From 2019 to 2021 the San Diego Workforce Partnership and Walmart partnered in an innovative initiative to help upskill workers in retail and improve their English fluency, opening pathways for New Americans in customer-facing and management retail jobs. The program seemed well-designed to meet a significant need and initially, retail employers were excited to partner. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting disruption to retail operations and staffing required the Workforce Partnership to pivot and eventually close the program. Despite this setback, our experience with the Pathways for Immigrants program has generated valuable insights into the viability and likely impact of similar efforts in the future. This report describes the program, reviews its progress and challenges, and presents a logic model for future programs integrating the lessons learned from the Pathways for Immigrants Program.
