Update on Helping the Long-Term Unemployed

Yesterday I wrote of the need to "conquer [long-term unemployment] ills / By developing skills," and today I learned of a program doing just that. Jane Polin, a reader who advises charitable foundations, introduced me to the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, an award-winning, 32-site public-private collaboration. The NFWS (as distinct from the NSFW) is "an unprecedented initiative of national and local funders whose goal is the career advancement of low-wage workers using a model of substantial employer engagement to increase the potential for successful outcomes." Over the next three years, the Fund looks to elevate 23,000 workers into high-growth industries. It's a small step, but a big example.