Rework America State Network

A Forum for State Leaders to Share and Accelerate Skills-Based Approaches 

The State Network provides subject matter expertise and customized tools to equip state leaders with incorporating a skills-based approach into their workforce strategy. These state leaders, in turn, incentivize and implement practices that support skills-based strategies, reaching learners and workers broadly across their states. State agencies play a vital role in creating opportunities for economic advancement and can help drive impact toward JFF’s North Star goal of helping 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement find quality jobs by 2033. 

The State Network supports state leaders by:  

• Researching state-level skills-based initiatives to identify policy examples and effective workforce practices. 

• Amplifying and showcasing successful practices through strategic communications and virtual engagements. 

• Bringing together states looking to learn from one another to address common workforce challenges.  

Sharing Rework America Alliance resources and insights: 

The State Network elevates policies and practices that states can adopt to achieve their workforce goals. Tools and resources developed by the Rework America Alliance are shared with State Network members through webinars, targeted communications, and collaborative platforms to support implementation.  

The Alliance, a collaboration of more than 30 leading organizations, including civil rights organizations, nonprofits, private sector employers, labor unions, educators, and others, is working to help unemployed workers who were previously in roles that weren’t paying sustaining wages. The Alliance is doing this by providing them with tools that can help translate their skills into on-demand capabilities, supporting employers in adopting skills-based practices that increase visibility for these workers, and equipping career coaches with the resources they need to effectively guide the workers they serve. This effort particularly focuses on workers who are disproportionately impacted by economic challenges, such as workers who identify as Black or Latine, helping them move into quality jobs.  

Resources provided by the Alliance include training and tools for career coaches to help them support jobseekers with a skills-based, human-centered, and equity-driven approach and resources for employers to drive the adoption of skills-based, equitable hiring and talent management practices. 

Results: 

The State Network has: 

• Brought together a collaborative of states to identify strategies that provide better information to jobseekers about workforce training program quality and employment outcomes and to use data systems to improve the quality of offerings. 

• Partnered with multiple states to expand access to quality jobs through federal infrastructure funding in transportation and clean energy sectors. 

• Equipped workforce development agencies in various states to guide and incentivize their employer partners in utilizing skills-based approaches for hiring, onboarding, training, and promotion of employees. 

• Fostered collaboration among several states to build stronger, human-centered career coaching ecosystems.