WorkingNation is excited to once again be heading to SXSW EDU in March to talk about the intersection of education and work, and solutions to barriers that are keeping people from good, family-sustaining jobs and careers.

We have a lot of exciting ideas that we would like to see come to life on the stages in Austin the week of March 6 through March 9. Help us turn these ideas into reality by casting your vote for our ideas.

Be part of the SXSW EDU voting community by heading to the PanelPicker and learn about how you can help send out panels to Austin!

Check out all our ideas here, then go to the PanelPicker page to sign up, sign in, and vote now for these ideas! Once signed up, you can also follow the proposal links in this article.

The Invisible Barrier to Economic Mobility

Let’s shatter the myth! While a 4-year degree can signal knowledge in a certain field, more than half the workforce is Skilled Through Alternate Routes (STARs), including through community college, credentialing, work experience, and military service. 60% of Black, 55% of Hispanic, 66% of rural, and 61% of veteran workers are STARs. The paper ceiling is the invisible barrier keeping workers without a bachelor’s degree out of higher-paying, family-sustaining jobs. Let’s shatter this barrier!

• Bridgette Gray, Opportunity@Work, Chief Customer Officer
• Patti Constantakis, Walmart.org, Director-Opportunity
• Kenny Nyugen, ThreeSixtyEight, CEO & Co-Founder
• Moderator: Ramona Schindelheim, WorkingNation, Editor-in-Chief

Vote here for this proposal.

DEIA: Expanding Career Pathways for the Disabled

The value of diversity in the workforce has long been recognized and now the discussion around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has been expanded to include accessibility (DEIA). Employers that include people with physical and neurological disabilities cultivate better creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills. Let’s talk about pathways to hiring, retention, and promotion for people with disabilities.

• Hiren Shukla, EY, Neurodiverse Center of Excellence Leader
• Kathy Martinez, Disability Rights Advocates, President & CEO
• Claudia Gordon, T-Mobile, Senior Accessibility Strategy Partner
• Moderator: Jane Oates, WorkingNation, President

Vote here for this proposal.

Green Jobs Are More Abundant than You Think

Helping the environment while helping yourself. Green jobs are one of our greatest hopes for employment growth – as environmental challenges multiply, which they will, so too does the need to meet those challenges with a wide range of skills. Green jobs extend to water management, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and infrastructure improvement, as well as jobs you may be surprised to learn are green. Find out how to get those skills and where the jobs are. 

• Bill Ritter, Center for the New Energy Economy, Director/former Governor of Colorado
• Rachel Sederberg, Lightcast, Research Manager & Labor Economist
• Margot Brown, Environmental Defense Fund, VP Justice and Equity
• Moderator: Paula DiPerna, CDP, Special Consultant/WorkingNation, Environmental Consultant

Vote here for this proposal.

Charting the Military-to-Civilian Career Pathway

For some of the 200,000 women and men who transition from military service into the civilian workforce each year, finding a good-paying job right out of the military can be challenging. This panel examines education and training programs and other workforce initiatives that are providing a pathway for unemployed and underemployed veterans – and military spouses – to solid family-sustaining careers.

• Carol Eggert, Comcast NBCUniversal, SVP Veterans & Military Affairs
• Jennifer O’Dee, JPMorgan Chase, Executive Director of Global Veteran Talent
• Moderator: Joan Lynch, WorkingNation, Chief Content and Programming Officer

Vote here for this proposal.

Improving College Outcomes for Latinx Students

For more than a decade, Hispanic Federation’s CREAR Futuros (College Readiness, Achievement and Retention) program has helping increase college access, retention, and graduation rates for LatinX students. This panel takes a deep dive into CREAR, sharing important insights into how the peer-mentoring program has improved career outcomes for more than 8,000 students. We’ll introduce you to an educator and an employer helping make these solid gains a reality.  

• Frankie Miranda, Hispanic Federation, President & CEO
• Moderator: Giselle Fernandez, Spectrum News 1 Los Angeles, Anchor

Vote here for this proposal.

Leveling the Playing Field for All Founders

Access to capital is the fuel that makes startups go and access to community keeps them running. But access to the resources and capital needed to grow one’s business is still not evenly distributed. Despite being the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the U.S., only 3% of Latino-owned companies ever reach $1 million in revenue. 56% of black business owners report obstacles obtaining credit to grow their businesses. We examine programs and organizations that are changing that equation.

• Lisa Gevelber, Google for Startups, Lead
• Nicole Elam, National Bankers Association, CEO
• Melissa Bradley, 1863 Ventures, Founder
• Moderator: Hari Sreenivasan, PBS, Anchor & National Correspondent

Vote here for this proposal.

Student Mental Health Crisis Hits Enrollment

The numbers are staggering. College enrollment has fallen by 1.3M students since the pandemic. The enrollment plunge is primarily due to people who decided college wasn’t worth it. Right? Wrong. A new Gallup and Lumina Foundation study shows high demand for higher ed. 85% of those who left school are interested in returning, but stress has increased dramatically over the past 2 years for college students – especially for people of color. We must pay attention and help students stay in school.

• Zainab Okolo, Lumina Foundation, Strategy Officer
• Stephanie Marken, Gallup, Partner
• Tia Dole, The Steve Fund, Executive Director
• Moderator: Courtney Brown, Lumina Foundation, VP

Vote here for this proposal.