Seedco’s work was highlighted at the annual New York City Employment Training Coalition (NYCETC) conference, which brought together 500 national and local experts, employers, workforce professionals, government officials, and funders for a day of information sharing and networking, held on September 23.

Tara Colton, Executive Director, served on a panel entitled “Asset-Based Value Proposition as a Workforce Strategy,” where she spoke about Seedco’s work with Social Finance in understanding turnover, which is a critical and pressing issue for businesses. Her remarks centered on the importance of reframing Seedco’s program participants as assets and emphasizing the value they bring as employees.

Tara’s fellow panelists were Angie Kamath, (University Dean for Continuing Education and Workforce Development at the City University of New York), Martha Jackson (Assistant Commissioner Employment and Business Relations at the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities), Abe Mendez (Managing Director of New York at Per Scholas) and Christopher Watler (NYS Executive Director at the Center for Employment Opportunities). The panel was moderated by Charles Buice, President of the Tiger Foundation.

Ronin Davis, Senior Director of New York Programs, and Alex Breen, Senior Associate, led a standing-room-only workshop titled “Turnover to Talent Retention: Employers’ Outcomes-based Payments and Investment in Workforce.” The workshop further explored Seedco’s employer engagement work, which was launched through the 2019 “Making Entry-Level Talent Stick” report. The process of researching and interviewing employers, which led to a finding of turnover costs averaging $3,300 per incidence among entry-level employees, has opened the door to further engaging and collaborating with employers on a deeper level.