New Orleans Works (NOW)

New Orleans Works (NOW)

To prepare low-skilled and incumbent workers for career pathways to address critical workforce needs.

Due Date Currently Closed

BACKGROUND

New Orleans Works (NOW) is a public/private initiative led by foundations and regional public workforce systems to generate employer-focused workforce development solutions that offer low-skilled adults (entry-level as well as incumbents) the opportunity for career advancement and enable key industry sectors to fulfill their workforce needs.

NOW follows the National Fund for Workforce Solutions (NFWS) model for creating workforce partnerships; building capacity; and fostering systems change that together result in: long-lasting relationships among employers, workers, education, training, and support service providers to create a cohesive pipeline to jobs that offer career pathways.

NFWS  is a $31-million, five-year effort to fuel high-impact workforce partnerships and advance 30,000 workers in 32 regions in the U.S. NOW promotes change at three levels — individual, institutional, and system-wide — leading to better jobs, a larger pool of skilled workers, and an enhanced public workforce system in the greater New Orleans area. The Foundation serves as NOW’s fiscal-lead organization.

To learn more about the National Fund for Workforce Solutions’ successful, evidence-based workforce partnerships in other parts of the country, please review the following sites:

Additional resources are available in the  Knowledge Center  on the NFWS website.

NOW FUNDERS COLLABORATIVE OVERVIEW

NOW seeks to create innovative, sustainable workforce partnerships within the greater New Orleans area that enable low-skilled workers to advance in careers and businesses to compete. The Collaborative’s members — including private foundations and public workforce systems — pool funding, develop strategy, support sector-based programs and develop workforce partnerships that meet the career-advancement needs of workers and employers.

NOW is a public-private partnership  of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. It is funded by a grant from the National Fund for Workforce Solutions and matched with local partners including the City of New Orleans, BioDistrict New Orleans, Entergy Corporation, the United Way of Southeast Louisiana, Baptist Community Ministries and Urban Strategies. National Philanthropic partners include the Ford, Kellogg, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, Mary Reynolds Babcock, Prudential, and Surdna Foundations.