November 2023 Newsletter - The DeBruce Foundation

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Happy National Career Development Month!

It’s the best time of year, and here at The DeBruce Foundation, we have been celebrating all month long! We are thrilled to have released new national employment research, uncovered ways to help youth build bright future careers, and launched new and improved career resources.

Our research highlights the crucial nature of our work: only 1/3 of Americans have the skills and networks they need to build empowered careers. This leaves 2/3 of Americans who are at considerable risk. This presents us with our collective call to action.

We have hope: Career Literacy can be taught and networks can be strengthened, so individuals can build Employment Empowerment. This results in increased job security, better benefits, higher wages and more.

I’m grateful to each of you who are helping develop empowered careers.

I encourage you to use our new career research and resources—they’re available to you for free as part of our charitable mission, because we believe that together, we can expand career pathways for all.

Keys to Employment Empowerment

The Employment Empowerment Study is a nationally representative longitudinal trend survey to assess patterns of employment, income, and work conditions in America.

The 2022 Study findings identified Career Literacy and Network Strength as key factors in building empowered careers—with higher wages, higher likelihood of being employed, better benefits, and more.

The 2023 data demonstrates the benefits of developing the Career Literacy and Network Strength of young people.

Read the report, Start Early, Succeed Sooner: Insights from the 2023 Employment Empowerment Study.

How to Talk with Youth About Careers

This groundbreaking study, conducted from June to October 2023, delves into the experiences, aspirations, and challenges of young people aged 16 to 24 in America today.

Building on similar research conducted in 2019 and 2021, this report provides valuable insights and practical tips for parents, educators, employers, and policymakers to meet youth where they are when talking about careers.

Read the full report and guide.

New and Improved Career Explorer Tools

We seek to equip people with the tools and resources to build successful careers.

Our new and improved Career Explorer Tools provide a fast, personalized way to explore career options and better understand how to secure your desired career.

The Career Explorer Tools center around your strengths and interests, and they help you explore occupations, their average pay, the growth within that industry, and the training and education to get there.

Visit the new Career Explorer Tools.

Jump-starting career paths with Career Literacy

Featured this past week on KSHB 41 News, Chelsea is a high school student who has used the Agile Work Profiler and Career Explorer Tools to plan her very bright future.

She’s now sharing these Career Literacy tools and helping other students plan their future careers through our partner, Northland CAPS.

Check out the story on KSHB 41 News.

Building a thriving workforce in Missouri

Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, ED and COO of The DeBruce Foundation, was thrilled to present at the Workforce 2030 Conference!

Shoutout to the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry for hosting such a great opportunity to explore strategies, such as building Employment Empowerment, to make Missouri the home of a thriving, vibrant workforce!

National Career Pathways Network Conference

Robin Smith, Senior Director of The DeBruce Foundation, presented at the National Career Pathways Network Connect 2023 Conference!

NCPN Connect 2023 featured inspiring ideas, networking with leaders, and takeaways to put into action.

If you were part of Robin’s session, “The Path to Employment Empowerment: Career Literacy + Network Strength,” or would like to catch our next presentation, be sure to connect with us!

Removing barriers to career pathways

Congratulations to our friends at Indiana Wesleyan University for launching their Mobile Career Lab!

The Mobile Career Lab is set to travel to community centers, events, and workforce facilities to help eliminate educational barriers by providing an entry point for people who need it the most.

Shoutout to Alex, a long-time DeBruce Career Corps member who has launched his own career in Economic Development. He saw the way The DeBruce Foundation’s career tools could help those visiting the Mobile Career Lab and made an introduction. As a result, all who visit the Mobile Career Lab will have access to the Agile Work Profiler, Agilities resources, and all new Career Explorer Tools!

Learn more about the Mobile Career Lab.