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Duluth Workforce Development Board announces Diversity and Inclusion Action Guide launch

[DULUTH, MN] The Duluth Workforce Development Board is excited to announce two key steps they are taking toward advancing equity in the Twin Ports region.

The Workforce Board’s Equity Committee leads the board’s work to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and priorities.  In 2021, the Equity Committee first launched the Diversity and Inclusion Employer Action Guide to provide practical tools and resources to help employers reduce disparities and improve outcomes in recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and employee retention.  The 2025 update adds a new section on advancement and includes many new tools and resources for businesses and organizations of all sizes and types.  The updated Employer Action Guide can be downloaded from the Duluth Workforce Development Employer Services web page:  https://duluthmn.gov/workforce-development/employer-services/.

An overview of the guide will be shared at the January 14 Workforce Solutions Series session.  This is the last in a series of four in-person workshops covering relevant topics for business leaders.  Managers, team leads, and human resources staff are also invited to participate in the Employer Champions Initiative, which offers a series of virtual lunch-and-learns that offer in-depth discussion and peer sharing on topics highlighted in the Employer Action Guide. 

To highlight key areas of focus and measure progress on its equity goals, the Duluth Workforce Development Board also launched an equity dashboard: https://duluthmn.gov/media/mqdbfzfp/dwdb-equity-dashboard-2024-final.pdf.  This data tracking report will be updated annually, with the hope that we will see measurable improvement in persistent disparities by race, gender, age, and other factors over time.  

The 27-member Workforce Board includes representation from many of Duluth’s largest employers and key industries, as well as community organizations and education institutions.  Board committees include additional participation from employers and other key stakeholders working to advance workforce goals across the region.  

“The Board’s primary mission is to support employers in attracting and retaining the workers they need, while ensuring that people of all backgrounds can find quality jobs,” said Director of Workforce Development Elena Foshay.  “The Equity Committee’s work is critical to bringing this mission to life.”  

“The Workforce Board is pleased to be able to provide this toolkit and actionable steps employers can take at no cost to them to increase their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in their businesses and is thankful to the Equity Committee for moving these efforts forward,” said Duluth Workforce Board chair Kayla Dietzmann.

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