Transcript Slide 1

Sustainability
and Impact
Virtual Policy Academy Webinar 3 of 4
Presenters
Lindsey Woolsey
Corporation for a Skilled Workforce
Erin Andrew
NGA Center for Best Practices
Jim Torrens
National Network of Sector Partners
Rebekah Lashman
Commonwealth Corporation
Remaining Webinar
Discussion Forum –
Selected Topics in Sector Strategies
Thursday, September 17, 2:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Sustainability: Why Now?
• “Build it to last.”
• “Begin with the end in mind.”
• “If you wait, it’ll be too late.”
Sustainability Challenges
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Change of administration or state leadership
Change in funding environment
Change in economy and labor market
Loss of champions or other key support
Change in capacity of regional partners
Short attention spans
For Today
Evaluation
Capacity-Building
Messaging
Evaluation
Capacity-Building
Messaging
Evaluation of Sector Strategies:
What We Know Matters to States
Impact on Jobseekers and Workers
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Increased availability of good jobs
Improved working conditions
Expanded work supports
Increased opportunities for education and
training for high-demand occupations
• Increased employment and wage gains
Impact on Employers and Industry
• Shared costs and risks
• Increased availability of skills training
• Guidance on ways to improve human
resource practices
• Reduced turnover
Effectiveness of the Partnership
Systems Change
• The right partners “at the table”
• Industry challenges identified
• Appropriate solutions
designed/implemented
• Plan of action, road map, goals and
outcomes
• Partners agree the Partnership is valuable
• New and leveraged funding
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Changes in how education, workforce,
economic development and employers
work together
New social and business supports
Changes in public policy
Changes in employer practices
Two Notes: 1) NGA White Paper and Evaluation Framework offers full detailed discussion on these categories;
2) a 5th category of growing interest is “impact on community” (such as reduced poverty/unemployment)
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Is There One Formula for Evaluation?
First, can we fairly compare
outcomes? Consider . . .
Second, do we assume training
outcomes? Consider . . .
• Over 1,000 healthcare service
workers trained every year by a
metropolitan sector partnership
• About 130 students per year
trained and placed in
employment by a solar
installation sector partnership
• 3 Journeyman apprentices
supplied to Grand Coulee Dam as
a result of a Power Generation
partnership
• A small manufacturing sector
partnership that focuses on
career awareness
• Or an energy partnership that
develops skills standards (that
can be used to develop training)
but that primarily is valuable to
align titles and HR selection
criteria across employers
No single formula, but there are
templates to capture some consistent
data across partnerships.
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From Washington State
From Pennsylvania
PA INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP ANNUAL REPORT 2008-2009*
Overview: Pennsylvania’s Workforce Development system is increasingly focused on promoting Industry
Partnerships (IPs), a key institutional innovation for meeting the skills needs of businesses, the career goals
of workers and the economic development goals of the commonwealth. To help improve the effectiveness of
IPs, the Department of Labor and Industry requires each IP to complete an Annual Report, also known as
the High Performance Standards for Industry Partnerships.
Category of Impact
Describe Activity
Incumbent Worker Training
e.g. new/revised curriculum or new credentials based
on industry needs
Organizational Effectiveness (of
the workplace/business)
e.g. mentorships, management training, career
pathways, support svces, case management
Building the Pipeline
e.g. career awareness, job shadowing, internships,
outreach to special populations
Influencing Regional Institutions
e.g. changes by lwib, one-stops, post-secondary, k-12,
business associations, labor orgs, CBOs, econ. dev.
Governance, Collaboration &
Sustainability (of the IP)
e.g. core competencies such as industry analysis,
capacity building, planning, coordinating,
implementing, self-evaluating their business impact
Impact?
Annual Report also includes requests for 1) testimonials; 2) greatest success; and 3) greatest challenge
*Note: Adapted and condensed from 7-page 08-09 Annual Report Template – PA
From Massachusetts
Annual Report August 2009*
Purpose: To provide an opportunity for each project to reflect on its progress toward meeting its goals and share
what is learned with Commonwealth Corporation. These reports offer a means to learn more about how projects are
unfolding - both at the level of individual projects and across the WCTF initiative.
Category of Performance
Type of Information Requested
Part I: Quarterly Update
Describe activities during last Qtr, successes, innovations, challenges, next steps
Part II: Program Goals (of
jobseeker or worker participants)
# participants; # un-/underemployed; # incumbent; #
completers; # new credentials; # wage increase; other
Part III: Outreach, Recruitment
and Selection (of participants)
Describe any successes/challenges, changes you plan to make within each area.
On scale of 1-5, rate your success with each.
Part IV: Training
How are providers selected? How do they participate? Please provide your
assessment of training to date. What changes will you make?
Part V: Participant Supports
What types of supports do your participants need (paid release time, coaching,
case management, tutoring, childcare, etc)? Describe challenges and changes.
Part VI: Partnership
List partners, their roles and indicate in which types of activities they participate.
Describe benefits for partners, challenges, future partner contributions.
Part VII & VIII: Employer
Engagement and Biz Impact
How are employers involved? Is engagement low, medium or high? Using the
“Getting Started” plan, what baseline and impact data do you have?
Part IX: Products of Project
Describe progress on contractual deliverables. Describe other products such as
new curriculum, new certificate program, new partnerships, others.
*Note: Adapted and condensed from 10-page WCTF – Annual Report, Round Two, Year 1, August 2009
On Track? Y/N
Will reach goal when?
Some Evaluation Resources
Evaluations of Sector Initiatives
Targeting Industries, Training Workers, and Improving Opportunities: Final Report of the Sectoral Employment Initiative ,
Public-Private Ventures, 2008: http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/263_publication.pdf
BEST (Building Essential Skills through Training) Benefits: Employer Perspectives, Volume 2, Issue 4, Research and Evaluation Brief,
Commonwealth Corporation, 2004: http://www.commcorp.org/researchandevaluation/pdf/ResearchBrief2-04.pdf
Benefits of a Sector-Based Approach, Volume 2, Issue 3, Research and Evaluation Brief, Commonwealth Corporation, 2004:
http://www.commcorp.org/researchandevaluation/pdf/ResearchBrief2-03.pdf
Performance and Evaluation Models for Sector Initiatives
An Evaluation Framework for State Sector Strategies, product of 11-state project of the National Governors Association,
The Corporation for a Skilled Workforce and the National Network of Sector Partnerships, 2008:
http://www.sectorstrategies.org/system/files/EvaluationFrameworkWhitePaper.pdf
Evaluating Industry Skill Panels: A Model Framework, Commissioned by the Washington State Workforce Education and
Training Coordinating Board, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce with the Paros Group, June 2008:
http://www.wtb.wa.gov/Documents/2008SkillPanelEvaluationReport.pdf
Business Value Assessment for Workforce Development Organizations: Handbook. The Aspen Institute – Workforce
Strategies Initiative, 2005: http://www.aspenwsi.org/BVA/BVA_HAND11-22FINAL.pdf
Question: Rebekah, the annual report example
from MA shows how regional partnerships can
track important benchmarks and progress. Can
you give us the snapshot of what else you do at
the state level to supplement this?
Questions for You
• If you had to sit down now
and outline benchmarks for
your sector strategies, what
would they look like? (Or if
you’ve begun this work,
what do they look like?)
– How will you help regional
partnerships benchmark and share
success?
– How will you share your sector
strategy success at a statewide
level?
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Evaluation
Capacity-Building
Messaging
What Capacity?
• State-level: understanding sector strategies
• Regional level:
– Understanding the sector model
– Using data to drive decision-making
– Functioning as a workforce intermediary
– Convening and building effective partnerships
– Communications and marketing
– Sharing information and best practices
Capacity-Building Activities
• Training for state-level team
• Up-front training for regional partners
• Ongoing technical assistance and training for
regional partners
• Information and data resources
• Dedicated staff
• Platform for sharing information and best
practices
PA: Industry Partnerships
Industry Partnerships in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Workforce Development
Question: Rebekah, what has Massachusetts
done to build the capacity of regional partners?
How do you see these efforts as fitting into the
sustainability and growth of your state sector
strategy?
Question: Adam, what is
Montana doing to help state
agency leadership understand
the sector strategy
framework?
Questions for You
• Where do you see capacitybuilding as most needed in
your state?
• What issues arise for you as
you consider building
capacity-building of your
partners?
• What have you done
already? What do you plan?
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Evaluation
Capacity-Building
Messaging
Messaging : The Role of States in
Promoting Sector Strategies
• Develop and Communicate:
State partners should
collaborate to develop and
communicate a succinct
message to promote their
sector strategies
• Brand: States should
brand their sector
strategy, either by itself
or as part of a broader
competitiveness
strategy
SECTOR
STRATEGIES
Leverage
• Leverage: States should assist in leveraging and
maximizing local/regional marketing resources
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It is Important for States to
Message their Sector Strategies
• Why
• How
• Who
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From Michigan, Massachusetts and Georgia
From Oklahoma – Grow Oklahoma Marketing Boards
Top 9 Steps: How to Best Design
Promotional Tactics
1. Differentiate sector strategies from other
things
2. Keep the end in mind
3. Gather and use outcome and impact data to
support your message
4. Focus on “telling the story”
5. Do not wait to begin messaging
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Top 9: How to Best Design
Promotional Tactics
6. Differentiate your messages to the various
constituencies
7. Leverage limited resources and minimize
duplication
8. Use lessons learned and case studies to
promote your strategy
9. Maximize the use of e-communication
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Long-Term Planning: Winning
Legislative Support
Engage
Business
• Engage business
champions and advocates
to support legislative
efforts
• Engagement should begin
before the legislative
planning process, but can
occur during it
• Examples
- Pennsylvania
- Massachusetts
Embed in
State Statute
Include in
State Funding
• Work with the legislature
• Include sector strategies
and the Governor’s Office
in state funding legislation
to imbed sector strategies
and budget processes
into various pieces of
• This should occur during
legislation
the budget planning
• Examples
process
- Pennsylvania
- Washington State
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Top 4: How to Best Win Legislative
Support
1. Use national attention to your advantage
2. Pay attention to the needs of key industries
3. Don’t appear to pick winners unless it is to
your advantage
4. Utilize major state level sector reports to
leverage resources and legislative support
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Question: Brad, Wyoming has done some work to
brand and communicate your sector strategy. What
have you done, what do you still hope to do, and
how do you see it as important for your efforts?
Questions for You
• Who are the key audiences
in your state for information
about your sector strategy?
• What do they want to
know? How will you get
them that information?
• What have you done
already? What do you plan
to do?
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Remaining Webinar
Discussion Forum –
Selected Topics in Sector Strategies
Thursday, September 17, 2:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern