U.S. residents who identify as Latino – or Hispanic, Chicano, Latinx, or other parts of this broad community – have the highest labor force participation rate of any racial group in the nation and are projected to represent one in five workers by 2031. Because of the size and potential of this population, it’s critical to fully engage these workers and leaders, particularly as employers face continued skill shortages in nearly every labor category.
In the lead-up to Hispanic Heritage Month and the 2024 ACT Workforce Summit, I had an enlightening discussion with Deborah Santiago, CEO and co-founder of Excelencia in Education. ACT has a longstanding partnership with Excelencia, which is celebrating 20 years of service as the premier source of information on accelerating Latino student success in higher education to enhance our workforce, leadership, and economy. Our conversation touched on such timely topics as stackable credentials, providing services for career advancement, and connecting Latino talent to employers.
“It feels like sometimes we're kind of a hidden gem in our workforce environment,” Santiago says. “In this challenging environment, when we have a dearth of the workforce that we need, let's meet this Latino community – all communities – where they're at, and be a partner with these communities in ways that advance into to higher wages, livable wages, so that this community can flourish and all of our communities can flourish.”
Listen to the podcast to learn:
- What Excelencia research says about where Latinos are earning degrees, and how employers can reach these graduates to ensure they are equitably represented across all levels of the U.S. workforce, including ownership, management, and high-wage opportunities.
- How to debunk common myths about the Latino workforce.
- The importance of partnerships across businesses, colleges, and other segments of the workforce ecosystem in meeting employer demand.
- The secret ingredient to effective community-based organizations and services.
- How a training program at one of the largest and most diverse colleges in the U.S. achieved a 100% job placement rate, and other lessons for employers from the 39 institutions to receive the Seal of Excelencia, a certification recognizing colleges and universities that are intentionally serving Latino students.
Find more episodes of the ACT Ready for Work podcast.
Access ACT Workforce Solutions.
Learn about the 2024 ACT Workforce Summit happening Oct. 2-4 in Atlanta.