Employment and Economic Opportunities

Mission

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Workforce Development (WFD) Program seeks to ensure that the Latino community can contribute to and share in the nation’s economic opportunities. The WFD program aims to do this by focusing its program and policy work on closing the employment and skills gaps between Latinos and other Americans.

Overview

NCLR focuses on increasing Latinos’ entry into the workforce, creating career pathways, and promoting career mobility. Its WFD Program bridges the education and skills gap to advance Latino workers from low-wage, low-skills occupations to more advanced, upwardly mobile careers. To undertake this work, NCLR uses its expertise and resources and establishes partnerships with community-based Affiliates and strategic partners in areas with significant or growing Latino populations. Together, NCLR and its Affiliates serve as the link to local employers, direct service providers to job seekers within their communities, and collaborate to support local sustainability.

Research and Demonstration Programs

Through its research, demonstration programs, Affiliate peer exchanges, and capacity-building technical assistance, NCLR strengthens community-based organizations’ ability to become effective labor market intermediaries and better serve the Latino community and industries in demand of a skilled workforce.

Policy and Advocacy

Aligned with its WFD programs, NCLR’s employment-focused public policy work promotes policies that reward work, advances policy solutions that create jobs, and encourages efforts that open doors to employment mobility for Latinos. Through a national advocacy strategy, NCLR ensures a broad representation of the needs of Latinos and of other minority communities. By mobilizing Latino community-based organizations and providing them a voice in Washington, DC, NCLR has been a strong force in increasing access to federally funded job training services and opportunities for Latino workers.

Highlights

From 2006 to 2007, nearly 100 Latinos have been trained for various positions in the health care industry, including Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), Medical Assistants, and Dental Assistants. NCLR’s focus on career mobility and participants graduating from advanced levels of the program increased their wages by an average of 150%. To date, the Escalera Program has served 181 students; 96% (174/181) of students completed the Escalera Program and 94% (162/171) of graduating seniors completing the program were accepted into postsecondary institutions. Currently, the Escalera Program is serving 80 students (seniors) and will serve an additional 375 students nationally from 2008 to 2009.