Community Impact
Training organizations work hard to set their communities up for success so they can take full advantage of the economic opportunities presented by green initiatives. Staff want to make sure their students can connect to jobs—but most important, to jobs that will enable them to stay in their communities and thrive.
To go beyond quantitative data sources to get a more holistic picture of the impact a program could have on a community, the leaders we interviewed said they ask themselves and their community partners questions such as these:
- What are the local perceptions of this job and this sector?
- Does this training hinge on one employer’s participation? What other businesses or suppliers might this opportunity be reliant on or connected to?
- What potential barriers might limit a trainee’s ability to successfully find employment at the end of the program? (For example, would employers disqualify job applicants with records of certain types of convictions.)
- What resources are available to help workers navigate the challenges of balancing work and personal responsibilities in this industry? (For example, is child care available for single parents?)
- Will this training put learners on pathways to jobs that offer flexibility and a workplace structure and culture that foster career success?
- What do career growth and wage progression look like in this sector? If the wages for entry-level roles are at or close to minimum wage, what opportunities will workers have to advance and increase their income over time?
Wages
Wages are an important indicator that training and education professionals use to determine if a training program will be viable and attractive to students. Three benchmarks often cited in discussions about what constitutes reasonable pay are minimum wage, living wage, and thriving wage. (Read more below.)
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Sample Wage Calculations
Here are three different ways of thinking about wage thresholds and determining what might be consider a “good” wage in a region.
- The minimum wage is an hourly rate set by governments at the federal, state, and sometimes local levels.
- Definitions of living wage vary, but it’s generally agreed that it refers to the minimum income an individual or family needs to cover necessities like food, housing, transportation, and health care in a given locality.
- Likewise, there’s no set definition of a thriving wage, but it’s generally understood to mean the wage level that goes beyond ensuring basic needs are met and instead provides enough income to also allow for discretionary spending, savings, and investments in retirement.
Each of these wage levels can vary considerably. As an example, here are the minimum wage, living wage, and thriving wage levels for a household with one adult and one child living in Pinellas County, Florida. (Note: At JFF, we commonly use this household configuration to account for the fact that most workers have another individual in their lives that they are caring for, be it a child, an elderly relative, or other kin.)
- Minimum wage: $13.00/hour1
- Living wage: $39.05/hour2
- Thriving wage: $69.35/hour, assuming 50% mandatory expenses, 20% savings and debt repayment, and 30% discretionary spending3
Beyond Wages
Wages are only one element of what makes a job attractive. At JFF, we have identified five key components of job quality that programs and individuals can use to assess whether a particular role will not only pay well but also offer workers an opportunity to thrive. (Read more below.)
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Job Quality Components
At JFF, we believe quality jobs lead to a stronger, more resilient workforce with the skills needed to drive economic success today and in the future. They allow workers to thrive by providing:
- Financial well-being: Fair pay, stable employment, and benefits that meet basic needs and reduce financial stress
- Workplace culture and safety: A secure, fair, and respectful environment free from conflict, animosity, or favoritism
- Growth and development opportunities: A clear and accessible path to skill-building experiences that enable workers to advance in their careers
- Agency and voice: The ability to share opinions and ideas that influence decisions about strategies, policies, and programs that shape working conditions
- Work structure and autonomy: A stable, predictable schedule and control over how one’s work gets done
To learn more, visit the “Quality Jobs, Real Opportunities” page at JFF.org.
Positioning training programs in ways that respond to a community’s culture is crucial. For example, training providers in rural areas have had success when they promote programs by saying that they will lead to jobs that will enable learners and workers to stay in their local communities.
An employee of Rising Sun said, “There are 28 different building trades affiliates in our immediate area alone” but many workers never hear about those opportunities unless they know someone who is connected to one of the employers. Recognizing that, Rising Sun is “trying to make it all more transparent and accessible for folks who have been discouraged from or locked out of accessing these opportunities,” the employee explained.
In Oregon, the Union Pre-Apprenticeship Construction Training (U-PACT) program partners with trade unions to offer women who are or have been incarcerated opportunities to participate in pre-apprenticeships that prepare them for careers in construction. U-PACT also offers financial literacy training and workshops that cover mental health topics. To support the learners’ transitions to construction jobs, U-PACT provides each graduate with work boots, a helmet, a tool belt, money to pay their first month’s union dues, and a gas card or transit pass. The total value of these supports is about $1,000 per graduate.
RecycleForce in Indiana has offered services to people with criminal records in the Indianapolis area for 19 years. Staff have established relationships with personnel in the Indiana Department of Correction and representatives of local employers to build and maintain an ecosystem of opportunity for RecycleForce clients to work in the recycling industry and at organizations involved in broader environmental remediation efforts. RecycleForce offers a suite of wraparound supports that includes services to help clients navigate the court system and fulfill the various bureaucratic requirements of probation and parole, including the paperwork and the meetings, that can impact peoples’ ability to work standard hours or travel to certain locations.
Clackamas Community College in Oregon proactively educates employer partners about their students, many of whom have histories of arrest, incarceration, or other involvement in the criminal justice system. The school is developing a guide with practical steps to help employers and other partners successfully hire, on-board, support, and retain students as they transition to employment.
Partner4Work in Pittsburgh runs a pre-apprenticeship program focused on airport construction. Participants get experience on the biggest construction project in the region, and the program directly feeds into a union apprenticeship program to support the continued career growth of people who complete the pre-apprenticeship. Bonny Yeager, senior manager of industry solutions at Partner4Work, said the number of Black people and women of all backgrounds participating in the program increased when the organization started offering onsite child care service and transportation stipends. “There was a lot of intentionality, and what we saw was an increase in the diversity of the candidate pool,” she said.
Resources and Reflection Questions
The resources and reflection questions listed below are meant to serve as a starting point for strategic conversations. Involving colleagues from other internal departments or external organizations, employers, and/or learners and workers can help to strengthen your understanding of the best next steps for your organization and region.
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Next-Step Resources
- To explore how automation and changing labor landscapes may impact people in low-wage jobs, read the MDRC report Understanding the Changing Nature of Work.
- To learn about strategies for ensuring that everyone has access to good jobs and career opportunities, explore the resources produced by JFF’s Center for Population Strategies.
- To learn about a state-specific strategy for helping people overcome barriers to employment, read the JFF report Advancing California's Workforce Equity Through Population-Specific Strategies.
- To get ideas about effective ways to improve recruiting and expand community awareness of training and education programs, read the Advance CTE report Effectively Communicating Career Technical Education to Engage Every Learner: A Recruitment and Engagement Tool.
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Questions to Help You Get StartedFor organizations that are launching new programs:
- How can historical knowledge about the dynamics of this industry in our region inform our approach?
- How can we make sure that community members—leaders, learners, and employers—are involved in program design? What incentives could we offer to compensate for peoples’ time?
- Do the skills that we’re planning to train participants for lead to jobs that provide workers with stability through some combination of wages and benefits? Are there clear pathways to advancement within these career fields?
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Questions to Help You Reassess
For organizations that are revisiting their training strategies:
- What are the most pressing needs in our community right now?
- Basic employment?
- Access to better quality jobs?
- Preparation for shifting labor market needs?
- How is our program defining, assessing, and meeting those needs? Where might we need to shift our approach or priorities?
- Are our program participants staying employed and growing in their careers after graduating? Where do we have influence to impact that and where do we need partners to step in?
- What are the most pressing needs in our community right now?
Endnotes
- Amy K. Glasmeier and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “Living Wage Calculation for Pinellas County, Florida,” Living Wage Calculator, accessed May 9, 2025, https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/12103.
- Glasmeier and MIT, “Living Wage Calculation for Pinellas County, Florida,” https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/12103.
- City of Portland (Oregon) Transition Project, “It’s Time to Give Feedback on the Draft Salary Proposal: Why Setting a Thriving Wage Matters,” July 7, 2023, https://www.portland.gov/transition/news/2023/7/7/its-time-give-feedback-draft-salary-proposal.