Workforce Development

Cleveland – September 30, 2026 -- Arrowfly has launched AI for Engineers, a year-round platform combining a dedicated news desk, an annual conference, original research, and an advisory board for engineers applying artificial intelligence across design, manufacturing, robotics, medtech, and energy work.

Arrowfly taps a 2.1 million-reader network to anchor the new initiative

The program draws on Arrowfly's more than 20 flagship engineering brands, which collectively reach 2.1 million verified industry readers, 29 million website visitors, 1.6 million email subscribers, and generate 202 million monthly impressions. More than 30,000 engineering and technical professionals have already engaged with AI-related webinars, newsletters, and editorial content across Arrowfly's engineering portfolio.

Los Angeles – September 30, 2026 -- The California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP) will run its 13th Annual California Addiction Conference (CAC) from October 14-18, 2026, at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City, consolidating three previously separate summits into a single five-day program.

Cincinnati – September 30, 2026 -- Beth and Phillip Dow, franchisees of Home Helpers Home Care in Newnan, Georgia, have been named 2026 Franchisee of the Year by the International Franchise Association, an honor they also received in 2015.

Newnan franchise projects $4.5 million in revenue for 2026

The Dows' operation, now in its 19th year, employs 150 caregivers and 14 operations staff serving 112 clients. The award was presented during the IFA26 Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C., held Sept. 14-16, with a formal luncheon on Sept. 15.

Franchisees expand into Canton, Georgia market

Last month the Dows opened Home Helpers Home Care of Canton, Georgia, extending their footprint beyond the original Newnan territory ahead of their 20th anniversary with the brand next year.

Scottsdale, Ariz. – September 29, 2026 -- The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) will open applications October 1 for its ninth round of massage school grants funded by Massage Envy, offering ten $10,000 awards totaling $100,000. The fall cycle brings Massage Envy's cumulative funding of the program to $550,000.

Massage Envy doubles annual grant capacity in 2026

The program now distributes 10 grants per cycle in both spring and fall, up from five per cycle in prior years, effectively doubling annual grant availability for accredited massage schools.

Accredited schools can apply through October 31

Eligible massage schools must submit an online application via AMTA detailing how grant funds would support school programs and students. The application window runs October 1–31, 2026.

Los Angeles – September 29, 2026 -- Explore The Trades, a Minnesota-based nonprofit founded in 2005, has placed classroom poster kits reaching more than 1.3 million students since 2021 across over 3,400 U.S. school districts, roughly a quarter of the country, as part of a national push to rebuild the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical talent pipeline.

Public Television Feature Set to Film October 2 in Boca Raton

The organization will be profiled in an upcoming segment of "All Access hosted by Andy Garcia," a short-form documentary series distributed to Public Television stations nationwide. Filming is scheduled for October 2, 2026, at the program's Boca Raton, Florida studio, with the segment examining how the nonprofit works at the classroom level to reintroduce trades careers before students choose a path.

London – September 29, 2026 -- Nearly a third of the most AI-capable employees say they are very or extremely likely to quit their employer within a year, even as access to learning and development resources for the broader workforce dropped 8 percentage points, according to PwC's 2026 Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey of nearly 50,000 workers across 48 countries.

AI use jumps 10 points while training access shrinks

Some 64% of workers report using AI at work in the past 12 months, up 10 points year on year, and daily Generative AI use rose from 14% to 22%. Yet only 51% say they have access to the learning and development resources they need, down from 59% last year.

Providence, Rhode Island – September 29, 2026 -- Applications are open now for Year Up United's Customer Experience career pathway in Providence, set to begin September 29, 2026, coinciding with a 20-year employer partnership with Citizens that has placed more than 400 interns since 2005.

Rhode Island's labor market weakens despite August job gains

Data from the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training shows 12,500 fewer residents employed than a year ago, even as the state added jobs in August. Labor force participation continues to shrink, tightening the on-ramp for young adults entering the workforce without a bachelor's degree.

Corona, Calif. – September 28, 2026 -- Boudreau Pipeline Corporation will host its 10th Annual Charity Car & Bike Show on Saturday, October 3, 2026, directing 100% of proceeds to two local nonprofits: the California Homebuilding Foundation's Building Industry Technology Academy (BITA) Program and Leaps & Bounds Pediatric Therapy in Norco.

Event proceeds fund construction workforce training for high school students

The BITA program delivers hands-on construction education to California high schoolers, offering OSHA 10 training, scholarships, and work-ready grants for tools and boots as students enter jobsites. Jill Herman, Executive Director of the California Homebuilding Foundation, said the underground utility contractor's decade-long event has created consistent opportunities for students pursuing homebuilding and skilled-trades careers.

Chicago – September 28, 2026 -- Explorance has released Metrics That Matter (MTM) 10.0, a platform update built to help learning and development teams prove that training programs close organizational skills gaps.

Platform shifts focus from course completion to skills verification

MTM 10.0 lets organizations build structured skills taxonomies using Skills and Skill Categories, including 30 standard benchmarkable categories. Courses can be mapped directly to the skills they are designed to develop, and administrators can manage these mappings at scale through bulk Excel-based tools.

Meadville, Pa. – – September 28, 2026 -- Three Pennsylvania manufacturers -- CHANNELLOCK, W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company and Zippo Manufacturing Company -- are marking Manufacturing Day on Oct. 2 with a joint limited-edition product set, collectively employing more than 1,150 people across Meadville and Bradford, Pa., and representing roughly 355 years of combined company history.

Three brands release a joint 140th anniversary collection manufactured in Pennsylvania

The CHANNELLOCK 140th Anniversary Set pairs the CHANNELLOCK 426 6.5-inch Tongue & Groove Pliers with a CHANNELLOCK BLUE Zippo windproof lighter and a CHANNELLOCK BLUE Case Sod Buster Jr. pocket knife, all produced domestically by the three companies.