ED Now

Transitioning to employee ownership is a powerful strategy to preserve local businesses and jobs and support economic recovery and resilience. For the last decade, Project Equity has worked closely with numerous regions and economic development partners to unlock the power of employee ownership and create thriving local economies.

The pandemic amplified the decline in college enrollment: what does that mean for the broader U.S. economy? Undergraduate college enrollment has been trending downward since 2012, but the COVID-19 pandemic further decreased new student enrollment in degree-granting programs. Between 2019 and 2021, the number of students enrolling in college dropped from 15.4 million to 14.4 million, representing a 6.6 percent decline. A wide variety of factors contribute to this enrollment drop. One factor may be virtual education, as many students do not want to attend classes online. Another huge factor has been a favorable labor market and dramatic increase in wages for entry-level jobs. Unemployment is down dramatically from 2020, and many jobs ...

The latest addition to IEDC’s Economic Development Playbook, the Equity and Inclusion in Workforce Development webinar addressed how workforce development professionals can bolster equity and inclusion within their programs, and better equip underrepresented groups with the skills needed to succeed in the changing landscape of employer needs. Sunae Villavaso, director of New Orleans’ Office of Workforce Development, shared her own experience with providing retraining and upskilling programs to disadvantaged groups. Acknowledging the likely “paycheck-to-paycheck” reality potential participants face, Villavaso stressed the importance of supplying a livable wage to those in retraining and upskilling programs. The Earn ...

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) strives to enable upward economic mobility for every Michigander by building a champion economy in the state. During the pandemic this core mission has allowed us to respond with agility to expand existing programs and develop specific relief efforts while keeping our attention on the future economic needs of the state. Through our efforts we have been able to support more than 25,000 companies of all sizes in retaining more than 200,000 jobs for Michiganders while solidifying a foundation for future recovery and growth. As Covid transitions from pandemic to endemic, we are prepared for the opportunity to rebuild our state in a way that works for everyone. Through Governor ...

Like in most cities, many small businesses in Atlanta suffered economic setbacks and challenges from COVID-19 that left doors closed and many workers at home. Despite the encouraging signs of increased business activity and lower unemployment reports from Georgia’s Department of Labor, many small business owners are still struggling to regain their footing and operate at pre-pandemic levels, particularly in communities of color where economic recovery has been uneven. Invest Atlanta (IA) believes that economic prosperity and competitiveness start with equity for all Atlantans. Under the leadership of Atlanta’s mayor and with the support of City Council, IA is executing a landmark Economic Mobility, Recovery, and Resiliency ...

IEDC's Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) program recognizes organizational excellence in the areas of internal and external operations, structures, and procedures. This series profiles newly accredited AEDOs, putting some of economic development's highest-performing organizations in the spotlight. This edition: City of Dallas Office of Economic Development.

Higher education associations faced specific challenges due to the pandemic. A recent IEDC webinar brought association leaders together to talk about lessons learned from the past year and how institutions can stay prepared. The discussion was a follow-up to an ED Now article written by IEDC Higher Education Advisory Committee member Alia Abbas, and consisted of officials from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the Association of American Universities (AAU), and Burning Glass Technologies. Martha M. Parham, EdD, senior vice president of public relations at AACC, said that community colleges serve about 12 million students and 63 percent of them are part-time. As COVID hit, classrooms transitioned to online learning and ...

Taking on Structural Racism in Economic Development was the first webinar of IEDC’s Equitable Economic Development Playbook initiative in collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation. Panelists agreed that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are crucial for economic development. IEDC’s Equity and Economic Development Survey found that entrepreneurship and small business development, economic development finance, and workforce development are perceived as having the highest rates of economic inequity. Gregory Johnson, managing director of the Rockefeller Foundation’s U.S. Equity and Economic Opportunity initiative, said “Equity is opportunity.” He highlighted that “history has been rooted in ...