From Crisis to Resilience: Healing-Centered Support Approaches for Workforce Development and Education Systems

Practitioners in education and workforce development share firsthand insights on addressing trauma and toxic stress

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Anyone working in workforce development organizations and educational programs is keenly aware there’s a rapidly growing mental and emotional health crisis facing individuals looking to enter or re-enter the workforce. Not only that, but if you’re a frontline staff member at these same workforce and education agencies, you’re likely also experiencing trauma, stress and burnout yourself. Together — with the added constraint of limited resources to holistically support the people you serve — these challenges can make it feel like a perpetual uphill battle to achieve your mission of connecting individuals to the education, training or job pathways that can propel them forward. 

That’s why Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) and InsideTrack collaborated to write From Crisis to Resilience: Addressing Trauma and Toxic Stress in Education and Workforce Development Systems. This white paper dives into research showing the impact of trauma and toxic stress on individuals along their educational and career pathways and offers tangible trauma-informed, healing centered approaches for practitioners and leaders to use as they address this complex challenge at their own organizations.