2023 AARP Livable Communities Economic Development Workshop: Work and Jobs

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Plenary Panel — Work and Jobs

Mike Watson: As Carly shared earlier, the focus of this two-day workshop is on the place and people elements of economic development and how they help communities to connect to opportunity and yesterday we had panel discussion focused on place, how the built environment and digital connections lead to more economically vibrant communities.

Now we're going to kick off a discussion focused on people with our third theme of work and jobs. Our next panelists will discuss how workforce upskilling through employee training and development opportunities and support for small businesses can be a strategy for revitalizing communities.

Carly Roszkowski: With that lead in, I think we're ready for our next panel. Before we do, I just want to remind you to ask your questions. You can go to the Q&A tab in Slido and you can stay on the page you had up earlier, or you can load it using the QR code on the screen.

So now, I'd like to welcome Denise Bottcher, State Director for AARP Louisiana, who will moderate our next conversation. Welcome, Denise. Over to you.

Denise Bottcher: Thank you so much. Welcome everyone from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I am excited to be moderating this panel today. I want to introduce Mauricio Garcia. He's the senior vice president for programs at UnidosUS, the nation's largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization. Then we're also joined, by Cherie LaCour Duckworth. She's the vice president of the Urban League of Louisiana's Office of Workforce Development. Welcome to both of them for today's panel. We're going to go to an audience question using our Slido tool. If we can go ahead and put that question up.

The question is right here, and of course, you're going to use your phone to scan the QR code to get to that Slido question. But according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 19.6 percent of the 65 and older population was employed pre-pandemic. This dropped to 18 percent in 2020, and it's continually been on the rise since COVID. What economic opportunities and support would you like to see more of in your community that's tailored to older adults? You can select as many as you want. I see a couple of the numbers changing back and forth as we consider this, but certainly the number one affordability. So older adults can choose not to work.

Interesting. And then in second place, we have workforce development trainings, so upskilling is competing with that reduced stereotyping and ageism in the workforce. Some of you are saying we need more small business tools and resources and of course, access to capital. People are still chiming in here. We see a little bit of fluctuation, but again, overall affordability, so older adults can choose not to work. Wouldn't that be great if older adults had that opportunity to choose not to work or didn't have to retire and then all of a sudden decide to come back to work, right?

So our panelists have joined us here, Cherie and Mauricio, so glad you're joining us.

Cherie LaCour Duckworth: Thank you for having us.

Denise Bottcher: What are some key themes, some things that you're thinking about as you saw our audience response to the Slido poll?

Cherie LaCour Duckworth: Representing an older population at this point in my life, I'm thinking too, I want to be able to stay home and not have to work, but unfortunately we have to go to work.

We do have bills to pay, we have other obligations to meet on a monthly basis. Trying to create programs for individuals such as your aging population is not always easy because funding is not always available to help support programs that are needed. In my mind, I'm thinking about building more funding opportunities for individuals who are aging.

People have worked all their lives and are now finding themselves out of work or either retiring and now having to go back to work, especially after COVID the prices of everything has increased. Building opportunities for individuals to include the aging population is something that we need to do very fast, very quickly.

Denise Bottcher: Thank you so much, Cherie. What do you think, Mauricio? What were some of the things you were thinking about as our viewers were responding to that poll?

Mauricio Garcia: Sure, and thank you for having me and for having UnidosUS join this important conversation. I think the thing that jumps out at me is, what we can do on a federal level in terms of affordability so people can age in place, people can retire, they spent their entire life working, working hard, multiple jobs.

How can we have folks move on to a different way of life where they don't have to just continue to work and continue to make ends meet? I think there's a federal piece, there's a policy, there's an advocacy piece here, around affordability, but around how our government and our institutions are caring for our older folks.

So again, they can kind of continue to live a life that is, the way they would like to live and then... to picking up to my colleague who just replied, I think there's sort of a, that's going to take some time. There is programming that can be done in place, as long as we think about, and we're going to jump into this a little bit more - the systemic factors that are having people feel this way.

What can we do, not just training people, but how are we working with our employers? In terms of the benefits, the retirement benefit, those things. It's a sandwich, right? It's not one, it's all of it. So that's what's jumping in my head right now and I don't want to jump too much into the conversation because I know we'll touch upon some of these a little bit later.

Denise Bottcher: Thank you so much for that. Cherie, AARP Louisiana has had a great relationship with the Urban League of Louisiana. We know that you're working to revitalize today's workforce so that businesses can thrive and connecting job seekers with resources to attain sustainable careers. Can you tell us more about this approach and about a time when your organization helped an older adult succeed in the labor force?

Cherie LaCour Duckworth: Yes, the Urban League is helping to revitalize the workforce by developing programs that foster a work-based model leading to pilot and or registered apprenticeships where we can guarantee employment for job seekers and it does not eliminate jobs for the aging population. It includes jobs for the aging population.

We recently implemented our Automobile Registered Apprenticeship Program, where we had a vast majority of middle age and youth who were actually going through this 18-month program. But we also had a few aging individuals in this program, one who was actually homeless who we helped to put back into housing, or better housing.

Those individuals went to school, they took four weeks of life skills training. We paid them while they were in training. They did two weeks of job shadowing along with eight weeks of occupational skills training and we paid them while they were doing that. Immediately after they completed and gained their certifications from the Baton Rouge Community College and Delgado Community College.

They will connect it to their employment where they are currently right now working. Again, this includes some individuals who would be considered as an aging individual. There are service technicians working towards an ASE certification. They will be able to continue their education as we grow this workforce towards EV electrical vehicles.

These individuals come from various backgrounds. Many of them, or some of them, were actually returning citizens. They had been incarcerated for maybe 25 years and are now aging and are finding difficulties in access, accessing jobs or great jobs in the workforce. For us, for the Urban League, revitalizing the workforce meant to take the approach of apprenticeships so that we can guarantee employment for individuals, again, including those who are aging in the workforce.

Denise Bottcher: Thank you so much, Cherie. It kind of reminds me of that movie, The Internship, when they took an older adult and put him as an intern, it's so important, apprenticeship programs are still alive and existing today, so thank you.

Mauricio, with more than 62 million Latinos that live and work in the United States, contributing 2.7 trillion to the economy, UnidosUS is committed to research and advocacy on the barriers that affect Latinos in the United States across key issues. Can you talk about how UnidosUS is collaborating with employers to influence systemic change and welcome diverse individuals into the workforce?

Mauricio Garcia: Of course, and thank you again for having me today and for this question. I'm excited for this response. First of all, UnidosUS is committed to building the health, wealth, and power of Latinos in the US. To do so, we need to change the way in which our systems operate. It's no easy task, but we do see employers, big and small, mom and pa and big corporations as critical efforts, critical players in this effort.

One way UnidosUS, the one way we're working with employers to influence systemic change is by promoting skills based hiring. We're involved, with this alliance called the Rework America Alliance, which is a coalition of civil rights organizations, of non-profits, of private sector employers, big again, somewhat, some smaller.

Educators, community colleges, four-year institutions, and a whole lot more. And the purpose of this alliance is really to help millions of workers, regardless of any formal education, move into good jobs by accelerating the development of a system of worker training aligned to jobs that employers will need to fill.

We're connecting those dots. Through our role specifically in the alliance, we're working with employers to promote a shift in hiring and sourcing of talent by creating awareness around skills-based hiring practices. What is skills based hiring? It's a major shift for how employers approach talent acquisition and management because they're prioritizing skills over what we would say your more traditional qualifications. Did you go to this school, that school? Skills is, it takes a different type of approach and it's a different type of sort of intervention.

One sort of example that I would share that involves skills-based hiring involves a job description. Everyone creates them, everyone posts them. This is sort of the main piece where we use to source talent, so people know what to do.

We're redefining job descriptions to be skill based, so removing those education barriers. Another piece that we're doing, another initiative is we're working with employers through a number of place and sector-based partnerships, including a program that we call Avanzando 2 Good Jobs, which is a program funded by the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration. In this program, we're specifically partnering with two of our affiliates. We have nearly 300 around the country. One in Denver and one in Puerto Rico to prepare and connect job seekers with quality, in demand jobs in key emerging industries. Mechanical aviation and construction in Puerto Rico and medical administration and human resources in Denver.

Together with our partners, we're in the process of developing these sector-based partnerships by bringing together so many different stakeholders from other businesses. Local government is critically important, educational institutions, and other community-based organizations to address specific workforce challenges within that particular industry, that particular sector, and specifically in that region.

So that we're ensuring that job seekers are trained and have the knowledge needed to meet the current and future needs of that particular industry and employer, we're identifying the skill gaps and creating meaningful strategic interventions. We're developing strategies that help attract, retain, and develop talent through career pathways and apprenticeship programs, like my friend just mentioned. Lastly, we're evaluating opportunities for improvement and collaboration with policymakers to help advocate for change in funding, change in regulation, change in policies to help create supportive and more inclusive environments, which ultimately lead towards that elusive systemic change that we're talking about.

Denise Bottcher: Thanks, and I'm curious, Mauricio, when you talk about this shift in thinking, right? So you're redefining kind of how we're recruiting and looking for, we're looking for skills, right? Have you seen an impact in that change of thinking and maybe perhaps it's a mind shift within the business community?

Mauricio Garcia: Yeah, I don't want to get to the next question, but there has been this whole movement around, from HR to talent and culture and people, that's sort of a subtle word shift, but the practice aspect of it is big, and so we've been seeing more and more of that. Then there's a piece around diversity, equity, and inclusion. Often times it's used in the marketing realm but the more it's viewed as an operationalized aspect and intervention. The more we are seeing people come to UnidosUS and saying we want more Latinos in the workforce and frankly we don’t know how to do that and it takes a lot to be able to say that, but we're seeing more and more employers come to us, whether it's through our workforce programming, or just our corporate relationship with corporations to be able to say that.  

We're seeing an influx of folks saying we want and we need help. How can you help us, or how can you connect us to folks who do this well?

Denise Bottcher: Thank you so much, Mauricio. That really tees up to our next discussion point, and this is for both of you, Mauricio and Cherie. Economic inclusion of people of all ages and backgrounds is central to the work both of you do at your organizations. What are the benefits of a diverse workforce, especially an age diverse workforce? And how can local governments, employers, community organizations promote the value of the 50 plus worker?

Mauricio Garcia: Yeah, so this is a huge piece and particularly efforts around diverse workplaces have come under fire recently. You often hear about the increasing number of younger Latinos, but we have an ever-increasing aging population in the Latino community. We currently have nearly 5 million Latinos aged 65 or older, and that number is projected to grow to nearly 20 million by 2060.

It's important and it's backed by research. Diversity in age, ethnicity, race, or gender has been shown to boost creativity and this is a result of the different ideas, perspectives, and experiences that employees bring to the workforce. Companies that have embraced inclusion are much more likely to be innovative leaders and this is because people perform best when they feel valued, when they feel empowered and they feel respected.

So I'm just going to throw a couple numbers at you, but research shows that companies that embrace diversity are 35 percent more likely to perform better financially through innovation that is fostered by a diverse workforce. And they are 87%  better at making decisions, leading to faster problem solving and better problem solving.

A shift to a skills-based hiring is one way to promote diversity. This approach values candidates’ unique talents and capabilities from a variety of different backgrounds. It enables employers to tap into a broader talent pool and benefit from diverse perspectives and experiences and skills-based hiring, really, it's a movement that mitigates barriers and encourages the hiring of individuals from all walks of life. As long as they have the skills to be successful in the job.

That's something that's key to, to be able to incorporate that approach in a thoughtful way. Ultimately, this effectively reduces hiring bias, which exists not just from a racial, ethnic, gender, age, but all over, and it improves retention and a whole lot more.

So through one way of sort of doing this, and this is something that we're doing actively, is through educational campaigns to create the awareness around the value that, not just Latinos, but folks 50 over, Latinos 50 and over, bring to the job. It's important to highlight those success stories that can alter attitudes. This is something that AARP does really, really well and give the movements, the push needed to create the change that we want.

In addition, I'll just add that while many 50 plus folks still engage in traditional workforce, there are those who that once they hit 50, once they hit 60, even 65, they pursue the entrepreneurial pathway. More than half of America's small businesses owners are over 50. So, it's essential to provide the necessary support to those who at some point may become employers and provide job opportunities to others.

Denise Bottcher: Thank you so much, Mauricio. Cherie?

Cherie LaCour Duckworth: Yeah, just to add, because he said everything that I would have said, so I don't want to belabor it. Thank you, Mauricio, for that. Other benefits of an age diverse workforce, it brings employers a broader range of skills and experience that can help them to adapt to a changing workforce because we're changing every day. It helps them to meet the needs of the customers that they serve every day.

I think just being more age inclusive in the workforce helps ensure that decisions are made with a broad range of perspectives that can ultimately lead to a well-rounded decision-making process and also improve the overall success of businesses and our companies. It can also enhance the person's engagement and employee's engagement while in the workforce at the same time.

You have people from different age demographics working and you get innovation when you have diversity and inclusion in the workforce, so that the aging individual can still work and can still learn, can go to school, learn new skills or reskill, and compete for these jobs that we have with the workforce that is evolving.

We're more about technology than we realize, and the aging adult is not really dealing with technology the way they should be or could be, and so we have to build these opportunities so that aging adults can have access to technology, which would help us to really shave or close the digital divide as much as humanly possible.

Then, local governments and employers and community organizations can promote the value of having someone that's above the age of 50 in the workforce. I just think that we have to think through all of what's needed for everyone but including the aging individual in today's workforce.

Denise Bottcher: So true, yes, absolutely. We're going to do just a rapid-fire response on our final question. Cherie, I'm going to start with you first. Throughout this workshop, we want to equip participants with tools, resources, and strategies for getting the work done in communities. So, with that in mind, what should we each be ready to do differently? As a result of what you've shared with us today.

Cherie LaCour Duckworth: What we should each be doing differently is what we're not doing right now. We're not educating our job seekers for aging in the workforce. We need to have a lot more of what we call informational sessions so people can understand what careers are out here what careers are being brought into their communities, and how do they fit into those careers?

We need to educate them on the entry point, the mid-level points, the advanced management points, so that they'll know what educational components they need to have in order to compete for these jobs. We don't see that a lot. We just see job training programs popping up. The individuals themselves do not necessarily know what these industries are.

To give an example of that, we hosted a clean energy job fair yesterday. While we had 110 percent participation from the employers we didn't have as many job seekers and the rationale behind it is maybe they just don't know what clean energy jobs are. So we have to do a better job at educating people in the workforce so that they'll know “oh, this is a job that I want to do. Oh, I do have transferable skills that I can bring to this particular job.” So yeah, I can apply and compete and obtain that employment. Education is key. We must provide information on all fronts so that everyone can be aware of the opportunities that are coming to their communities and or even surrounding communities.

Denise Bottcher: Thank you, Cherie. Mauricio?

Mauricio Garcia: I'm glad I come next because I think it's a great compliment to what Cherie said. I'll try to be short. So first, start by looking at your organization first. What are you, what is your organization doing to advance diversity in the workplace?

So that means reviewing and assessing your current policies and procedures. It's essential to identify the gaps so you can design and foster a more inclusive workplace, and so you're practicing what you might preach. It involves stakeholders to ensure that your policies and procedures are relevant, that they're responsive,  and they're respectful of their needs, of the needs of your teams, and the expectations of your teams.

The second step, I would say, is to align your policies and procedures with best practices. For example, providing training for hiring managers to address biases in the recruitment process or in the recruitment and selection process. Also shifting the mindset to be more inclusive and intentional with diversity.

As we've heard throughout the panel today and through many conversations before it, diversity creates opportunities for job seekers and employers. Employers benefit from qualified talent. They benefit from greater employer engagement and retention, which is key to creativity, innovation, and the list goes on, and of course, employees benefit by tamping into good jobs and good employers that can help them create and achieve some level of economic prosperity.

So it's a win win if we do this right, and we first have to look at ourselves in the mirror to see if we're practicing what we preach.

Denise Bottcher: Yeah. 100%. That's absolutely correct. Well, I turn now to if anyone has any questions, place those in the chat.

Mike Watson: Yeah, thanks, Denise. We already have a lot of great questions here in Slido.

That was a really fantastic conversation there. Let's go ahead and jump into those questions, because I know you got folks going on a lot. So, one of the first things I saw pop up here, and it's been consistently right there at the top, is around the area of rural. Mauricio, you mentioned the importance of skill-based training and some of the work that you all have done there as well but how should we think about skill-based training and, skill building programs in the rural context? Are there examples out there that folks can kind of adapt or modify or do you have any advice or tips for folks?

Mauricio Garcia: Yeah, I'm glad to be joined by a colleague who works at the National Urban League, many chapters around the country tend to be in urban settings. UnidosUS we're at nearly 300 affiliates.

So my recommendation and response is one, there are organizations that do serve rural communities that are part of these larger networks around skills based hiring, skills based practices. So happy to be able to connect the dots with folks to provide those resources on where they're available.

But in terms the actual work, whether it's urban, rural, it depends on the industry. It depends on what industries may or may not be in folks backyards. There's no one size fits all approach to this work. It really depends on the economies of the region, who are the players, however many or however few.

I would just say that there are organizations that do serve some locations. I would first start there. And then secondly, UnidosUS can be a resource. National Urban League, whether it's a local chapter or the national chapter, could be a resource. There is countless other organizations that are doing this work as well.

Denise Bottcher: Wonderful. Cherie, do you have anything to add to that?

Cherie LaCour Duckworth: Yeah. So, in Louisiana, we don't have as many rural areas, but we do have some. Providing a skill-based training to individuals is actually key. Not everyone has the necessary educational background, such as a bachelor's degree or a master's degree to apply for these jobs.

Educating also the employers and working with businesses to understand why it is crucial to look at someone with a skilled based resume. So that you can have access to great talent. It's been very, very, rewarding to work with the Markle Foundation through the Rework America Alliance, as Mauricio talked about earlier, learning how to really show people how to showcase their skills on their resumes. It actually makes them a lot more competitive in the workforce today.

It's a little difficult when you don't have all the education backgrounds that you need to compete for these jobs. Working with the employers and having them to understand why they should consider also someone with a skill-based resume.

In terms of those who are in rural areas, it's the same thing. We have a lot of what oil and gas companies in some of these rural areas, but now we're moving to a clean energy workforce. So people that are in oil and gas could be considered for clean energy. They may not have the educational background, but they certainly have most of the technical background that they need.

It's just, as we said earlier, it's really a mind shift at how we approach this workforce that we are seeing right now today.

Mike Watson: I think great examples and great advice to folks, and Mauricio and Cherie also mentioned this, some of the organizations that kind of are clustered around the country and can support and one of the questions that we see here is around academic institutions and as folks are thinking either in the rural, urban, suburban context, how should you be thinking about academic institutions and community colleges as we kind of shift this more skill based thinking?

Cherie LaCour Duckworth: Listen, if you already have a college degree, I would still say go back to school, find out what training or what educational background you need to have in order to compete for these jobs. I would tailor again my resume to showcase my skills. Try to get the job, and then maybe go back to school to get the necessary technical skills that you need. You know, everybody does not take the traditional education route, and so we have to be innovative and creative in how we work with individuals.

I've always heard, you know, school is not for everybody. I don't think it's that. That person hasn't gotten to a point where their education it’s needed at this moment, but they do need to still have the necessary skills to compete for jobs.

Mike Watson: That's really, I think, really good, helpful guidance for folks. Unfortunately, I think that was time for our last question. So, Mauricio, I think you're going to get the last word on this topic. I'd love to kick it to you to see what you think on that topic of academic institutions and community colleges.

Mauricio Garcia: Sure, yeah, and I think one, what we've learned, and I think what has been sort of the secret that everyone knows is that going to a two or four year degree right out of high school and not having any sort of breaks from the work is not the reality.

Most people either start at school, jump to work, go back, and they, there's this going back and forth all the time, particularly in the Latino community. To me, community colleges are our nation's secret sauce. The community colleges provide pathways, provide wraparound services, they do so many things that most of us don't know about it.

What I would recommend is that in your region, in your geographies, in your cities, community, rural, urban, whatever. Go connect with your community college representatives, and you will see the just the rich work that they do, and how essential it is to your traditional education route the work route and everything in between.

Mike Watson: It sounds like from what we're hearing, it's to kind of do this successfully it's going to require a kind of really diverse dish of a lot of players at the table. And again, Mauricio, as you just said, community colleges and academic institutions are the secret sauce there.

So I think it's a great, great note to end on. Denise, Mauricio, Cherie, thank you so much for joining. It was such a pleasure to have you here.

All Panelists: Thanks for having us. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Mike Watson: Thank you again. Carly, what were your thoughts on that panel, and do you want to maybe take us through the next video?

Carly Roszkowski: That was a great panel and thank you to Denise and our panelists. At AARP, we couldn't agree more about the value of older workers contribute a wealth of unique experiences, skills, and perspectives to the workplace, and businesses have much to gain from an intergenerational relationship and age diverse workforce. They have soft skills that employers need, having spent decades honing their capabilities and expertise, and they want to continue to learn new skills and grow professionally in their careers to use their skills and talents. Nearly two thirds say that they believe there's still a lot to accomplish in their careers.

That's why we launched the Employer Pledge Program. The AARP Employer Pledge Program recognizes the value of experienced workers and invites organizations committed to an age diverse workforce to sign our pledge. Nationally, we've seen increased interest from employers in hiring older workers. Over 2,500 companies have signed on to the AARP Employer Pledge since 2012.

From 2021 to 2022, the number of organizations that signed the pledge increased by 122 percent. This growth is a good indicator that many companies are increasingly looking to hire older, experienced workers. Given employers need for talent, it makes great business sense to hire these experienced workers, and studies show that a multi-generational workforce positively impacts the bottom line.

The benefits of age diversity range from reduced employee turnover to higher employee engagement, productivity and profitability. Organizations that intentionally create mixed age teams and foster a culture of inclusion are more likely to become employers of choice, which in a tight labor market provides a very unique competitive advantage. With the number of older workers projected to grow substantially over the next decade, this is an opportune time to build a more age diverse and inclusive workforce.