Rhode Island Workforce Alliance is a partnership among business, labor, philanthropic, adult education and upward mobility leaders dedicated to improving workforce development services for low-skilled Rhode Islanders while meeting employer needs for a skilled workforce. The Alliance advocates for local, state and federal investments that help Rhode Island workers and job seekers, especially those who are low-income or low-skilled, advance in the workforce. In collaboration with local partners, National Skills Coaltion helped form the Rhode Island Workforce Alliance and provides ongoing technical assistance.

Click here to contact The Poverty Institute, the lead organization for the Rhode Island Workforce Alliance.

Key Partners

Community College of Rhode Island
Dorcas Place
Genesis Center
The Poverty Institute
Providence Plan
Rhode Island AFL-CIO
Rhode Island Family Life Center
Rhode Island Professional Development Center
Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council
Rhode Island Regional Adult Learning
United Way of Rhode Island 

Major Efforts

Working in partnership with NSC, the Rhode Island Workforce Alliance, led by The Poverty Institute, achieved a major legislative win when state policymakers adopted a credential attainment measure for the state. As part of their budget bill (Article 24), the Rhode Island legislature included language to incorporate credential counting in their already impressive cross-system annual state workforce report—Unified Workforce Development Expenditure and Program Report.

Rhode Island Workforce Alliance, lead partner of the Skills2Compete-Rhode Island campaign, held Skills2Compete Day at the State House in May 2010. Adult education and job training leaders from across the state came together to demonstrate to legislators how investments in adult education and training are critical to building the skills of Rhode Island’s workforce and a strong economy.

The Rhode Island Workforce Alliance helped pass legislation to direct the Rhode Island Department of Human Services to expand the Food Stamp Employment and Training Program to bring additional federal funds to Rhode Island for employment-readiness services for low-skilled adults.

The Alliance helped to maintain access to education and training for low-skilled Rhode Islanders who participate in the state’s TANF program despite a major work-first over-haul of the program in 2008.