Sector Initiatives and Career Pathways:

Lessons from Towards Employment’s

WorkAdvance Initiative

Webinar

2014 NNSP Virtual Conference

December 11, 2014

Jim Torrens Program Manager

National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP)

Insight Center for Community Economic Development

jtorrens@insightcced.org

Jack Mills Director

National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP)

Insight Center for Community Economic Development

jmills@insightcced.org

Rebecca Kusner Director of Policy and Special Initiatives

Towards Employment

Mike Hoag Vice President of Workforce Development

WIRE-Net

Tim Duffy President

Cleveland Industrial Training Center

John Baker Production Manager

Hose Master

• Open and close your Panel

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Note: this webinar is being recorded. After the webinar, links to the recording, slideshow, and supporting

materials will be sent to the e-mail address you provided. They will also be posted to the virtual

conference resource page: http://www.nnsp.org/nnsp-vconf-resources.html.

@NNSP

#NNSPVC

Participate in online discussion and networking about apprenticeships

and sector initiatives after this webinar.

Sector & career pathways initiatives:

Better together

• All career pathways should incorporate sector strategy

principles; in states/communities with a specific sector

strategy initiative and a specific career pathway initiative,

the two should be connected

• Not all sector initiatives will include a career pathway;

however, more comprehensive and advanced sector

initiatives should include this approach

• Sector initiatives and career pathways share some

common core elements, but differ on others (see table)

Sector & career pathways initiatives: Better together

Sector Initiatives

Career Pathways

Sector-focused based on good LMI X X Engage employers – by industry sectors/”clusters” rather than individually or by occupation X

Level of engagement

varies

Supported by a strong cross-agency/organizational partnership

X X

Managed by a “workforce intermediary” X Some CPs

Responds to a variety of employer needs (i.e., marketing, customized training, analyzing business processes)

Most SIs

Provide education/

skill services within

context of CP

Provide a clear path to stacked credentials and career advancement (including for lower-skilled individuals)

Some SIs X

Provide career navigation and support services Some SIs X Promote system change X

(ideally)

X (ideally)

NNSP Virtual Conference Thursday December 11, 2014

AGENDA

Welcome and thank you

Overview of Towards Employment, WorkAdvance, and why we highlighted partners

Introduction of partners

Partnership Perspectives

The Work The Impact Next Steps

TOWARDS EMPLOYMENT

Since 1976, TE has assisted over 120,000 disadvantaged adults (535 in 2013) transition off of welfare, out of prison, or off of the streets and into employment.

Since 2004, we placed more than 2,000 individuals with a criminal record into full-time employment (372 in 2013) with above industry-standards job retention performance and less than 5% recidivism of our grads

In addition we have helped more than 12,000 working poor gain skills for a better job.

OUR APPROACH

Prepare for a job: Job readiness training, supportive services, literacy, technical training, credentials

Get a job: Job search and placement services

Keep the job: Retention support

Move into a career: Coaching and advancement supports

Increase opportunities: through policy advocacy and system change efforts

WORKADVANCE

Background:

National initiative being implemented at 4 sites

Funded by the Social Innovation Fund and led by the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and the NYC Center for Economic Opportunity with MDRC

Brought to Ohio by Fund for Our Economic Future

Towards Employment was selected to implement in Cleveland and Youngstown

WORKADVANCE

Model:

Sector specific, career pathway program

Ongoing post-employment services

Builds upon prior research

Connect sector strategies to low-income populations

Working in manufacturing and healthcare in NEO

Target population is over 18, under 200% of poverty, earning <$15/hour if working

WORKADVANCE

Implementation:

Focus on core strengths of community partners

Integrate approach into the broader workforce system to assure sustainability

Braid funding for components of the model

Measure long term outcomes

CURRENT PARTNERS

GOALS

Deliver quality programming

Demand driven training resulting in credentials

Employment starting at >$10/hour

Ongoing coaching for wage increases >5%

Build data

Random Assignment research design

Evaluation—implementation, impact, and cost

Over 2,500 people in national sample

GOALS

Inform policy conversations

Demonstrate improved outcomes to guide development of workforce programs

Share outcomes widely at multiple levels of government

Improve workforce system

Build partnerships for sustainability

Increase focus on career pathways and sector specific approaches across service delivery (i.e. beyond just targeted technical training)

PARTNERSHIP: OUR STRATEGY

THE CASE STUDIES

THE NEED

The Great Recession hit Northeast Ohio Hard…but we are rebounding!

Manufacturing employment in the region has grown by more than 7% (8,400 jobs) since 2010

Many Northeast Ohioans are not adequately prepared to meet this need:

47% of Northeast Ohio adults have no education past high school and lack relevant job skills

Companies continue to report challenges with hiring

THE WORK

Description of partner

Description of engagement with WorkAdvance

Partnership evolution and lessons learned

THE IMPACT

Results of the work

System changes

Impact upon WorkAdvance/Towards Employment

“TE does a good job to

ensure the quality of

their candidates, which

provides value for

our members. ”

John Colm

Executive Director,

WIRE-Net

“The advantage of this

partnership is TE

students are ready to

succeed.”

Tim Duffy

President,

Cleveland Industrial Training

Center

“We’re filling hard-to-fill skilled

positions. And the backfill

candidates from

Towards Employment are

strong. It’s a major

win for us.”

John Baker

Production Manager,

Hose Master

THE NEXT STEPS

Immediate next steps

Ongoing partnership

Expanded opportunities

APPLYING THESE LESSONS

How can you apply what we discussed today to your work and what will it take to make that happen?

More info:

Rebecca Kusner

Director of Policy and Special Initiatives

rkusner@towardsemployment.org

216-297-4425

Join us immediately after the webinar for online discussion and

networking about apprenticeship and sector initiatives.

To participate, search for the NNSP group in LinkedIn or visit

http://www.nnsp.org/nnsp-vconf-networking.html for more information.

After the

webinar….

Jim Torrens Program Manager

National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP)

Insight Center for Community Economic Development

jtorrens@insightcced.org

Jack Mills Director

National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP)

Insight Center for Community Economic Development

jmills@insightcced.org

Thank you!

CC photo credit: woodleywonderworks