On September 21, 2017, Grant Collins, Fedcap’s Senior Vice President of Workforce Development, contributed to a panel discussion, “West Virginia on the Rise: Rebuilding the Economy, Rebuilding Lives.” The panel was sponsored by the American Conservative Union Foundation (ACUF) and Cardinal Institute, and included U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other leaders.
The panel was organized to explore solutions to improve the economy of West Virginia, and the daily lives and well-being of its families. The panel was notable for the presentation of the Family Prosperity Index (FPI), a product of the Family Prosperity Initiative that measures the strength and prosperity of families by combining economic and social data into a single number, and ranking states accordingly.
West Virginia ranks last among states based on combined FPI measures, and the panel focused on how families and communities shattered by the opioid crisis can be rebuilt. Solutions include a multi-pronged approach based on prevention, enforcement, treatment, and recovery, as well as jobs and entrepreneurship to help lift families out of poverty.
Mr. Collins highlighted Fedcap’s work around identifying strategies and developing solutions to improve the economy and daily lives of individuals experiencing poverty through its Workforce Development division, and described how West Virginians might benefit from these practices. Fedcap’s innovative, holistic approach to job training, placement and the clinical environment drives the success of its workforce development initiatives, which are having a significant impact in a growing number of states.
“I believe that the first step on the path out of poverty is to know the dignity of work,” Mr. Collins said. “Our programs show that work and self-sufficiency are possible for far more families with barriers to prosperity than previously thought.”
