October 18, 2021
We want to serve as a resource. To keep you abreast of critical issues dominating the national discourse—including diversity, equity and inclusion; the digital divide; STEAM education; entrepreneurship and small business—we’re compiling timely news and information in one place because the first step to fixing a problem is understanding it.
T.D. Jakes Foundation in Action
For Jacqueline “JaQ” Campbell, founder of Alexander Legacy Private Wealth Management, philanthropy isn’t something you think about after the fact, years after amassing a fortune. Rather, it’s the key to generating wealth in the first place. And she’s not just talking the talk. JaQ lives by that ethos having recently given a generous $100,000 donation to the T.D. Jakes Foundation, along with donations and grants to other nonprofits and struggling businesses. Learn more in our profile of JaQ Campbell.
The T.D. Jakes Foundation recently announced a new partnership to bring a groundbreaking STEAM education program themed to the Broadway-smash hit “HAMILTON” to 3,400 Dallas High School students and teachers from historically underserved communities in the southern sector. We are proud to be able to offer this program so that we may expose these students to the majesty of performing arts while also providing them with the tools and skills to succeed in an increasingly technology driven world. But we need your help! We are shy of our goal to fully support the 3,400 students and teachers. Please join us by donating $90, or more, to sponsor a student so that they can participate in this life-changing experience. Together, we can change lives by showing these students what they have the potential to become – through the eyes of this significant artistic and educational program. Click here to donate now and support this groundbreaking program.
The T.D. Jakes Foundation PATHWAY program, and its Virtual Hiring Platform, a 365 days-a-year program, is connecting job candidates to corporations actively recruiting diverse talent. We encourage people at all stages in their careers, from entry-level candidates and recent college graduates to experienced job seekers and advanced-degree holders to become part of the program! Visit our website to learn more and submit your information and connect with companies looking for diverse talent!
Help Wanted
Major corporations from Amazon to UPS have announced hiring sprees in recent weeks – a welcome sign for the job market and the broader economy. America’s employers added just 235,000 jobs in August, a surprisingly weak gain after two months of robust hiring. However, with the holiday season fast approaching, companies are trying to staff up to meet the demand for orders. Read more to find out who is hiring.
The labor force is on the march, and employers nationwide are in a hiring crisis. Resignations and job vacancies have spiked; many job seekers aren’t rushing to find new opportunities, and workers at Kellogg and John Deere are striking to get their demands met. The pandemic has broken the job market as workers jump ship in droves, reshaping how the American workforce thinks about their careers and personal lives. Read more in Forbes.
Tech companies have long competed to recruit and retain the best talent to gain a competitive edge in competitive industries. Until recently, an important part of the equation was having the “coolest” office — free snacks and lunch, on-site gyms, pool tables and walking tracks were popular perks that were selling points for recruiters and one factor for potential employees to weigh. Now, there’s a new currency. It’s not unique to tech and it is important to any company that wants to hire and retain top talent: flexibility. We can thank the pandemic for driving this benefit to the top of the list of many in the workforce. Stephen Wakeling, Co-Founder and CEO of Phobio, LLC, explains more.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Bloomberg recently reported that the percentage of companies in the S&P 500 with chief diversity officers increased from 47 percent in 2018 to 53 percent in 2020. While many business leaders see this as a dramatic improvement in increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in corporate America, Sarah Jones sees far too many leaders who believe that simply hiring a head of diversity will solve their DEI concerns. Read her thoughts in the Utah Business Journal.
As government agencies begin to look beyond COVID-19 and the past year’s political and social unrest, their human resources departments must evolve to support new strategic objectives, positioning agencies for long-term success. With a comprehensive diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy supported by data, HR leaders will be able to influence federal agencies’ workplace culture, better achieve agency missions and create improved experiences for every employee from the executive level to individual contributors.
Lisa Agona, Member of the Executive Board / Chief Marketing Officer of TeamViewer, writes that the shift to remote work itself may have increased productivity for many, but as we try to navigate the future of work, leaders should take notice of the fact that remote work itself could raise diversity and equality issues. Leaders are at a pivotal moment where our choices could either advance or set back equality.
Digital Divide
A new study revealed by NASA considers the possibility of building a lunar Wi-Fi network, the agency reported, with the goal of addressing inadequate internet access across parts of the U.S. and helping inform future Artemis missions. Read more in Business Insider.
For more than two weeks, Democrats have been at an impasse over two bills at the center of Biden’s domestic agenda, leaving in limbo the fate of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that the Senate passed in August. This legislation provides long-overdue funding to upgrade traditional infrastructure, such as roads, bridges and electrical grids. But also included in the bill is a proposal for $65 billion in federal funding for broadband investment. CNet has more.
Education
Even before COVID-19 shuttered schools around the world, educators struggled to bring access to high-quality learning opportunities to children in poorer communities. The pandemic has only exacerbated the magnitude, inequity, and urgency of this need. While many innovations exist—often emerging outside the formal education system—the question has increasingly become how to scale and sustain those that are most effective at improving learning for all. Read more from Brookings.
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