National Skills Coalition's Audio Updates are national audio conference briefings on state and federal policy led by our staff and allies. You can listen to the presentation portion of these Updates online via podcast. To ensure you receive invitations to these updates, which include live Q&A with national experts, sign up for our member mailing list.

Audio Updates are made possible by the generosity of our foundation partners, our organizational Supporting Members, and individual donors. To become a Supporting Member organization, click here. To become a donor, click here. 

Federal Policy Webinar Update
April 18, 2013

Following the release of President Obama's 2014 federal budget proposal, NSC's Federal Policy Team hosted this webinar update covering what happened with workforce development funding in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 continuing resolution, 2014 budget proposals offered by the President and Congress and how those proposals may impact planned sequestration cuts. To learn more, you can access the PowerPoint slides, view NSC's 2014 budget analysis, and watch the full webinar presentation (fill out the registration form to view the recording).

Federal Policy Webinar Update
January 23, 2013

In NSC’s first ever webinar, Federal Policy Director Rachel Gragg covers what’s at stake in the upcoming sequestration, debt ceiling and federal budget debates and the potential implications for workforce funding. She also provides a preview of some of the other legislative items on the 113th Congress’s agenda. To learn more, you can access the PowerPoint slides and view the full webinar presentation (fill out the registration form to view the recording).

The Role of State Sector Strategies
September 25, 2012

Listen as NSC's state policy team and the National Governor's Association (NGA) discuss the role of state sector strategies with experts from the field who have championed these efforts. The direction of the call is driven by the forthcoming paper, State Sector Strategies Coming of Age: Implications for State Workforce Policy Makers, co-authored by NSC, NGA and Corporation for a Skilled Workforce. To learn more about sector strategies you can access the handout with additional information, and the abstract of the paper and the recording of the call below.

State Legislators' Roundtable: Advancing Workforce Reforms in the States
April 26, 2012

Listen as NSC's state policy team and National Conference of State Legislatures discuss workforce policy reforms in the states with state legislators and skills champions Representative Tim Probst (WA), Senator Mike Brubaker (PA), and Delegate Keiffer Mitchell (MD). You can access a handout with information on the legislators' workforce policy efforts and learn more about advancing policy reforms in your state by listening to the following segments:

Fiscal Year 2013 Audio Update   
February 22, 2012

Listen as NSC’s federal policy team discusses the Obama Administration’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget request and explores its implications for our nation’s workforce development system. You can follow along with the Podcast PowerPoint while listening to the following segments:

 

Federal Policy End of Session Wrap-up
December 15, 2011

Listen as NSC’s federal policy team recaps the trials and triumphs for workforce advocates in one of the most difficult political environments in recent memory, and discusses the flurry of year-end congressional activity that is likely to have significant impact on our nation's workforce development system in 2012.  You can follow along with the Podcast PowerPoint while listening to the following segments:

Counting on Credentials: Approaches to State Credential Measurement Policy
November 18, 2011

Every state makes human capital investments in a range of education, training and workforce development programs, but do states know if the full range of their investments is producing desired results? Listen as NSC partners from Maryland, Rhode Island, and Minnesota discuss their how their states are developing or implementing credential measurement policies, and how a cross-agency approach helps align systems and agencies to determine if a state’s skill and credential outcomes address labor market demand.

  • Introduction | Jessie Hogg Leslie and Eric Seleznow, National Skills Coalition
  • Maryland | Paulette Francois, Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
  • Rhode Island | Linda Katz, The Poverty Institute
  • Minnesota | Bryan Lindsley, Minnesota Governor’s Workforce Development Council

Federal Funding Update—Fiscal Year 2012 (and Beyond)
September 13, 2011

Listen as National Skills Coalition's Federal Policy Team discusses what was included (and not included) in the Budget Control Act of 2011, the timeline for the newly-created Super Congress, and how this measure could affect federal funding for job training during the Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations cycle and throughout the next decade. Also learn about the training provisions included in President Obama's American Jobs Act. Follow along with the Podcast PowerPoint while listening to the following segments:

Moving Fiscal and Political Mountains: Advancing Workforce Legislative Reforms in the States
June 28, 2011

Listen as National Skills Coalition partners from Massachusetts, Iowa, Indiana and Oregon discuss their efforts to pass significant workforce policy legislation to help their state prepare more workers for middle-skill jobs. They discuss how their multi-stakeholder coalitions developed, introduced and advocated for new bills, resolutions and/or funding despite challenging political and fiscal environments. Learn successful strategies for organizing stakeholders to get a bill moving, identifying champions and supporters, and developing advocacy plans to advance innovative state policy reforms.

  • Massachusetts | Loh-Sze Leung, SkillWorks
  • Indiana | Jessica Fraser, Indiana Institute for Working Families
  • Iowa | Steve Ovel, Kirkwood Community College
  • Oregon | Agnes Balassa, Oregon Workforce Partnership
  • Wrap-Up | Eric Seleznow and Jessie Hogg Leslie, National Skills Coalition

Closing Out the FY 2011 Budget Process and Looking Ahead to the FY 2012 Budget Fight
May 5, 2011

Listen as National Skills Coalition's Federal Policy Team provides overview and analysis of the recently-passed FY 2011 continuing resolution (CR), as well as the latest news on the FY 2012 budget debate—what is being proposed by Congress and the Administration and how the workforce community can weigh in on the conversation. Download NSC's FY 2011 CR summary and funding chart, our analysis of the FY 2012 House-passed budget resolution, and follow along with the Podcast PowerPoint while listening to the following segments:

Fiscal Year 2011, 2012 Budget and Appropriations for Workforce Programs
February 28, 2011

Listen as National Skills Coalition's Federal Policy Team provides overview and analysis of the Fiscal Year 2011 appropriations process—including the latest on the Continuing Resolution—and President Obama's Fiscal Year 2012 budget proposal for workforce programs under the Departments of Labor and Education. Download NSC's Fiscal Year 2012 budget analysis and budget chart, and follow along with the Podcast PowerPoint while listening to the following segments:

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