APPROACH AND METHODOLOGYUpwardly Global and Welcome Back Initiative will aim to help 1,600 marginalized, underemployed foreign-trained New Americans by 2014 by building on their existing models. Since 2001, the WBI has been working with immigrant health professionals to assist them through the necessary steps to enter the US health workforce. The model of service integrates four key components: participant recruitment, educational case management, collaborative relationships, and curriculum development.In the continuum of service needed to integrate this population with the appropriate opportunities, WBI clients become Upwardly Global's job seekers. Since 2002, Upwardly Global has been training foreign educated professionals across industries in the communication and soft skills needed to best present themselves to American employers. They simultaneously work with employers in industries and regions in need of talent to create a pipeline of our job seekers to meet their ongoing needs.To expand on this work, Upwardly Global will:- Develop an online learning platform for the recruitment and remote service of jobseekers, alumni, employers and mentors throughout the country- Develop key industry 'Centers of Excellence' to meet employer demand in health care and engineering and strategically add 2-3 new sitesIn addition, Welcome Back will:- Refine and enhance its materials to provide training and technical assistance to prospective new Welcome Back Centers in 1-2 cities- Continue to work with regulators, educators, and employers to remove artificial barriers to licensure for foreign-trained health professionals, and develop accelerated training programsTo capitalize on the synergies achieved between the two organizations' activities, Upwardly Global and Welcome Back will:- Develop profession-specific internship opportunities for healthcare participants in positions in critical need in the US- Engage regulators, educators, and employers to develop accelerated pathway for dental hygienists and physician assistants- Adapt Upwardly Global's existing all-industry curriculum to health care sector acculturation and job search training needs- Create a pipeline for placements of 136 healthcare professionals in Northeast OH and Southeast MI to fill critical employer and regional need annually- Evaluate opportunities in 1-2 cities to co-launch- Create asset map of two organizations and find opportunities to align for improved outcomes or efficienciesFinally, in partnership with our Imprint partners we will:- Educate and advocate to increase recognition of the field of high skilled immigrant workforce integration (problem, solutions, benefits of integration) among policy and private sector decision-makers, subject matter experts, and direct service providers with the goal of raising awareness and attracting investment that can create a multiplier effect on numbers of skilled immigrants receiving targeted services and attaining professional placements- Offer information and technical assistance to service providers not specialized in this population- Pursue a systems change agenda that can increasingly engage existing infrastructures, which see skilled immigrants: refugee resettlement system, community colleges, and Workforce Investment Act-funded employment centersIMPLEMENTATION, TIMELINE, AND DELIVERABLESNote: item ownership is designated using UG for Upwardly Global, WBI for Welcome Back Initiative and IM for ImprintYear OneDevelop an online learning platform for the recruitment and remote service of immigrant health professionals, jobseekers, alumni of our programs, employers and mentors throughout the country- UG - Outline needed functionality for powerful e-learning platform and best practices of e-learning- UG/WBI - Secure resources to finalize technology upgrade- UG/WBI - Design customized curriculum to enhance job seeking and interview skills for health professionals- UG/WBI - Conduct monthly webinars- UG/WBI - Track resultsDevelop key industry 'Centers of Excellence' to meet employer demand in health care and engineering- UG/WBI - Establish placement relationships with NOHSIC in Ohio and identify employer(s) in Michigan in healthcare and/or engineering- UG - Secure funding for expansion to these cities- UG/WBI - Pilot with three hospitals with goal of 24 placements- UG/WBI - Conduct asset-mapping exercise to determine recommendations for streamlined UG/WBI joint services in Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, and SeattleDevelop profession-specific internship opportunities for immigrant health professionals- UG/WBI - Evaluation of best practices for re-licensing of foreign trained physicians- UG/WBI - Share with prospective federal, state, and private fundersEngage regulators, educators, and employers to develop accelerated pathway for dental hygienists and physician assistants- Work with Imprint partners to identify key stakeholders to support systems changeStrategic national activities via Imprint- IM - Create joint education/advocacy materials and website with sign-up- IM - Formal launch of initiative- IM - Thought leadership pieces (whitepaper, webinars) on proven interventions that secure jobs for immigrant professionals and engage employers and other systems- IM - Identify 50 key influencers for relationship building and specialized 'asks' to increase visibility, leverage, and dedicated resourcesYear TwoDevelop an online learning platform for the recruitment and remote service of immigrant health professionals, jobseekers, alumni of our programs, employers and mentors throughout the country- UG/WBI - Develop relationship with 8-10 referral agencies for healthcare and engineering job seekers- UG - Gather feedback on e-learning and virtual services- UG - Add discussion boards for industry groupsDevelop key industry 'Centers of Excellence' to meet employer demand in health care and engineering- UG - Expand relationships with NOHSIC from three to four hospitals- UG/WBI - Grow from 24 to 40 placements- UG/WBI - Begin expansion in one new city as partners, implementing Year 1 streamlining recommendationsDevelop profession-specific internship opportunities for healthcare participants- UG/WBI - Launch replication pilot for re-licensing of physiciansEngage regulators, educators, and employers to develop accelerated pathway for dental hygienists and physician assistants- UG/WBI - Cultivate key stakeholders to make case for advanced standing curricula- UG/WBI - Engage educational partner to put forth suggested advanced standing curriculaStrategic national activities via Imprint- IM - Begin joint biannual reporting of economic impact data of member activities- IM - Intentional development of online constituency including implementing outgoing communications (e.g. sharing tools, calls to action) in support of Imprint agenda (goal: 800 sign-ups)- IM - Though leadership: create and disseminate recommendations for extension of proven interventions out to non-specialized providersYear ThreeDevelop an online learning platform for the recruitment and remote service of immigrant health professionals, jobseekers, alumni of our programs, employers and mentors throughout the country- UG - Seek investment for v2.0 improvements to training site and for advertising campaign to increase reach of siteDevelop key industry 'Centers of Excellence' to meet employer demand in health care and engineering- UG/WBI - evaluation and reporting on Centers of Excellence outcomes, with recommendations for improvement- UG - begin campaign to increase program sustainability through employer fund commitment- UG/WBI - capital campaign for expansion- UG/WBI - evaluate merits of continued partnership through joint site build outs
Skills gaps in the US economyWell-documented and fast-approaching challenges threaten the economic competitiveness of the United States - declining high school graduation rates, decreased fertility rates, and the impending retirement of the baby boomer generation are hastening a skills gap in our workforce that will leave tens of thousands of jobs unfilled. In many industries, this problem is already acute: despite the economic downturn, today companies in healthcare and engineering struggle to find the talent they need to perform and grow. Another demographic phenomenon creating service gaps in the US economy is the need for culturally and linguistically competent service to our increasingly diverse consumer population.The example of US healthcareThe US healthcare sector acutely reflects these issues: the addition of 35 million Americans to insurance rolls via the Affordable Care Act is expected to create a demand for over 200,000 new physicians and over one million new nurses by 2020, with critical shortages extending also to the areas of mental health, oral health, laboratory sciences and allied health professions. Additionally, acknowledgment of the need to resolve the cultural chasm in health care delivery to improve quality, patient satisfaction, health outcomes and health equity in minority and underserved populations is leading government agencies, universities, and health care organizations to assess a variety of new strategies.A Hidden Talent PoolCurrent responses to skills gaps leave an extremely valuable group at the margins, underserved and overlooked: a hidden talent pool of fully work authorized foreign-educated immigrants and refugees living in the U.S. currently.Today 1.5 million immigrants in the United States are college-educated and unemployed or working in unskilled jobs, making less than $20,000 per year. Combined with highly skilled but working in semi-skilled jobs, the number is 2.7 million, or two in every five foreign educated professionals. (Batalova, J. & Fix, M.: Uneven Progress: The Employment Pathways of Skilled Immigrants in the United States; Migration Policy Institute, 2008 and 2010). Many are health professionals, but the pool reflects all professional careers, including teachers, business managers, engineers, IT and nonprofit professionals. Still, few specialized services exist to connect this group to the programs that will lead them into skill-appropriate opportunities with US employers and communities in need. Traditional workforce development programs and refugee resettlement agencies do not address these unique needs including credential evaluation, exploration of academic options and alternatives, communication, cultural orientation to the US professional job search, and building of local professional networks.Welcome Back Initiative and Upwardly Global see this state of affairs as an untapped opportunity and seek to draw attention both to the issues around the underutilization of immigrant professionals and to the interventions proven to integrate this population into the US professional workforce.The opportunity and need for Welcome Back and Upwardly Global continues to grow. In the last 18 months alone, the organizations have been contacted by 14 major cities and metropolitan areas asking for its program services and technical assistance to both help meet the urgent need for trained professionals in key industries and to address the needs of this growing local population of skilled immigrants.
Upwardly Global is seeking funding and implementation partners within new geographies that have large or growing immigrant populations and who seek to effectively integrate skilled immigrants into the local workforce. UpGlo is open to exploratory conversations to explore alignment in goals and desired outcomes.
Upwardly Global has built successful programs and an online training platform that can be leveraged by formal partners within new regions. Additionally, Upwardly Global can provide technical assistance within a number of different areas including employer engagement, diversity/inclusion training, immigrant professional licensing guides, and volunteer programs, just to name a few.