Press & News
GradsofLifeVoice on Forbes.com
GradsofLifeVoice is a platform hosted on Forbes.com used to promote the social and business value of Opportunity Employment – a strategic approach to talent management that promotes economic opportunity and mobility for workers, especially Opportunity Talent (individuals who face barriers to employment and are historically overlooked by employers).
Target audiences: C-suite executives, HR executives, D.E.I executives, CSR executives, workforce development professionals, and Opportunity Talent.
Core themes: Opportunity Employment, the wealth and opportunity gaps, the skills gap, income inequality, workforce diversity, racial justice in Corporate America and innovative solutions to expand economic opportunity for Opportunity Talent.
Thus far, the blog has received nearly 24 million visits and includes posts from more than 180 different guest contributors, including employers, young adults, training providers and thought leaders in the workforce development space.
How to become a contributor
We are always looking for new content and would be excited to feature your voice about one or more of the core themes mentioned. Please reach out to Patrick Smith at psmith@gradsoflife.org to submit a piece and become a contributor.
- Content should highlight thought leadership, trends, insightful views, best practices, and/or inspirational stories within one or more of the core themes for target audiences.
- Pieces should be no more than 900 words
- Pieces can be re-purposed that have been written or published elsewhere (authors will be credited)
- A bio and headshot of contributors (2 max per piece) must be submitted beforehand
We can work with you to be a resource in helping you develop and design your piece, including writing headlines, suggesting images and outlining content ideas.
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Long-Term Talent Cultivation: A Case Study From New Orleans
Cate Swinburn, Co-Founder and President of YouthForce NOLA, speaks to the scale of the mismatch between the skills employers need and the training jobseekers, particularly young people, receive, and how it is being tackled in New Orleans.
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Tapping Into America's Best-Kept Future Of Work Secret
When exploring solutions to train and place workers in higher-wage jobs, Workforce boards tend to be an overlooked but valuable resource for employers to access and connect with skilled workers to address their talent needs.
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Grads of Life BrandVoice: How Reimagining Employment Practices Can Advance Racial Justice
OneTen gets it right — and now the work begins. Gerald Chertavian, CEO of Year Up, and Elyse Rosenblum, Founder and Managing Director at Grads of Life, reflect on the newly announced OneTen coalition and the power of advancing racial equity through employment.
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The Gateway Jobs That Can Open Opportunity For Workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes
Opportunity@Work discusses the value of certain occupations that have the potential to put STAR (Skilled Through Alternative Routes) workers, currently in low-wage roles, onto a higher-wage career path.
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Grads of Life BrandVoice: 3 Takeaways For Business Leaders Amid New Corporate Commitments
The recent launches of OneTen and a new multi-year initiative by the Business Roundtable has provided 100+ companies across Corporate America an unique opportunity to learn from one another to accelerate change.
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Grads of Life BrandVoice: How Employers Can Build An Equitable Next Generation Workforce – Even During A Pandemic
Urban Alliance, Grads of Life, The Rock Family of Companies and YouthForce NOLA team up to examine the state of youth unemployment during the pandemic and share key insights into how employers can build an equitable and diverse workforce that is inclusive of youth talent.
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Teaching Entrepreneurship Will Be Key To The Post-COVID Recovery
Investing in the diverse entrepreneurs of the future will require the development of alternative education and training programs — those that prioritize helping students quickly gain the skills they need to build and lead their own businesses.
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Driving Opportunity For Women Immigrants Is Key To Recovery
Economists and activists alike have been voicing concern about the disproportionate impact that the pandemic has had on women workers, and the possible long-term consequences. More than 31 million women could lose their jobs as a result of COVID, equating to a decline in global GDP of $1 trillion.
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Young People We Should Be Betting On
Roadtrip Nation has spent the past 20 years learning and growing from insightful conversations with inspiring young people and professionals across the country. This past year, Roadtrip Nation featured alumni from a variety of workforce dev. programs to highlight skills they bring to the workplace
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Why Employers Should Connect To Opportunity Youth In 2021
Part one in a three-part series explores three thought leaders' insights and lessons learned in supporting Opportunity Talent—particularly Opportunity Youth—over the course of the pandemic, and what that might mean for the future.
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Disrupting Economic And Racial Inequity With Three Practical Steps
Part two in a three-part series explores three thought leaders' insights and lessons learned in supporting Opportunity Talent—particularly Opportunity Youth—over the course of the pandemic, and what that might mean for the future.
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Time For Corporate America To Translate Good Intentions On Racial Equity Into Real Progress
The Management Leadership for Tomorrow has launched the MLT Black Equity at Work Certification to provide leading employers, who are committed to driving and sustaining real change, a comprehensive standard and framework of what leadership looks like for racial equity.
