Save The Date: Corporate Voices' Annual Partners Meeting To Be Held June 15-17

We are proud to announce we will hold our annual partners meeting and a special 10^th anniversary celebration June 15-17, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. This year's annual meeting will bring together leaders from the public and private sectors while highlighting and focusing on Celebrating 10 Years of Success: Shaping the 21^st Century Workforce and Workplace.

Please check the Corporate Voices website regularly for agenda updates and sponsorship opportunities.   

Leaves That Pay: Employer And Worker Experiences With Paid Family Leave In California

The Center for Economic and Policy Research published a study in January 2011 detailing worker and employer experiences with California's Paid Family Leave (PFL) program-the nation's first comprehensive paid leave program passed into law in September 2002. The program is structured as an insurance benefit, fully funded by employees, and enables most working Californians to receive up to six weeks of partial wage replacement when they need to take time off from work to care for a newborn child or an ill family member.

According to Eileen Appelbaum, one of the authors of the report, "The experience of California employers with the state's Paid Family Leave program has disproved opponents' claims that the program would be a 'job killer.' In our survey of a random sample of 253 employers, almost all employers reported that the program had positive or neutral effects on productivity, profitability, turnover and morale."

California's Paid Family Leave program may offer an example as to how other states can implement this type of program in a way that works for businesses to help their employees better manage the dual demands of work and life.

Among the study's key findings for employers are:

• 91 percent of employers found that the PFL program had a positive or neutral effect on profitability and performance, and 96 percent felt that it had the same effect on turnover;
• 91 percent of employers reported no instances of abuse;
•  Employers reported enjoying a 9 percent cost-savings due to the program;
• 60 percent of employers reported cost-savings due to coordinating their own benefits with the state PFL program.

Read the full report

Read "Paid Family Leave Pays Off in California," Harvard Business Review, January 19, 2011.

Winning the Future-the Need for Building a Competitive Talent Pipeline

In his State of the Union Address last week, President Obama outlined his vision for a path forward on job creation in America-- a critical issue at a time when the unemployment rate remains stubbornly above 9 percent, and when nearly one in three working families in the United States are low-income and are struggling to make ends meet. Declaring that a new "Sputnik moment" has arrived, President Obama called for increased investments in innovation, education, infrastructure, clean technologies, and called for growth and job creation through increased American exports and trade.

But what challenges exist to a revival of U.S. manufacturing and export-led growth in America? And what constructive role can employers and community colleges play in addressing existing skills shortages in our workforce to build our nation's talent pipeline for future growth and prosperity? Read Corporate Voices' analysis of this issue and about innovative "Learn and Earn" partnerships on Corporate Voices' blog.

Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 Website Updated

We are proud to announce that we have recently unveiled a new, improved and updated Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 Website!   The new site offers individuals a chance to learn about the Ready by 21 initiative and a new section on how to become involved. There is also an section featuring our new tools and research geared towards business and community leaders.    

Please feel free to contact the Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 Staff for more information.

Why Does Fresno Have Thousands Of Job Openings - And High Unemployment?, The Washington Post, February 2, 2011.

Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting The Challenge Of Preparing Young Americans For The 21st Century, Harvard Graduate School of Education, February, 2011.   

The Degree Qualifications Profile, Lumina Foundation, January, 2011.