Join Collaborative

In 1950, three in ten jobs required a postsecondary credential; today, seven in every ten jobs require such a credential. This need for skilled workers has left Greater Philadelphia with a tragic mismatch between the skills of their workers and the talent needs of their businesses. This mismatch creates two powerful, parallel workforce crises: Employers in the region lack a strong talent pipeline to fill critical jobs A majority of adults in the region are participating in the labor force marginally or not at all To address these dual challenges, the Knight Foundation, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor, the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board (now Philadelphia Works, Inc.) the Scattergood Foundation, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania (now United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey) and the William Penn Foundation formed the Job Opportunity Investment Network (JOIN) in 2008.