Toolkit for Developing High-Performing Industry Partnerships
Data-Informed Strategy and Continuous Learning
A data-informed strategy will ensure that employer and worker needs are met. Partnerships must gather and analyze labor market information and program data to learn more about what works and why. Armed with this information, employers and partnership staff can develop continuous learning and improvement plans and identify the systems changes needed to overcome the structural barriers to equitable employment and labor market mobility.
Use Multiple Sources of Labor Market Information
Economic, industry, and employer-specific data can identify labor and skill shortages, job quality issues, and disparities in labor market outcomes for frontline workers and people of color.
What success looks like
- More data from and for employers to identify trends, growth occupations, and specific skill and hiring needs becomes available.
Tools
- Understanding Your Community: Labor Market and Workforce Development System Data Toolkit (CSW) – Use this compilation of data and related resources to help answer questions about local and regional labor markets.
- The Racial Equity Index (PolicyLink and USC Equity Research Institute) – This tool provides a snapshot of how well a community is doing on racial equity compared to its peers. It can be used to develop a snapshot for your industry or region.
- A Guide to Accessing and Using Workforce Data (Abt Associates) – Use this overview of the different types of data and how to acquire and use data from administrative sources to guide a discussion about what data is accessible in your region.
Gather Qualitative Input and Feedback
Feedback from employers, workers, and partners can inform the development of equitable goals and strategies to guide program design, implementation, learning, and evaluation.
What success looks like
- Engaged employers use data to guide investments that increase the retention and advancement of frontline workers.
- A continuous improvement process and better understanding of the root causes of inequities in program access and outcomes.
Tools
- Making Data More Useful (National Fund) – This report identifies and summarizes effective strategies to gather data and use data to understand participant progress and make program improvements.
- How to Use Qualitative Research in a Workforce Collaborative (National Fund) – Use this as a guide to embed qualitative research into program design and improvement.
Define Clear Outcomes and Measures
Collaborate with employers and partners to establish a data-sharing agreement. This should include disaggregated data by race and gender, and a mechanism for ensuring data quality.
What success looks like
- Employers and partners use data to identify solutions to job quality and other issues facing the industry.
- A clear vision and path for data sharing, reporting, and continuous learning for the industry partnership and related programs and activities.
Tools
- Measuring Business Impact: A Workforce Development Practitioners Guide and Lessons Learned (Commonwealth Corporation) – Use this overview of measuring business impact of sector-based and other workforce development projects to guide how your industry partnership measures success.
- A Point-Menu System for Measuring Effectiveness in Serving Employers (Aspen Institute) – Use this report to identify which indicators of effectiveness in meeting employer needs.
Collect and Analyze Disaggregated Baseline Data
Use disaggregated data as a starting point for tracking progress. Report on data over time as part of a continuous learning and improvement process.
What success looks like
- Better data about populations served, the specific activities, expected outcomes, and cost.
- More investment in populations that experience disparities in outcomes.
Tools
- Insights for Action: MSP Regional Sector Analysis (RealTime Talent) – This report documents the labor shortage and skills gap as a baseline for the Minneapolis–Saint Paul region and the impact of workforce programs and initiatives on closing those gaps. Use this to understand how collecting baseline disaggregated data can inform workforce programs and initiatives.
- Manufacturing Employer Survey (SkillUp Washington) – This report provides an example of how an industry partnership might gather information from employers to strengthen the talent pipeline to high demand entry and mid-level manufacturing jobs. This approach can be applied across industries.
- The Essentials of Disaggregated Data for Advancing Racial Equity (Race Matters Institute) – Use this to understand the basics of how to disaggregate data.
Review Performance Metrics and Disaggregated Data with Partners
Discuss insights and implications for the partnership’s work and identify areas of success and improvement.
What success looks like
- Partners use data to align programs with industry needs and produce equitable outcomes for frontline workers and people of color.
- Clear benchmarking against peers to learn from similar programs and understand what’s working, or not, for different populations.
Tools
- The Three Elements of Continuous Learning: Priorities, Plans, and Culture (Collective Impact Forum) – Use this framework to think about how to integrate continuous learning into collaborative efforts.
- Learning to Thrive: How data can fuel better workforce development results (CSW) – Industry partnerships can use lessons from the Twin Cities benchmarking initiative and data culture self-assessment to discuss the importance of data collection, learning, and continuous improvement.
- Data-Driven Feedback Loop Examples (Living Cities) – This tool provides a series of templates/options for developing data-driven feedback loops that are proven to help you change behavior. Use the templates to develop a data-driven feedback loop for your industry partnership.
Use Systems Thinking to Understand Root Causes of Issues
Identify systems that need to be changed by employers, industry, and partners to achieve the partnership’s goals, address structural racism, and reduce barriers to employment and labor market mobility.
What success looks like
- Systems, policies, programs, and practices among partners change to address structural barriers.
- Partners share an understanding of root causes and systemic solutions to address racial and other disparities in employment and career advancement.
Tools
- Changing Workforce Systems: A Framework for Describing and Measuring Systems Change (Urban Institute) – Use this conceptual framework of systems change goals, activities, and measurement options to guide discussions of systems change with industry partnership stakeholders.
- SkillWorks Systems Change Final Report (Mt. Auburn Associates) – This report examines how components of SkillWorks came together to achieve system change, including in the area of public policy and the activities underpinning their effort. Use the report to identify potential policy changes that your industry partnership might address.
- Systems Thinking Toolkit (FSG) – Use this compilation of different guides and tools for system mapping to understand an issue facing your industry partnership and the eco-system or create a plan for action.
- The Power of Creating a Racial Equity Backmap (Race Matters Institute) – Use this overview of the back-mapping process that helps communities identify the root causes of inequities.
