Employer Engagement in the National Fund for Workforce Solutions

“In 2009, the National Fund’s evaluation team released its baseline evaluation of the initiative. While evaluators found that all workforce partnerships supported by the National Fund implemented approaches geared toward employers and workers, they also identified differences across the workforce partnerships in the scope and degree of employer engagement. To gather more information about employer engagement efforts in the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, this report looked at one side of the equation: based on a series of interviews with the coordinators of workforce partnerships, it detailed how they identify and meet employer needs and what challenges they face in doing so” (p.iv). (Abstractor: Author)

• “Workforce partnership coordinators make effective initial connections with employers through a variety of methods, depending on the local context and the targeted sectors. Whatever mode or personal style coordinators use, this networking is always customized to a targeted industry sector. • Resources limit the degree of employer engagement... Employers fear that participating in workforce partnerships bears high costs (both financial and non-financial)…Forecasting is a way for workforce partnerships to anticipate and plan for the ebbs and flows within a sector” (p. iv). • Effective employer engagement is rooted in placing a priority on and demonstrating an ability to meet employer needs. o Involve frontline supervisors and workers in needs assessments. o Target groups of employers for engagement. o Partner with employer associations. o …Work with employers to demonstrate the community benefit of the workforce partnership and the employer’s role in it. o Protect employers from public-sector “red tape” and paperwork requirements by fulfilling those requirements for them” (p. v). (Abstractor: Author)

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2011
• Author(s): Taylor, Colin
• Organizational Author(s): National Fund for Workforce Solutions, Jobs for the Future
• Funding Source: National Fund for Workforce Solutions, Jobs for the Future
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Wesley Peterson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies