Governor to Launch Talent Sourcing Solution to Connect Unemployed Job Seekers and Employers

This Wednesday, Governor Gina Raimondo, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, state economic and workforce development officials, and business leaders will launch a new program aimed at connecting job-seekers to hiring employers: Skills for Rhode Island’s Future.

​This new public-private talent sourcing initiative encourages employers to commit to inclusive hiring practices and to remove barriers that often prevent qualified long-term unemployed and underemployed job seekers from job opportunities. Skills for RI’s Future will work with employers and other state workforce programs — including Real Jobs RI, TechHire RI, and P-TECH – to match them with motivated Rhode Islanders looking for jobs, especially those who have been unemployed longer than six months.

“The best words I can hear are ‘I got the job!’ – I want every Rhode Islander to be able to say that,” said Governor Gina M. Raimondo. “And the best way to make this a reality is to train job seekers for work that actually exists. This is the essence of ‘demand-driven’ programs like Real Jobs RI, TechHire RI, and P-TECH. Now, with the launch of Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, we’ll have that missing link to make the direct connection between the workers we are training and the businesses that are hiring. I’m excited to keep the momentum going, and want to thank the Congressional Delegation for their support in securing funding to bring this initiative to Rhode Island.”

Skills for RI’s Future is based off the successful model created by Skills for Chicagoland’s Future. This is the first statewide launch of this model, and the first expansion of the initiative outside of Chicago. The Rhode Island Congressional Delegation’s advocacy made this initiative possible. In June of 2015, Rhode Island obtained a $5.25-million USDOL Sector Partnership-National Emergency Grant of which $1.25 million is funding Skills for Rhode Island’s Future.
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