Shift Work Forward

09/01/2026

What does it look like when an employer and community partners work together to create real pathways back into work?

At , we’ll get to see one example up close.

“On Site at Southwest Glass & Glazing: Practices That Support Workers’ Return to Work” will take participants inside the Albuquerque facility to explore apprenticeship training, skill development and advancement pathways.

The session will also look at the supports workers need outside the workplace. Community partners will share how they help people prepare for, enter and stay in quality jobs.

For people working to expand opportunity, there’s a lot to learn from seeing these practices in action.

Join us at and experience the session for yourself.

Join us at Southwest Glass & Glazing to explore how employers and community partners are creating pathways to employment for people facing significant barriers to work, including individuals returning from incarceration and those experiencing housing instability. Grounded in research from the Albuqu...

09/01/2026

What did you miss from Shift Work Forward in August?

Our latest Digest brings you up to speed.

Meet our two newest Network Partners. Catch up on the latest conversations from State of Our Workforce and State of Our Workforce: Unpacked. And get the latest updates on .

If you work in workforce development, career navigation, job quality or systems change, there’s plenty to dig into.

Take a few minutes to catch up and see what’s happening across the Shift Work Forward network.

Read the August Digest: https://prod.cdn.everyaction.com/emails/van/EA/EA005/1/77902/qIglBTDesueaQC-931kCf_jAy1P117G0tLNfSJrUSjF_archive

08/31/2026

Why figure everything out alone when there’s a whole network of people who have already been there?

Dee Manyama of Prosper Birmingham talks about why Prosper joined the Shift Work Forward network and what it means to be both a learner and a contributor.

That kind of peer learning matters. Communities are facing different challenges, but there is often a lot to learn from how others are testing ideas, navigating challenges and building solutions on the ground.

Listen to Dee’s perspective on building a stronger future for Birmingham and the value of having people in your corner.

Hear the full episode: https://shiftworkforward.org/podcasts/building-a-stronger-future-for-birmingham/

08/31/2026

Young people are looking at the economy and asking a pretty basic question: Where is my path forward?

A new Axios poll found that 96% of adults ages 18 to 34 are concerned about the cost of rent, groceries, gas or utilities. More than three-quarters say finding a job would be at least somewhat difficult.

At the same time, they’re entering a labor market being reshaped by AI.

For workforce leaders, that raises an important question. Are we giving people the information, training and connections they need to navigate this moment?

People need pathways into work that can actually support a life. They need opportunities to build skills and move forward.

Read the Axios poll:

The survey captures the suspicion, mistrust and fatalism shaping how Gen Zers and young Millennials view AI.

08/28/2026

Good workforce decisions depend on good information.

When people lose trust in labor market data, it becomes harder for employers, policymakers and workforce leaders to understand what is actually happening. That can lead to weaker decisions and missed opportunities.

A new paper puts a dollar value on something we often take for granted: reliable statistics.

Trustworthy data is part of the infrastructure workforce systems need to work well. It helps communities see challenges clearly and make better decisions about where to invest.

Read the paper and consider what reliable data is worth to the workforce field: https://www.aei.org/research-products/working-paper/the-value-of-reliable-statistics/

08/28/2026

Good news! We’re extending the registration deadline through Labor Day, September 7.

That means more time to join business leaders, workforce practitioners, policymakers, funders, labor organizations and educators in Albuquerque this fall.

We’re bringing people together to share what’s working, challenge old assumptions and build solutions that help workers, employers and communities thrive.

Will you be there? Register now: https://shiftworkforward.org/about/events/shift-conference/pricing-and-registration/

08/27/2026

The Blue Economy is growing. Are workforce systems ready?

Water, marine systems and coastal and freshwater infrastructure are creating new workforce needs. Yet training pathways, funding and partnerships often remain fragmented.

At , we’ll explore what it takes to align workforce systems with these emerging industries. The conversation will draw on research and lessons from the Great Lakes RENEW initiative supported by Shift Work Forward.

If you’re thinking about the future of infrastructure, workforce development or economic opportunity, this is a conversation to watch.

See the session and join us in Albuquerque:

The Blue Economy, which includes industries tied to water, marine systems, and coastal and freshwater infrastructure, is accelerating. Major investment and environmental change are fueling growth and creating new workforce demands across interconnected sectors. Yet workforce systems often lag the ne...

08/27/2026

Childcare has a fundamental problem. Quality care costs money, but many families cannot afford the true cost. At the same time, childcare workers often earn too little for the industry to sustain itself.

So who pays the difference?

Karen Yarbrough of the University of Illinois Chicago’s Collaborative for Young Children and Families argues that we need to rethink how we fund childcare and how we value the people doing this essential work.

Listen to the full conversation on State of Our Workforce and hear what it could take to build a stronger childcare system: https://shiftworkforward.org/podcasts/inside-the-shifting-the-childcare-industry-initiative-part-2/

08/26/2026

AI is changing how employers make hiring decisions. That creates new opportunities. It also creates new ways for bias to enter the process.

New research suggests that AI hiring tools can develop biases of their own. That should make all of us pause and ask how these systems are being designed, tested and used.

As AI becomes more common across workforce systems, fairness cannot be an afterthought. Employers need to think carefully about who gets access to opportunity and how talent is evaluated.

Read the latest research and consider what it means for the future of hiring:

A 2026 study found that even when AI tools are trained on unbiased data, the AI tools can invent their own biases about demographic groups during an employee hiring task.

08/26/2026

Registration for closes Friday!

Join us in Albuquerque this fall for three days of conversations about what it will take to move workforce systems forward. We’ll dig into the barriers workers face, rethink career pathways, explore new approaches to job quality, and examine how we can turn ideas into lasting change.

If you work in workforce development, business, education, policy, philanthropy or labor, we want you in the room.

Secure your spot before registration closes:

Back to all events SHIFT Conference 2026 Pricing and Registration Title SHIFT Conference 2026 Pricing Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Nullam euismod pellentesque adipiscing nisi elementum magnis. Registration Level Early Bird Price Through May 31, 2026 Regular Rate Champion $2,246 $2,495 Cor...