Building the Whole Person Project to Address Chronic Underemployment

 
The world of workforce has moved the needle to really adapt the system for current needs, but with continued chronic underemployment, a whole-person approach is not currently standard in the system for workforce development. Why should it be?

In part 1 of this 2-part episode, DisruptED, host Ron J. Stefanski speaks with off-the-charts GSD indexer Marlena Sessions, Executive Director of NOVAworks, about chronic underemployment, underserved communities, and what they can do for those who are historically excluded using a whole-person approach.

Sessions remarked, “I would have to say that people who haven’t been included…in the great programming, the great things, is usually because…they don’t know about it. They don’t have that social capital; they don’t have those mentors or that network.”

Stefanski and Sessions discuss…

● What NOVAworks is doing to help address underemployment in historically
excluded communities.

● Why workforce development using a whole-person approach matters for
assessments

● Why it’s better to get to know the person you’re serving on a deeper level to
better provide life-supporting and family-supporting jobs

“It’s really finding out and building that trust, becoming a mentor in addition to a career advisor,” said Sessions.

Sessions has over two decades of experience working to change lives. Prior to her role with NOVAworks, Sessions was the Executive Director for San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board, worked in leadership roles for Grant Associates, and led the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County as the COO and CEO for seventeen years. She holds her BA in History/Political Science from Whitworth University and her MA in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.

 
Unemployment is at historically low levels, but the workforce still needs workers. What could discourage potential workers from applying to a particular job or entering a specific industry? It comes down to skills. Not possessing the skills for a particular job or industry is a problem for today’s workforce, but it should not be a deterrent. Upskilling and reskilling are excellent solutions. This skills-based hiring approach needs further investigation to solve for the current chronic underemployment.

In the second part of this DisruptED two-part episode, host Ron J. Stefanski explored this topic through his continued conversation with Marlena Sessions, Executive Director of NOVAworks. “Our labor market is constantly changing, but in the past two years or so, it’s given us an opportunity to get in with employers even more so and say to them, you need great workers, and you need great talent; what are your hiring practices like,” Sessions said.

On this episode of DistruptED, Stefanski and Sessions discuss the following…

● Shifting the paradigm on hiring practices and selecting talent

● How skills could potentially outweigh or shift priorities on the traditional
four-year, higher education model

● The need for increased skilled workers in IT and Cybersecurity

● Creating more inclusive hiring practices

“It’s refreshing for an employer to realize by doing these more inclusive hiring practices, they are doing more inclusive hiring, and finding talent, they might otherwise never consider,” Sessions said.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Commerce media
A Look at the Rise of Commerce Media Networks: How Nift Helps Brands Own How Their Message Shows Up
July 2, 2025

As traditional digital advertising struggles to retain consumer trust, brands are exploring new, more authentic ways to connect with shoppers. Platforms like commerce media networks, which weave together commerce, content, and data, are emerging as powerful tools in this shift. Research from MG2 Advisory reveals that only about 37% of consumers feel brands genuinely…

Read More
Hospitality leadership
Heart-First Hospitality Leadership: How Saying ‘Yes’ Transforms Guest Experiences, Boosts Staff Morale, and Drives Business Results
July 2, 2025

As the hospitality industry emerges from years of pandemic-driven upheaval, hospitality leadership is evolving to meet new challenges. Leaders are looking for new ways to retain staff, elevate guest satisfaction, and drive revenue without burning out their teams. One trend gaining traction is the power of “Yes”: empowering employees to say yes more often,…

Read More
civic leadership
Mayor Gerard Hudspeth’s Civic Leadership Journey: What Politics Teaches About People
July 2, 2025

What does a mayor learn about human nature? In this episode of Professional Quotient: Conversations that Build Equity, host Jason Winningham sits down with Gerard Hudspeth, longtime mayor of Denton, Texas, and a respected figure in civic leadership. Drawing from his years in public service, Hudspeth explores how leading a city reveals the core…

Read More
sepsis
Debunking Sepsis Myths – Episode 1
July 1, 2025

In the first episode of The Michael Rothman podcast, we address misconceptions about sepsis in healthcare. Although it’s often claimed that sepsis accounts for nearly a third of hospital deaths, many of these deaths are linked to chronic conditions with sepsis as a secondary factor. The frequently cited statistic that delays in treating sepsis increase…

Read More