Communities That Work Partnership Highlights Best Practices in Matching Jobs to Skills

The Communities That Work Partnership, a national project to support industry-led workforce development efforts, has released seven case studies highlighting what it considers to be best practices for regions seeking ways to strengthen talent pipelines for local employers and improve access to quality employment for jobseekers. Launched in April 2015 by the Aspen Institute Workforce Strategies Initiative and the Economic Development Administration, with additional support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the partnership has two goals: to accelerate regional economic development through peer learning, and to document stories of how regional teams can improve links between the demand side and supply side of regional systems.

Since their competitive selection in the summer of 2015, regional teams have collaborated both in person and virtually to develop issue briefs that can serve as a playbook for other communities hoping to replicate aspects of the partnerships' findings. The case studies highlighting the findings of the seven Communities that Work Partner regions are:

• Arizona: Understanding Skill Needs of Technology Occupations;
• Buffalo, New York: Building Off a Breakthrough;
• Houston, Texas: Developing Prototypes for Workforce Development Strategies;
• New York City: Partnering to Improve Domestic Workers’ Job Quality;
• Prince George’s County, Maryland: Investing in Infrastructure, Local Businesses, and Jobs;
• The Freelance Economy and Workforce System Meet in the Bay Area; and,
• Northwest Georgia: Partnering to Connect Workers to Jobs in the Floor Covering Industry.

How can civic leaders work across sectors to develop strategies that boost productivity, expand skills, and increase employment opportunities? One session at SSTI’s 2016 Annual Conference will focus specifically on How Regions Adapt to Changes in the Manufacturing Landscape. Among speakers in this session will be Leigh Hopkins of the Center for Economic Development Research at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, who has led the implementation of the advanced manufacturing strategy for Northwest Georgia, one of the Communities That Work partner regions. In an interactive panel that will explore both trends in manufacturing as well as strategic best practices, Hopkins will be joined by Ned Hill, Professor of Public Affairs, Ohio State University, and John Molinaro, President of the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth.