Journal Article
Apprenticeships and Their Potential in the U.S.
Rolland, Keith (2016-01)
Government, foundation, and workforce leaders are displaying keen interest in apprenticeships as a way to give job seekers skills, credentials, and access to careers. This increased interest is also part of the greater attention to workforce development strategies that engage employers. Apprenticeships have a long history with roots in ancient times. The Code of Hammurabi of Babylon, which dates back to the 18th century bce, required artisans to teach their crafts to the next generation. By the 13th century, a type of apprenticeship emerged in Western Europe in the form of craft guilds.1 In ...
Cascade , Volume 1

Journal Article
Training for Jobs in the Emerging Energy-Efficiency Industry
Rolland, Keith (2012-01)
The nonprofit Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA) of Philadelphia, Inc. has trained about 2,000 low- and moderate-income adults and teenagers during the past 18 months for jobs in the energy-efficiency field and is simultaneously taking steps to help develop this emerging industry.
Cascade , Volume 1

Journal Article
Workforce Development: Engaging Employers
Rolland, Keith (2016-01)
Leaders of a community college, the YouthBuild charter school, and a public career and technical institute speaking on a Reinventing Our Communities conference panel addressed the need to forge stronger connections between high school and postsecondary education or employment, especially for ?opportunity youth? who are neither employed nor in school
Cascade , Volume 4

Journal Article
How Will Affordable Rental Housing Be Preserved?
Rolland, Keith (2015-01)
Affordable rental housing for low- and moderate-income individuals and families is increasingly scarce. Housing finance agencies, nonprofits, and policymakers agree that existing affordable rental housing must be preserved despite formidable complex obstacles in achieving this goal. This article focuses on challenges in rental housing preservation and discusses the programs and perspectives of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA), and the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA).
Cascade , Volume 1

Journal Article
Goldman Sachs Expands Small Business Initiative
Rolland, Keith (2013-10)
In an expansion of its 10,000 Small Businesses initiative in 2013, Goldman Sachs is providing small business loan capital to the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) and Community First Fund (Community First) and is funding a 100-hour educational curriculum for small business owners at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP).
Cascade , Volume 2

Journal Article
D2D Tests Innovations on Prize-Linked Savings, Mobile Phone Applications, and Prepaid Cards for Financially Vulnerable Consumers
Rolland, Keith (2015-04)
The Doorways to Dreams (D2D) Fund, a 15-year-old nonprofit headquartered in the Boston area, designs and develops innovations that strengthen the financial opportunity and security of financially vulnerable consumers. D2D?s innovations have included work on prize-linked savings (PLS),1 phone applications, and prepaid cards. D2D has also developed Financial Entertainment, a suite of casual video games that teach financial concepts. Cascade asked Timothy Flacke, executive director of D2D, about the organization?s latest work.
Cascade , Volume 2

Journal Article
Pennsylvania Legislation Enables Municipalities to Create Land Banks
Rolland, Keith (2013-01)
Pennsylvania municipalities have a new tool to acquire, manage, and dispose of vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties to facilitate their redevelopment and reuse. Legislation effective in December 2012 states that land banks may be created in Pennsylvania by a city, county, borough, township, or an incorporated town with a population of more than 10,000 residents, or two or more municipalities with populations of less than 10,000 residents that enter into an intergovernmental cooperation agreement (ICA). School districts may be part of an ICA.
Cascade , Volume 1

Journal Article
Investing to Create Good Jobs
Rolland, Keith; Baldini, Noelle (2015-10)
A growing number of foundation, nonprofit, and for-profit investors are making investments for measurable social and environmental impact as well as financial return. The ?impact investing? field includes a few investors that are investing in businesses specifically to create jobs for unemployed and underemployed residents. These investors also provide ongoing assistance to owners of the businesses to create ?good quality jobs,? which generally provide income above the minimum wage, health benefits, and training and opportunities for workers to move into positions with higher wages. Three ...
Cascade , Volume 4

Journal Article
Reinventing Older Communities: Bridging Growth & Opportunity
Rolland, Keith (2014-07)
How can economic growth create better job, education, and housing opportunities for low-income people and communities? The sixth biennial Reinventing Older Communities conference probed strategies to create opportunities in education, employment, revitalization, and other areas. Recurring themes were the importance of collaboration and partnership with different sectors and of ongoing data collection and analysis to identify issues and measure progress in addressing them
Cascade , Volume 2

Journal Article
BankWork$ Gives Underemployed Residents Access to Entry-Level Banking Positions
Rolland, Keith (2016-07)
Low-income residents facing employment barriers are obtaining entry-level job opportunities in the banking industry through a program launched 10 years ago in Los Angeles. The program, BankWork$, is undergoing a planned national replication.
Cascade , Volume 3