“Future of Work: Implications of Supreme Court Decisions on the Talent Pipeline”
October 18, 2023
“This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word, more alive.”
Alice Waters
On October 18th, Apprentice Learning hosted our annual Fall Future of Work panel. This year’s topic: Implications of Supreme Court Decisions on the Talent Pipeline, inspired us to be intentional and diligent in our efforts to increase and nurture workplace diversity. Along with our panelists, we formed a collective think tank. We hoped that these conversations resonated and will continue within your spheres of influence. You can listen to the full panel or download the mp3 to listen on the go.
Moderated by American Student Assistance’s (ASA) Philanthropy Program Manager Jing Cox-Orrell, this panel discussion held on the 36th floor of GMO’s gorgeous office included Mellissa Gallagher (Engagement and Talent Acquisition Lead of GMO), Secretary Lauren Jones (Labor and Workforce Development, Commonwealth of Massachusetts), Su Joun (Principal, Diversity @ Workplace Consulting Group), Dr. Richard O’Bryant (Director, The John D. O’Bryant African-American Institute of Northeastern University) and Madeliene Rodriguez (Partner, Co-chair, Education Industry, Foley Hoag LLP). The panelists shared their insights and suggestions with regard to recruiting, nurturing, and retaining talent in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision on Affirmative Action. They fielded questions from the moderator and audience about innovative opportunities, messaging and challenges.
Some key take-aways:
- There is no explicit ruling that affects DEI efforts in the workplace.
- There are multiple career pathways that employers should utilize in order to recruit, retain, and nurture talent. Some of them can begin during elementary and middle school.
- There are innovation pathways and early college opportunities available in high schools across the Commonwealth.
- We need a combination of businesses, academia, and philanthropy in order to best prepare young people for the future.
- We should redirect our energy to the workplaces that care about and are making an effort with DBEI work because there’s a lot that can be done there.
One salient story related to the necessity of Apprentice Learning was relayed by panelist Su Joun. When her husband was in eighth grade, his class was visited by a lawyer. Her husband hadn’t thought of college, let alone a career in law. This visit was a launch pad for him…He is now a judge. For Apprentice Learning, this capsulizes and makes real our deep belief that when young people can see an array of options for their future, they are better able to opt in to possibilities that augment the world.
When Secretary Jones informed us that 75% of current Boston Public School students are students of color, Dr. O’Bryant reminded us that young people need adults at every step along their pathway who can and do reaffirm their value. Melissa Gallagher noted that workplaces thrive when we have “different voices, different perspectives”. She stated that there are improved and richer conversations when more voices are in the room.
An audience member asked what advice panelists would give young people as they begin to navigate the world. Panelist Madeleine Rodriguez said, “Find the thing that makes you curious, ask endless questions. Find your genius.” Dr. O’Bryant said, “Vote and diversify your experiences.” Su Joun said, “When someone tells you you can be anything, tell them, ‘Show me.'” Another piece of advice from Su that resonated was the necessity of networking beyond your network. This is advice we can all use, I’m sure.
If you are interested in engaging with Apprentice Learning or hearing more about our opportunities, please reach out to Michele Horn. You can learn more by watching this brief Intro to Apprentice Learning.
We would like to thank Jing Cox-Orrell, Su Joun, Dr. Richard O’Bryant, Melissa Gallagher, Madeleine Rodriguez, and Secretary Lauren Jones. Additionally, we would like to express our deep appreciation to GMO (One of our worksite partners) for generously hosting our panel in their lovely office.
