Skills for Rhode Island's Future | Jobs in Rhode Island

SkillsRI offers job search support, career enhancement services, and free training program opportunities to unemployed and underemployed Rhode Island residents.

SkillsRI Awarded $100K Grant by Microsoft

SkillsRI has been awarded a $100K grant by Microsoft to close the skills gap and upskill Rhode Islanders in the COVID-19 digital economy.

The grant will be used to provide access to free, digital learning courses across LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn and GitHub as part of SkillsRI’s online education hub, Skills Academy, with the goal of helping people acquire the necessary skills to successfully navigate in-demand career paths.

Skills for Rhode Island’s Future (SkillsRI)—a nonprofit organization that connects unemployed and underemployed Rhode Islanders to job opportunities and sustainable career pathways—today announced $100K in grant funding from Microsoft. The funding will be used to expand access to digital skills-based learning resources through SkillsRI’s new online learning hub, Skills Academy, and help people who have been hit the hardest by COVID-19 related job losses navigate a career path to an in-demand role.

The funding is part of Microsoft’s worldwide initiative to help 25 million people acquire the digital skills needed to be successful in the digital economy as well as Governor Gina Raimondo’s recently-announced workforce development initiative for Rhode Islanders displaced by COVID-19.

“The workforce is in a massive period of digital transformation” said Nina Pande, Executive Director of Skills for Rhode Island’s Future. “COVID-19 has drastically impacted employment rates, and as we help get Rhode Islanders back to work, ensuring they have the digital skills that are quickly becoming the foundation of almost every in-demand job is critical. Our partnership with Microsoft will enable us to continue combatting employment barriers for marginalized communities and help people acquire the skills needed to build sustainable careers that support strong economic mobility and will lead to a more inclusive workforce.”

Leveraging global employment data, Microsoft identified the 10 most in-demand jobs in today’s economy, developing free learning pathways for people to take courses and earn a certification that maps back to these roles.  Learning pathways are available for the following career paths:

  • Software developer
  • Sales development representative
  • Project manager
  • Customer service specialist
  • Digital marketing specialist
  • IT support / Help desk technician
  • IT network administrator
  • Data analyst
  • Financial analyst
  • Graphic designer

In addition to the 10 learning pathways, Microsoft will also be offering two digital literacy courses that will serve as optional precursors to the pathways. Topics for these courses include “working with computers to create opportunity” and “working and collaborating online.”

“At Microsoft, we’re bringing every part of our company together to help Americans acquire the skills they need to fill 21st century jobs,” says Naria Santa Lucia, general manager of digital inclusion at Microsoft Philanthropies. “We’re excited to partner with the Skills for Rhode Island’s Future to utilize resources from Microsoft and LinkedIn to help people acquire the skills needed for in-demand jobs, helping Rhode Islanders get back to work.”

The 10 learning pathways and two digital literacy courses are available for free in English and Spanish starting today on Skills Academy, SkillsRI’s learning hub offering online courses, employer-sponsored training programs and workshops dedicated to upskilling Rhode Islanders and providing them with access to meaningful employment opportunities and upward economic mobility. Skills Academy users will have access to a career coach and those eligible for SkillsRI services will receive job placement support following the completion of their courses.

For more information and to get started today, visit academy.skillsforri.com.
To connect with a SkillsRI career coach today, email skillslearning@skillsforri.com.

Work-Based Learning Navigator Connects RI Students to Year-Round, Career Readiness Opportunities

Developed through a generous partnership with Fidelity Investments and Partnership for Rhode Island, the free online portal will match educators with Rhode Island employers to bring career learning into the classroom.

Skills for Rhode Island’s Future (SkillsRI)–the nonprofit organization that connects unemployed and underemployed Rhode Islanders to job opportunities and sustainable career pathways–today announced the launch of the PrepareRI Work-Based Learning (WBL) Navigator in collaboration with the Governor’s Workforce Board (GWB) and Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). The free, online portal is designed to connect Rhode Island public and charter school students to year-round, meaningful work-based learning and career exploration opportunities in the classroom that will equip them with the skills needed to thrive in the workplace.

The WBL Navigator tool was built through a generous partnership with Fidelity Investments and Partnership for Rhode Island.

“Through our work with the PrepareRI high school and college internship programs, we’ve seen first-hand how work-based learning can help us fight inequities and ensure that every student has access to resources that will help them succeed in their careers.” said Nina Pande, Executive Director at SkillsRI.  The new PrepareRI WBL Navigator will help us expand on our work to bring hands-on career learning activities into the classroom, effectively breaking down barriers and paving stronger career pathways for our future workforce.”

“Fidelity Investments is committed to making a difference in the lives of school-age children and teachers in the communities where we work and live by sharing our experience and resources to help deliver financial literacy programming, curriculum and activities, and the Navigator is the perfect extension of those efforts,” said Rick Metters, Head of Government Relations and Public Affairs in Rhode Island. “We were happy to work with Partnership for Rhode Island, the GWB and RIDE to develop a tool that delivers learning modules to increase knowledge and skill.”

In addition to the development of the Navigator, Fidelity Investments also recently partnered with SkillsRI–a nonprofit organization that connects unemployed and underemployed Rhode Islanders to job opportunities and sustainable career pathways–to recruit Rhode Islanders for a variety of entry-level positions in client services. As part of this initiative, Fidelity is committed to helping Rhode Islanders gain valuable experience, personal and professional growth and strong mentorship in the financial services industry.

Using the new PrepareRI WBL Navigator, Rhode Island employers can post virtual or in-person work-based learning and career exploration opportunities, called “resources,” and educators can search, browse and request resources based on their need. Skills for Rhode Island’s Future then serves as the intermediary that matches educator requests with relevant resources for their students.

Resources on the Navigator will include:

Career Exploration Resources

  • Career Fairs
  • Career Panels
  • Guest Speakers
  • Employer Advisor for CTE Programs
  • Mentorships
  • Job Shadows
  • Workplace Tours

Work-Based Learning Resources

  • Academic Year Internships
  • Employer or Industry-Specific Projects
  • Service-Learning Opportunities
  • Summer Internships
  • Teacher Externships
  • Work Readiness Career Enhancement Workshops

Resources organized and provided through the PrepareRI WBL Navigator can also be applied to the state’s requirement of 80 work-based learning hours for students.

“The need for work-based learning has never been more important,” said Scott Jensen, Director of Rhode Island’s Department of Labor and Training. “Our youth are entering a rapidly-transforming workforce, where new fields and ways of work are emerging. The Navigator will be a critical tool in bringing together the education, business and workforce development communities to connect the dots between traditional education and the current workforce for students as they build their vision for the future.”

“This incredible program will help connect our students and teachers with our business community and leaders,” said Commissioner of Education Angélica Infante-Green. “The skills built and experiences provided by these work-based learning opportunities will help prepare students for career pathways in their future. We’re excited for the launch of this innovative and collaborative tool for our schools.”

The PrepareRI WBL Navigator will be piloted with a select group of employers and educators starting today, and will roll out to all Rhode Island employers and educators in the new year.

“We are very excited to launch the Navigator pilot,” said Tom Giordano, Executive Director of Partnership for Rhode Island, a nonprofit coalition of Rhode Island’s leading business executives. “This platform will provide valuable and unique work-based learning opportunities across the state resulting in hundreds of hours of interactions between professionals, teachers and their students. This type of collaboration is what builds the workforce of the future. ”

Employers and educators can sign up on the PrepareRI Work-Based Learning Navigator at www.riwblnavigator.com. For more information and to speak with a Skills for Rhode Island’s Future team member, visit www.skillsforri.com/navigator.

Coming Soon: Skills Academy

Launching soon: an online hub for Rhode Islanders looking to build and gain new skills that will help them succeed in today’s dynamic work landscape.

Sign up to be the first to know about the Skills Academy launch:

SkillsRI Celebrates Surpassing ONE MILLION Website and Job Board Hits

Skills for Rhode Island’s Future is excited to announce a major milestone for our agency: we have surpassed ONE MILLION web hits to our website and job board already in 2020!
 
While it has been a challenging year, we are fortunate to be positioned to help Rhode Islanders at a time where many can use a helping hand in their job search.
 
If we can be of assistance to you or someone you know, please visit backtowork.skillsforri.com or give us a call at 401-680-5960.

SkillsRI Named to PBN Best Places to Work List for 2020

Providence Business News Best Places to Work – SkillsRI

Skills for Rhode Island’s Future (SkillsRI) is proud to have been selected as one of the state’s 2020 Best Places to Work in the small employer category by the Providence Business News (PBN)! The Best Places to Work in Rhode Island is an awards program dedicated to identifying and recognizing the area’s best employers and providing organizations with valuable employee feedback.

At SkillsRI we work hard to transform lives through meaningful employment and economic mobility. This is accomplished by creating demand-driven solutions for employers to get the unemployed and underemployed back to work.

We’re thrilled to have the backing of PBN and more than one hundred employer partners across Rhode Island that partner with us to help make Rhode Island a wonderful place to live and work.

SkillsRI and RINLA Invite You to Grow Your Green Collar Career!
Growing Futures Career Catalyst Training
4-Week Paid Training (Virtual & On-the-Job Training)
LEARNING TOPICS INCLUDE:
  • Introductory horticulture
  • Tool use and safety
  • Mathematics for landscaping
  • Workplace safety training
  • Conflict resolution and communication
  • First aid
POTENTIAL CAREER PATHWAYS:
  • Arborist/tree care
  • Farming
  • Garden centers
  • Greenhouses
  • Landscape construction and maintenance
  • Stone masonry
    and more!
START DATE: 
Online orientation on December 21, 2020
Training program from January 4 to January 29, 2021 with a break for the holiday season.
HOURS: 
30 hours per week for 4 weeks (15 online / 15 hours on-site)
PAY:
$480 per week for 4 weeks
JOB PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE:
The demand for products and services provided by plant-based industries continues to grow, and we support those who complete the training with job matching.

APPLY ONLINE

SkillsRI Celebrates Over 1,000 Shifts Claimed for the Dispatcher Program

COVID-19 has brought about countless challenges across the board, though one of the industries hit hardest and rapidly shaken up by the crisis has been healthcare. While many businesses across Rhode Island ceased their in-person operations and allowed their employees to work from home if they could, hundreds of hospitals, congregate care facilities and human service organizations across the State were pushed to their limits.

Skills for Rhode Island’s Future had the opportunity to work with the State in April to quickly develop and roll out a “Dispatching Program” to help support congregate care sites across the State who were, and still are, critically in need of healthcare workers. The program offers increased wages to eligible Certified Nursing Assistants ($25/hour), Licensed Practical Nurses ($40/hour) and Registered Nurses ($55/hour) interested in picking up per diem shifts. Utilizing a user-friendly scheduling app, facilities are able to post shifts they need to fill and healthcare workers are able to claim the shifts that work within their schedule and location.

We’re thrilled to share that earlier this month we exceeded 1,000 shifts claimed through the dispatching app, now approaching 1,100 shifts claimed, offering congregate care facilities the support they need and providing Rhode Island healthcare heroes the increased wages they deserve as they stand on the front lines to help navigate us through this difficult time.

Though this program is temporary in response to the COVID crisis, we are still inviting eligible RNs, LPNs and CNAs to apply for entry into the dispatch program: https://backtowork.skillsforri.com/job-board/for-job-seekers-dispatching.

SkillsRI Celebrates Over 150 Temporary Staff Placements

COVID-19 has brought on deep uncertainty to say the least, both on the side of employers and job seekers. We as individuals and organizations have had to navigate through unchartered waters, unsure of what the days ahead will bring. However, at SkillsRI we have remained laser focused on solutions to support Rhode Islanders.

Collaborating with the RI Department of Labor and Training, in April SkillsRI introduced a temporary staffing initiative aimed at providing increased wages of $18 to $23 per hour for Rhode Islanders displaced from their jobs due to COVID-19. These individuals are placed temporarily with employers small and large across the State who are in high need of talent to keep their operations running safely and smoothly.

Throughout the phased re-opening, we have worked side-by-side with over 150 individuals to secure temporary employment in banking & finance, call center/customer service, hospitality/food services, human services, manufacturing, office/clerical, retail, transportation and warehouse/logistics.

Thank you to each and every one of the individuals who have stepped up to help the Rhode Island economy during this difficult time… while earning increased wages in these uncertain times.

If you would like to learn more or apply for the SkillsRI Temp Staffing program, please visit https://www.skillsforri.com/temp.

SkillsRI Partners With Salesforce

Salesforce, the leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform based in San Francisco has approximately 49,0000 employees across the globe, but perhaps the company’s most interesting characteristic is it’s culture of support.

In July, Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff joined Governor Gina Raimondo and industry leaders to commit resources to the state’s new “Back to Work RI” initiative aimed at supporting displaced workers with critical training programs to help navigate the post COVID-19 job market. As part of the initiative, Salesforce piloted a paid virtual training program for Rhode Islanders that would provide the opportunity for technical skill-building along with coaching from mentors to help them learn about Salesforce tools, gain experience and build upon their skills throughout the training.

Salesforce partnered with SkillsRI to recruit Rhode Island for the opportunity. Salesforce offered two training tracks: Business Development Trainee or Solution Engineer Trainee. Candidates would be paid $25/hour over the course of the three-month, full-time contract with Salesforce.

“SalesForce dot com in China” by SoniaT 360. is licensed under CC BY 2.0″

SkillsRI recruiters attracted over 400 applications from across Rhode Island within a span of two weeks! Working hand-in-hand with the Salesforce team to schedule interviews with highly-qualified Rhode Islanders, SkillRI submitted a total of 90 candidates for consideration who had a wide range of education levels, from high school diplomas to a Master’s degrees. Of the Rhode Islanders placed in the program, 100% were sourced by SkillsRI, and 67% were female. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to collaborate with a leading company that is helping Rhode Islanders from all walks of life get back into the workforce! A few of the candidates placed included a woman returning to work after having a family in 2011, and a lawyer who was forced to close his practice due to COVID-19.

Virtual training for our candidates has started this month, and the feedback has been overwhelming positive! Trainees have been given access to full-time benefits, one-on-one time with mentors across Salesforce, and plenty of professional development opportunities.

“The Salesforce opportunity has been excellent for Rhode Islanders who are re-entering the workforce and looking to sharpen their professional skills or further their technical expertise,” said Sarah Houser, Senior Recruiter for SkillsRI. “It has also acted as a transitional opportunity for several applicants who previously worked in the gig-economy, and small business owners who have been unable to return since the advent of Covid-19.”

Salesforce campaign at a glance:

  • Salesforce: #1 leading CRM platform
  • 49,000 employees worldwide
  • 400+ applications received
  • 90 submissions
  • 100% of RIers placed in the program were sourced by SkillsRI
  • 67% of candidates placed were female and came from a variety of educational backgrounds!

 

Oricel M. – Skills Stories

“I’ve spent my entire career working in customer service, but when COVID-19 hit in March, I lost my job. It wasn't easy, but I chose to see it as an opportunity to try something different and pursue a career in the medical field as a certified nursing assistant. I enrolled in a one-month program in Massachusetts and immediately started looking for jobs. Unfortunately, every open position required a one-hour commute from Rhode Island, which wasn't sustainable for me. I applied to various facilities across Rhode Island, but nobody could hire me with a Massachusetts license. It was frustrating, and I couldn’t imagine my hard work going to waste. As the days went by, I continued my search for a solution and came across Skills for Rhode Island’s Future’s accelerated training program for CNAs. It felt like the perfect program to get me back on my feet quickly. In just two weeks, I was able to get a valid temporary license in Rhode Island and was finally able to start working again. The SkillsRI staff guided me through every step of the process, and they truly cared about seeing me succeed. With the help of the SkillsRI team, I’m now on a path to a better future in the career path of my dreams, and I get to make a difference in my home state.”
Oricel M.
Accelerated CNA Training Program

Looking to kickstart or advance your career in the medical field? Click here to view the opportunities in healthcare on the SkillsRI Back to Work job board.

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401-680-5960

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