National Association of Workforce Boards Launches AI-Powered Career Navigation and Learning Platform

The Workforce Compass platform will empower workforce development boards across the country to expand and strengthen their services for job seekers

Washington, DC, June 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) launched an AI-powered career navigation and learning platform, Workforce Compass, in partnership with technology provider FutureFit AI, at its annual event The Forum in Washington, D.C. The platform will enable participating workforce development boards to provide job seekers with career exploration, reskilling, and job placement support that is personalized through local labor market data and artificial intelligence.

Workforce Compass will enable workforce development boards to expand and strengthen their services for job seekers, aggregate national and local learning options on one simplified platform, and access real-time progression and outcomes data.

An inaugural set of learning partners and workforce development boards will help shape the launch of the Workforce Compass platform as it expands to support job seekers around the country. The five inaugural workforce development boards and their staff will have the opportunity to inform the development of the platform to ensure Workforce Compass maximizes its impact for job seekers and the organizations that serve them. "By integrating with both local and national providers, Workforce Compass is uniquely positioned to help us achieve sustainable, high quality career outcomes for job seekers in our community," said Mark Mattke, CEO of the Spokane Workforce Council. "We are excited to be an inaugural member of an innovative partnership that is poised to unlock the full potential of workforce development boards' service delivery model."

Initial national learning and training providers include Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, Calbright College, Penn Foster, and MedCerts, and will be driven by local decisions on learning and service provider options for each community. “Public-private partnerships will be critical to addressing the unemployment crisis and upskilling displaced workers for well-paying digital jobs,” said Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera CEO. “Coursera is excited to partner with Workforce Compass to provide job-seekers with access to a wide range of industry-relevant credentials from leading technology educators like Google and IBM and equip them with the skills needed to re-enter the workforce.”

During The Forum’s opening keynote session, NAWB President and CEO Ron Painter said, “NAWB is excited to announce our new partnership with FutureFit AI and innovative learning providers on this groundbreaking career navigation and reskilling platform. During the initial design process of the platform, we worked with a great group of workforce development boards to ensure Workforce Compass will directly address common pain points.

This platform will complement the extraordinary work that workforce professionals are doing across the country to support job seekers and connect them to the appropriate learning and credentialing resources that best fit their needs.”

"There are more job seekers than ever who need support navigating high-demand career paths in the economy, and local workforce development boards across the country will be the backbone of our economic recovery efforts," said Taylor Stockton, COO of FutureFit AI. “FutureFit AI is thrilled to be partnering with NAWB to launch Workforce Compass at a crucial time in that recovery.”

For more information on the Workforce Compass platform please visit: https://www.nawb.org/initiatives/workforce-compass.

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About the National Association of Workforce Boards
The National Association of Workforce Boards represents over 500 Workforce Development Boards and their 12,000+ business members that coordinate and leverage workforce strategies with education and economic development stakeholders within their local communities, to ensure that state and local workforce development and job training programs meet the needs of employers. For more information on NAWB’s latest work and new initiatives, please visit www.nawb.org.

About FutureFit AI
FutureFit AI partners with companies and governments around the world to provide an AI-powered tool that helps individuals navigate career transitions. FutureFit AI uses over 350 million global talent profiles, live labor market data and projections, and proprietary algorithms to provide personalized career and learning recommendations. For more information on FutureFit AI, please visit www.futurefit.ai.

About Calbright College
Calbright College is a public, digital community college campus designed to prepare workers across California for new careers that offer great pay, full benefits, and future opportunities for promotion. Calbright blends best practices from online instruction and traditional workforce development into a unique experience that promotes and supports students from registration to career support. Launched in late 2019, Calbright is the 115th California community college and 73rd district, governed by an independent Board of Trustees serving concurrently as the California Community Colleges Board of Governors.

About Coursera
Coursera was launched in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with 82 million registered learners as of March 31, 2021. Coursera partners with over 200 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including Guided Projects, courses, Specializations, certificates, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees. More than 6,000 institutions have used Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, citizens, and students, including in high-demand fields such as data science, technology, and business.

About LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning is an online educational platform that helps you discover and develop business, technology-related, and creative skills through expert-led course videos. With more than 5,000 courses and personalized recommendations, you can discover, complete, and track courses related to your field and interests. You can also choose to add these courses and related skills to your LinkedIn profile once you've completed them. For more information, visit https://www.linkedin.com/learning.

About MedCerts

MedCerts is a national online training provider strengthening the workforce through innovative eLearning solutions. Focused on certifications in high-demand areas of Allied Healthcare and IT, it serves individuals from all backgrounds, including the military and their families, career changers and the under- and unemployed. MedCerts delivers certification and career training through HD-quality video-based instruction, virtual simulations, games and animations, and on-the-job training through experiential learning solutions. Since 2009, the company has developed over 35 career programs, trained and up-skilled more than 25,000 individuals across the country and partnered with over 500 American job centers and more than 1,000 healthcare organizations have MedCerts trained employees on staff. For more information, visit https://www.medcerts.com

About Penn Foster
Penn Foster is bridging the gap between education and economic opportunity to build tomorrow's workforce. We partner with employers, education and workforce organizations, and local community groups to design and deliver digital and blended learning programs that attract, upskill, and retain workers in America's fastest-growing fields and professions. With more than 40,000 graduates each year, Penn Foster helps individuals discover pathways to opportunity through accredited diploma, certificate and degree programs that matter in the world of work. For more information, visit https://www.pennfoster.edu.