Communities At Work RVA – Empowering employers, communities and individuals

INTRODUCING CAW

WHAT IS COMMUNITIES AT WORK?

Communities At Work has emerged as the fastest growing idea in the area of workforce impact. Conceived as a collaborative regional framework for coordinating the needs of the community and employers to enable the attainment of living wage careers, Communities At Work has the attention of some of the region’s most prominent employers, workforce development organizations, non-profit community-based organizations, and foundations.

Keep reading to see how you can participate in bringing the Communities At Work vision to life.
Ready to commit now? Click here to learn how you can take the next step.

SHARE THE CAW VISION

By 2020, Communities At Work RVA will have enabled thousands of matches between employers and empowered employees in the Richmond region (RVA) by offering community-focused, employer-driven solutions that enable the attainment of living wage careers.

JOIN THE CAW MOVEMENT

When you join the Communities At Work movement, you’ll come alongside community leaders like Goodwill of Central and Coastal Virginia, the Capital Region Collaborative and the Community College Workforce Alliance who have already engaged with the CAW vision.

COMMIT TO ACT

There are lots of ways to act. Employers can fund engagement projects specific to their industries. Foundations and industry associations can sponsor awareness programs and other initiatives. Community-based organizations can develop solutions for job seekers.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

How can CAW help your company, your industry, or your organization’s mission? Contact us today and let us help you learn how you can share our vision with others and join other community leaders as CAW helps thousands of people overcome barriers to attain living wage careers.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

RVA Community Resource Book

Download the RVA Community Resource Book (Feb_2020)

LET US TELL YOU MORE

WHAT IS CAW ALL ABOUT?

The Opportunity

Overall, unemployment in the Richmond region is low, although unemployment remains high in selected geographic areas. We have an opportunity to enable thousands of RVA residents with barriers to employment (e.g., at-risk young adults, the disabled, veterans, dislocated workers, those in chronic poverty and others needing a second chance from the justice system) to move into one of the 43,000 job openings that lead to living wage careers. Click here to learn more about how we’ve defined the opportunity before us.

Our Solution

Communities At Work is a framework that accelerates Impact Staffing of talent in the Richmond area into Living Wage Careers using a three-step formula that includes career pathway profiles for specific employers and industry sectors, Ready-Willing-Able candidate assessments, and coaching and integrated support services for employers and candidates. Click here to learn more about the Communities At Work solution.

How the CAW Framework Works

Traditional approaches to workforce development include candidate assessment, training, and placement. The CAW Framework adds employer engagement, sector readiness mapping, and candidate intake partner readiness assessments on the front end, as well as an integrated approach to post-hire support and retention on the back end. This collective impact approach improves the return on investment for employers and the community in a way that was not possible prior to the development of the CAW Framework. Click here to learn more about how the CAW Framework actually works.

Meeting Stakeholder Needs

Whether you’re an employer or industry association competing for talent in the job market, a foundation or governmental organization looking to apply your community impact funds to their best use, a community-based organization trying to coordinate your efforts with others in the community, or a potential employee with specific barriers to employment, CAW helps you work with others toward our vision for making a collective impact in the Richmond region. Click here to learn more about how the CAW Framework meets the needs of its stakeholders.

MATCHING SUPPLY AND DEMAND

Quantifying the RVA opportunity

25,000

RVA RESIDENTS WITH BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT

43,000

JOB OPENINGS IN RVA LEADING TO LIVING WAGE CAREERS

CAW: The Framework | The Movement | The Vision