Michigan Works! Southwest Has Been Selected to Participate in the USDOL’s First Job Quality Academy

Michigan Works! Southwest, in partnership with Pulse, has been selected to lead one of 16 teams nationwide chosen to participate in the U.S. Department of Labor’s first Job Quality Academy. The academy brings teams led by workforce boards and agencies from across the country together to share expertise and develop plans to enhance good jobs and opportunities for workers.

In June, Michigan Works! Southwest and Pulse attended the Academy’s first of two in-person summits in Washington, D.C., where teams began the process of developing job quality action plans for their communities, with feedback from other teams and assistance from Academy coaches.

The Michigan Works! Southwest and Pulse team draw on the expertise of its multidisciplinary approach to child care to focus on the quality of jobs in that sector. The team will focus on principles of a good job, as defined by the Departments of Labor and Commerce, including: Pay; Benefits; Diversity, equity, inclusion and access; and Empowerment and Representation.

Building on the summit, the team will develop a plan that will be revised and finalized at a second D.C. summit, with implementation from September through December 2023.