Hear more about the future of our partnership, as well as some great upcoming events you won’t want to miss by listening to the full episode. That’s a wrap on Season 6 of the DE Talk Podcast! Stay tuned for Season 7, coming later this year – sign up to receive email notifications or text alerts when new episodes are available!
