By DUANE M. ELLING
Building the momentum of the sectoral employment field -- as well as strengthening, sustaining and growing such programs -- are the goals of Sector Skills Academy.
Sectoral employment programs are helping low-income, low-skilled workers find, maintain and advance in good jobs in selected industries across the U.S. In turn, the programs are nurturing regional economies by addressing local labor market needs.
The academy is a year-long program that includes workshops, networking sessions and site visits to successful sectoral programs. Specifically, it seeks to:
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develop a pool of leaders within the sectoral field who can communicate effectively the model to others both inside and outside the workforce development system;
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expand the number of skilled workforce development practitioners who can implement the sectoral approach;
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strengthen the organizational capacity of organizations that have adopted the sectoral approach, thereby helping to ensure the model’s longevity; and
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facilitate networking activities among practitioners through which they can share promising strategies and lessons learned, and renew their passion for the work.
The academy participants -- or fellows, as they are formally known -- are experienced and emerging leaders from throughout the workforce development field, including public agencies, community-based nonprofits, faith-based organizations, labor and business partnerships, and community colleges.
The academy was launched in 2005 by three Mott Foundation grantees: the Washington D.C.-based Aspen Institute, via its Workforce Strategies Initiative (WSI); the National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP), a program of the Insight Center for Community Economic Development, located in Oakland, California; and the Philadelphia-based Public/Private Ventures.
Mott has made more than $7.5 million in grants since 1986 for the sectoral field, including $500,000 since 2006 in support of the academy.
Maureen Conway, director of the WSI and deputy director of Aspen’s Economic Opportunities Program, says the academy’s goals reflect the unique niche that sectoral programs occupy in the nation’s workforce development system.
“Sectoral employment development stands out as a strategically targeted approach to strengthening both opportunities for low-wage workers and the economic health of the communities in which they live and work,” she said.
Conway says the academy can help ensure that the sectoral model leverages real impact.
“Workforce development systems have to make the best use of their limited resources in order to address the needs that local employers and workers are experiencing. This is difficult, complicated work. The academy is designed to support sector initiative leaders as they seek to meet this challenge.”
The SOURCE, a nonprofit community resource and employment training center located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is among the organizations that have benefited from the academy.
Andrew Brower, the organization’s executive director, enrolled in the academy in 2005. He says that during the subsequent workshops, he and other academy fellows gained in-depth knowledge about the sectoral strategy via formal classroom activities, as well as site visits to programs in San Jose, California, and Las Vegas .
Equally as rewarding, says Brower, was the chance to engage others in informal conversation about the sectoral model and the opportunities -- and challenges -- of workforce development. The resulting professional connections and personal relationships have grown in the months since he completed the academy.
“We often touch base with one another to talk about what we’re doing with our programs, about the issues we’re facing,” Brower said. “I believe that support is key to helping folks stay engaged in, and excited about, the sectoral strategy, and to move the model forward.”
The academy also helps fellows explore ways to engage job-training partners and key decisionmakers at the local and state levels in discussions about sectoral. By launching these conversations, says Brower, practitioners can build a supportive environment for the model.
Conway agrees, noting that the academy will continue to offer the field a vital opportunity to nurture deeper sharing and creative thinking about workforce development, particularly the sectoral model.
“The country can’t afford a ‘business as usual’ approach to achieving economic health,” she said. “If we’re to compete in the global marketplace, we have to create a skilled, competitive labor force. Sectoral strategies can help us accomplish that by engaging both workers and employers in the job training process.”