Key Questions What are the roles of intermediaries and partners?

1. North Carolina Sector StrategiesLearning ExchangeIntermediary Roles, Partner Roles, and Project ManagementJack Mills, National Network of Sector PartnersrepresentingAccelerating State Adoption of Sector StrategiesJanuary 13, 2010

2. Key Questions What are the roles of intermediaries and partners? How can Regional Skills Partnerships use a project management approach to implement program operation and systems change strategies?

3. Design/Development Convene partnership Conduct research Target occupations Design services Determine new needs Obtain start-up resources Operations Provide programmatic services to workers and employers Coordinate activities to produce outcomes Obtain resources for sustainability and expansion Bring about system change Sector Initiatives: Structure Focus: An Industry within a Regional Labor Market Management by a Workforce Intermediary Services Delivered by Partner Organizations

4. Operations Phase Effective sector initiatives: • Anticipate employers’ needs and meet them • Hire staff with industry expertise – especially those who have worked in the industry • Learn everything possible about the industry; keep up to date • Engage employers in multiple ways • Adapt to changing circumstances

5. Workforce Intermediary Roles Manage financing of the initiative and coordinate resources Manage and monitor the initiative’s progress, and ensure that its strategies change in response to new needs and new conditions Coordinate/broker or deliver services Stimulate systems change Monitor outcomes for industry and workers Market the sector initiative; publicize progress

6. Success Factors for Intermediaries • Credibility with and deep knowledge of the industry (and with workers/job seekers as well) • Willingness to lead, and to be accountable to other stakeholders • Capacity to fundraise and manage a long-term, multi-source effort; commitment to raise long-term funds and to encourage partners to do so • Capacity to manage the partner service providers’ activities, monitor outcomes, and publicize results • Capacity to stimulate systems change

7. Potential Partner Roles • Provision of services to job seekers, workers, and employers • Participation in systems change efforts • Real-time coordination with other providers of services (especially to program participants) • e.g., coordinated case management • Information sharing, regarding employers, program participants, services delivered, and outcomes

8. Success Factors for Partners Key characteristics: • Agreement with the sector initiative’s vision and motivation to achieve it • Capacity to contribute to the sector initiatives’ programmatic and systems change work • Capacity to produce high-quality results • Responsiveness to changing needs of employers, job seekers, and workers

9. Other General Success Factors • Work with multiple employers • Develop agreements among partners • Manage the project • Identify project champions • Measure and market success • Develop sustainability strategies from the start

10. The Sector Initiative Manager Key Characteristics • Commitment to the sector initiative’s vision/goals • Knowledge of the industry, and experience working with businesses • Ability to manage a team, motivate partners, and bring them to understand that each partner’s success depends on all the others’ success • Ability to develop schedules and budgets, and to use them as project management tools • Entrepreneurial approach, and commitment to problem solving/continuous improvement

11. Project Management Approach The goal is for all partners to understand what they need to do and when they need to do it • Use the project management plan to clarify the process through which participants and employers will interact with the sector initiative, and what each stakeholder needs to do • Manage change so that everyone understands how changes affect what they have to do • Incorporate continuous improvement processes into the project management approach

12. Governance/Advisory Group Represent all stakeholders in the operations phase • Individuals with the authority to represent their organizations and motivation to participate • Willingness to gain an understanding of the problem(s) and the sector initiative’s goal(s) • Commitment to spend the time required, work on behalf of the sector initiative, and make decisions • Agreement to serve on working committees

13. Health Career Learning Network What employers and workers say about an allied health sector initiative. . . http://www.hcln.org/testimonials/testimonials.html The Health Career Learning Network grew from HealthCareWorks

14. HealthCareWorks Consortium of thirteen health care employers, four workforce investment boards, five community colleges, one state college, and organized labor. • Created by four eastern Massachusetts workforce boards; led by the Metro South/West REB • Goal: Reduce nursing and allied health staffing shortages by preparing front-line workers in hospitals and nursing homes to enter and succeed in post-secondary education

15. HCW Steering Committee Roles (1) Key role during start-up (identified in MOA) • Nurture relationships with health care employers, community colleges and other organizations in their regions, reporting on the status of these relationships to the Steering Committee and briefing the Program Manager. • All Steering Committee members shared the intermediary role of bringing hospitals and nursing homes together with the community colleges to plan and implement an educational program in the companies. They played a critical part during the start-up phase, negotiating content, instructional delivery, recruitment, and schedules

16. HCW Steering Committee Roles (2) Other Steering Committee Roles • Also identified in MOA • Participate in the development and implementation of a sustainability strategy. • Prepare for and participate in monthly meetings to evaluate progress and establish priorities for the Program Manager. • Raise problems and concerns with the other members of the Steering Committee as they occur. • Pose solutions to problems, rather than just identifying the problems. • Complete tasks by deadline unless there are extenuating circumstances. If so, notify other Steering Committee members and the Program Manager and set a new deadline. • Develop a media campaign and communicate with the local press. • Participate in evaluation activities.

17. Role of HCW Lead Intermediary Metro South/West Regional Employment Board • Director chaired the Steering Committee • Other responsibilities: • Be the liaison with the grantor (a government agency) • Meet contract reporting responsibilities as designated by grantor • Manage the funds • Develop and monitor progress on a work plan • Supervise project staff

18. Staffing and Project Management • Staffing • Program Manager, at Metro South/West REB • Reported to Metro South/West REP Director • 2 Program Assistants, located at other WIBs • Reported to Program Manager • Workplan • Developed/monitored by Program Manager • Allowed each Steering Committee member to assess progress toward meeting the goals in her region. • Allowed the Steering Committee to evaluate overall progress toward achieving the goals.

19. Sustainability • Steering Committee members • Listed assets • Identified factors that must be addressed before approaching potential investors • Developed a plan for identifying investors. • Each member completed a review of a share of the potential investors. • Developed a strategy for approaching each of the potential investors.