Making credentialing more equitable in your community requires research to get started. To begin, you will need to have insight into your local population, potential partners and scope of work.
The purpose of this section is to help you create a data-informed vision and goals for the work ahead. Doing so will help you select additional partners, hone in on a target population and understand their needs.
The following steps may be helpful in getting started in this work:
Core teams are responsible for leading this effort in their community. At a minimum, each core team should include the chamber, community college and a local community-based organization. The type of community-based organization involved depends, in part, on your target population. In some communities in our cohort, chambers and community colleges engaged organizations that served a specific population, like the Kurdish-American population in Fargo or the Hispanic community in North Central Massachusetts. In other communities, chambers and community colleges engaged with organizations like the Urban League.
As you move through this work, you will identify additional partners and engage others. Throughout, the core team will remain critical in making decisions, keeping the project moving forward, navigating challenges and ensuring that the work continues beyond the initial pilot. All core team members need to be fully committed to this work. For more information on building trust between partners, click here.
Cohort Tip
Always have at least two people from each partnering organization on the core team. That ensures that if one person is unable to attend a meeting or call, the work can continue.
Cohort members began by identifying in-demand, well-paid jobs in their regions using multiple data sources like regional reports and community plans that didn’t require large fees. They grounded the team’s work in data to create realistic targets for their partners and population.
Resources:
- A method for using data for regionally based industrial development strategies
- NJ Pathways and Skills Collaboratives
- How to Plan for High-Quality, Non-Degree Workforce Programs
Cohort Case Studies
• Aurora convened focus groups with employers or met with them at their offices.
• Tallahassee used existing Collective Impact or Talent Pipeline Management collaboratives to discuss current talent needs and which credentials the community college offered that were of value.
• North Central Massachusetts engaged in a workforce study that included a listening tour. They shared the findings with public policy groups and the government. This enabled them to set up a stakeholder group that meets regularly.
• In Fargo, they analyzed workforce data such as unemployment and workforce participation rates. They also looked at Census data related to the immigrant population and noticed gaps in educational attainment and income. Working with a community-based organization at a community college, the cohort created a survey that staff delivered to the population to assess the community’s needs beyond the numbers.
Some cohort members already had target populations in mind for this work. They used data from previous community plans, economic development organizations, and local, state, and federal data to confirm and/or hone in on target populations. They also used focus groups, stakeholder and focus population interviews, and surveys to confirm quantitative data.
Questions you can ask at this stage include:
- Who are you trying to recruit and assist?
- Why this group?
- What barriers does this group have in obtaining credentialing?
Resource: AACC’s Guided Pathways is a model by which colleges redesign institutional systems. It guides students through and around barriers toward a clear path to success in their academic/workforce development goals.
Cohort Case Studies
• Tallahassee and Chattanooga focused on a zip code or neighborhood.
• North Central Massachusetts, Aurora, Cleveland, and Des Moines identified diverse populations with the lowest economic outcomes in their communities.
• Fargo targeted new populations coming into their community, such as immigrants, refugees, and New Americans.
In order to identify the best partners to collaborate with on your journey, you must first map the ecosystem. The term “ecosystem” can be understood as all the organizations that touch the various components of the student journey.
Conduct a stakeholder mapping exercise to identify existing and potential partners, funders or champions. This step will help you understand the broader set of workforce partners you can team up with for this work.
Cohort Tip
If you identify existing organizations in the local workforce ecosystem, consider collaborating to prevent duplicative efforts, maximize funds, and have a community-wide strategy.
After you have mapped the broader ecosystem, you will be able to identify potential community stakeholders. Ideally, these are organizations that want to address the issue or are already engaged in the issue. Consider public and private organizations, government agencies, and associations such as:
- Employers
- Workforce boards
- School districts
- Colleges
- Health clinics and hospitals
- State and city agencies
- Community-based Organizations (CBOs) e.g., United Way, Urban League, Boys and Girls Club, Red Cross, community foundations, etc.
- Employer associations
- Faith communities
- Local foundations
Cohort Tip
Ask potential employer partners to identify the skills they need in their workforce and who are their ideal candidates. These insights can help you hone in on your target population.
During the process of learning about their ecosystems, some communities discovered that many organizations were working to solve the same workforce and economic mobility challenges as chambers and community colleges. In this exploratory phase, it is important to identify not only who is interested in joining the effort, but who has the capacity to partner. Alignment of bandwidth is crucial for successful outcomes.
Resources:
Cohort Tip
Don’t be afraid to bring new partners in during all stages of the process – you will be surprised by how many groups and organizations want to be involved. Even though they might only be able to contribute in a limited capacity, you still can make a significant impact.
As we will discuss in the next section on forming partnerships, strong relationships are indispensable to accomplishing this work. Getting partners engaged and excited is essential for establishing positive collaboration, clear goals and strong outcomes. Data can help you craft a compelling story to share with potential partners to achieve – and maintain – buy-in.
Cohort Tip
Get things in writing, as organization leadership can be fluid. A statement of support from a CEO or executive-level leader can ensure that there is buy-in from the top, and that it is a company-based initiative versus one that was a personal pet project or interest.
Employer Buy-In
What might employer buy-in look like? It can take the form of the following examples:
- Financial incentives from employers (scholarships, grants)
- In-kind incentives (equipment, facility tours)
- Advisory committee participation
- Job fair participation
- New program creation for diverse populations that align with employer DEI requirements
- Commitments to interview or hire students upon completion of the program
The Importance of Employer Executive Leadership Buy-in
This work requires champions at all levels, including executive leaders. The buy-in of executive leadership can be the difference between a short-term initiative and a program that is embedded within an organization. Executive leadership might include community college presidents, chamber executives and boards, VPs or CEOs at an employer, and CBO CEOs, school district superintendents and principals.
Cohort Case Study
Chattanooga enjoyed a strong working relationship with its employer partner. Together, they set up a program in which the employer trained entry-level workers for management positions. When the CEO left, they had to build new relationships. The Chattanooga team persisted, but it set the work back when they lost their executive leadership buy-in and strongest advocate.
Higher Education Buy-In
What might community college buy-in look like? Here are some examples:
- Program availability and adaptability
- Staffing commitment
- Leadership commitment (President, Chancellor, CEO)
- Complementary programming
Relevant Data Sources and Resources
To help create buy-in, communities used public and private data sources for relevant and contemporary Labor Market Information (LMI) such as:
- Lightcast
- DataUSA
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics (Note: this data must be reviewed carefully, as there might be a lag of up to 18 months.)
- The Project on Workforce College-to-Jobs Map
- JFF Employer Engagement Resource
- U.S. Dept. of Labor Apprenticeship Business Engagement Tools
- Employer-specific data through focus groups and surveys
Cohort Case Study
Some communities used reports specific to their regions, such as local university studies and state or local economic development data on industries and occupations. For example, North Central Massachusetts referred to North Central Massachusetts Community College’s (NCMCC) One North Central Regional Economic Development Plan. Fargo collected its own data and verified findings with employers and targeted communities. They conducted a local partnership study based on their unique set of questions and needs.
Cohort Tip
Use data to give you a snapshot of an industry and in-demand credentials directly from potential employers themselves. Confirm with employers what positions they offer and together identify relevant credentials and skill sets needed for those roles. Other strategies to collect input from employers include the Business & Industry Leadership (BILT) model and the Developing a Curriculum (DACUM)method.
Tracking progress and reviewing data can help core partners stay accountable and reconsider what strategies are effective. In this case, as work begins, chambers, community colleges and the backbone nonprofit need to be aligned on data sharing and structures. Here are some practices to consider to create a data-sharing structure:
- Know the goals: what data partners do have and what do you wish to gather?
- Have explicit conversations with partners about what data can and cannot be collected and shared. Community colleges and employers have different data restrictions. Be clear about what metrics can and cannot be tracked at the onset.
- Create and maintain a system for exchanging data
- Establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or contract can provide structure, clarity, and accountability by outlining who is responsible for data gathering, who has access to what data, how often the data is updated, and when data is reviewed together.
The following resources on crafting and structuring MOUs may be helpful:
- Sample MOU Templates by LISC
- Writing a Partnership MOU by Colorado CTE
Cohort Tip
Many cohort members found data sharing structures did not exist before participating in this grant work. You might want to include the data sharing structure or system in your MOU.
As additional partners are brought into the work, the core leadership team should revisit these data-sharing discussions. You will learn more about bringing in additional partners in the next section.
Relevant Types of Data to Consider
The table below provides suggestions on the types of relevant data to consider in equitable credential attainment and outcome tracking:
It’s critical to establish a strategy for monitoring progress throughout a project. Below are types of questions to consider when creating your strategy:
- How will student progress be monitored?
- How will placement and employment outcomes be tracked (and for how long)?
- Will student survey data be used to track education and workforce progress? (This type of data might yield low response rates. Some chambers, community colleges and CBOs knew their niche and how to get the responses they needed. For colleges, it may be easier to get incoming student data but hard to get post-completion and employment data.)
Cohort Case Study
In Fargo, one community college had a high alumni response rate and included their employment status. The college was able to use that data instead of incoming student data.
Cohort Tip
When creating goals, use the table below to make them SMARTIE. Cohorts who used this framework found that the Relevant column helped them put their baseline data to work and maintain focus.
During the execution phase of the work, new information or data gleaned can help you hone your existing goals and give clarity to your strategy. It can also help you pivot to a new and possibly unexpected goal or population. Track how you use data during the mapping process Learn more about how to use data throughout the process by clicking here. Learn more about mapping here.