Real Jobs RI: Corporation-Driven, Sector-Based Workforce Development
21 October 2024
PROVIDENCE, RI – Back in 2014, before Real Jobs Rhode Island was launched, the Ocean State had a 7.8% unemployment rate. [1]
In 2023, it fell to 3%.
Of course, many variables contribute to a state’s ability to support jobs for their citizens. RJRI is not the only contributor to decreasing the number, but a notable one that correlates with the dip.
Real Jobs Rhode Island (RJRI) is an innovative workforce development program launched in 2015 by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) to address the skills gap in the state's workforce and meet the demand for talented workers across growing industries.
So, how does it work?
The Real Jobs Rhode Island program allows any employment entity (think: departments of commerce, corporations, trade unions) apply for grant funding that enables them (or another entity they’ve hired) to train employees for a job opening at their organization. Once the training is complete, the trainee secures the job and immediately gets placed in the workforce. [2] They have a special focus in helping job seekers from disadvantaged communities and have the potential to confront longstanding inequities and systemic challenges.
The state needed this program when the pandemic hit in March 2020.
COVID-19 thrust industries into rapid, existential change. RJRI helped employers build a new workforce from shuttered industries by launching their “Back to Work” initiative: a supercharged version of the original programming. This helped the panicked workforce pivot to new industries and armed them with new skills.
RJRI puts workforce development responsibility in the employers’ hands to prepare workers for the job ahead, a stance that is not common in traditional workforce development. This allows employers to prepare candidates for jobs they want to fill, instead of staffing agencies or other entities playing a guessing game about what is available on the market, or what skills they believe are valuable in the job.
Initially, the state provided $14 million in grants to sector partnerships. In recent years, the program has seen increased funding, with the Governor proposing to use $40 million, including $10 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, to enhance the RJRI platform. [3] The Office’s proposed application was approved on November 21st, 2023. As of January 2024, the RJRI project includes “a total of $30 million for DLT to disburse and the largest recipients include Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation, Community College of Rhode Island, Amos House, and Genesis Center.” [4] They will continue using the ARPA grant until December of this year.
It’s a confounding problem when the government announces that hundreds of thousands of jobs are open and hiring, but nobody is clear on what those industries are or how they can prepare themselves to access them. RJRI directly addresses this issue.
Visit RJRI to learn more: https://dlt.ri.gov/employers/real-jobs-rhode-island