Toolkit for Developing High-Performing Industry Partnerships
Racial Equity and Inclusion (REI)
Racial equity is one part of racial justice and includes addressing root causes of inequities, not just their manifestation. In the context of an industry partnership, racial equity and inclusion means adopting policies, practices, attitudes, and actions that produce equitable power, access, opportunities, treatment, impact, and outcomes for all.
Use Disaggregated Data by Race and Gender
Analyzing disaggregated data can help identify the root causes of inequities and mobilize investments to populations with the largest disparities in outcomes.
What success looks like
- Ability to identify opportunities to improve outcomes for workers experiencing inequities.
- Better capacity to observe improvements (or lack of) in disparities.
- A process to implement interventions with a race equity lens.
Tools
- Improving Training to Brighten the Future of Black Workers (Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies) – Use this resource to learn about the impact of disaggregating workforce program data according to race.
- The Essentials of Disaggregated Data for Advancing Racial Equity (Race Matters) – Use this resource to learn about the basics on how to disaggregate data.
- The Power of Creating a Racial Equity Backmap (Race Matters) – Use this resource to learn about back-mapping, a process that helps communities identify the root causes of inequities.
- Leveraging Disaggregated Data to Advance Equitable Growth in Smaller Communities – PolicyLink
Define Racial Equity and Inclusion
To identify the partnership’s racial equity and inclusion goals, all partners must understand a clear definition of racial equity and inclusion for the industry sector, employers, partners, and workers in the region.
What success looks like
- Specific goals for reducing disparities in industry sectors and occupations.
- Partners that are committed to changing their practices to achieve the agreed-upon REI goals for frontline workers and people of color.
- Increased diversity of the workforce in different occupations within the targeted industry sector.
Tool
- Ready for Equity in Workforce Development (Race Forward & CSI) – Use this racial equity readiness assessment tool and learn more about practices and policies that support institutional racial equity.
- 10 Essential Questions for Employers, Business Owners, HR Professionals and Hiring Managers (Associated Black Charities) – This resource can be used a starting place to inform changes to policies, practices, and organizational culture.
Share Worker Experiences and Resource
Employers and partners discuss and share information regarding different policies and practices that support racial equity and inclusion in employment and training programs, hiring, and career advancement.
What success looks like
- Employer and stakeholder awareness increases, leading to a commitment to action.
- Employers change policies and practices to support racial equity and inclusion.
- An increase in placements, retention, wages, and advancement for people of color and others facing employment and income disparities.
- Better outcomes for workers, e.g., credentials earned, job placement, retention, promotions, and wage gains.
Tool
- The Competitive Advantage of Racial Equity (PolicyLink and FSG) – This report highlights examples from 12 leading companies such as Gap Inc., PayPal, and Cigna, who are driving innovation and growth by advancing racial equity.
- Advancing Frontline Employees of Color (FSG) – This resource identifies evidence-based practices that can be used to advance racial equity and foster work environments where all people feel valued and thrive.
- Race-Explicit Strategies for Workforce Equity in Healthcare and IT (Race Forward) – Workforce practitioners can use these four solution categories to focus on how to implement systemic, race-explicit, and high-impact outcomes.
- Adding Racial Equity to The Menu (ROC United & Race Forward) – This toolkit for restaurant employers identifies the skills and tools that are most critical to supporting all restaurants in moving the needle on racial equity in the industry. Use this toolkit with other sectors of the economy as well.
- Manufacturing Pathways in Milwaukee: Bringing Skills and Equity to Manufacturing’s Future (Center on Wisconsin Strategy) – This case study focuses on how equity is built into this apprenticeship innovation as it responds to the evolving manufacturing sector. This approach can be applied to other industry partnerships.
Increase Awareness of Partner Roles
Employers, partners, and stakeholders need to understand their roles and make a commitment to address racial disparities. Partnerships play a key role in ensuring that workers and their communities are included in the process to identify and address disparities in hiring, credential attainment, advancement, and labor market mobility.
What success looks like
- Partnership strategies are developed in concert with the communities and workers impacted.
- Employers that are committed to racial equity and inclusion.
- Employers change organizational culture and hiring, retention, and career advancement policies and practices.
- Workplaces that are more equitable and attract diverse talent, leading to better retention and company profitability.
Tools
- The Business Case for Racial Equity (WKKF & Altarum) – Learn about the importance of racial equity as both an imperative for social justice and a strategy for economic growth.
- A CEO Blueprint for Racial Equity (PolicyLink, FSG, Just Capital, and Living Cities) – Use this roadmap to help companies understand and address the intended and unintended consequences of all their products, policies, and practices on people of color.
- Partnering for Equity: How Sector Partnerships are Tackling Workforce Disparities (Ray Marshall Center) – Use this resource to understand why partnerships become involved with diversity, equity, and/or inclusion efforts and how they approach this work
- The Role of Senior Leaders in Building a Race Equity Culture and Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture (Equity in the Center) – Use this to understand the role of leaders and the conditions needed to shift mindsets, policies, and practices toward race equity and the resources and strategies to help you move from commitment to action.
Develop Specific Indicators and Measures of Success
Success includes the collection of disaggregated baseline data according to race and gender and targets for improvement.
What success looks like
- Equitable and culturally relevant programs and services for populations facing barriers to employment.
- Ability to track the progress on goals, activities, and outcomes and inform future changes and improvements.
Tools
- Roadmap for Racial Equity (National Skills Coalition) – This resource outlines workforce training and education policies to advance racial equity. The roadmap identifies specific goals at a systems-level that can serve as an example for industry partnerships.
- National Equity Atlas (PolicyLink) – Use this to find disaggregated, longitudinal data on demographic change, racial and economic inclusion, and the economic benefits of equity for the largest 100 cities in America.
Identify Necessary Systems Changes
Only by addressing the role that systemic and structural racism play in employment and labor market mobility can partnerships achieve their equity goals.
What success looks like
- Strategies to change the systems that perpetuate racism and limit access to jobs and labor market mobility.
Tool
- Creating Consensus with Targeted Universalism (FSG) – Use this approach to change management as a catalyst for addressing inequities at the systems level.
- ReWork Reimagining a Bay Area Workforce System Grounded in Racial and Gender Equity (Insight Center and ReWork the Bay) – This report provides valuable insights into the discriminatory roots of labor and workforce policies and starts a conversation about the narrative and system changes needed.
- Beyond Training and the Skills Gap (Race Forward) – This report provides practical tips for racially equitable communications to broaden the collective responsibility for employment and other economic outcomes.
- Toolbox for the Systems Change Mindset – National Fund
- Racial Equity Framework for WFD Funders – Workforce Matters
