Caution: No Two Sector Partnerships are Alike

Remember that the sector partnership approach at its best is a highly customized solution to the needs of employers in the target industry and the needs of jobseekers and workers in that region. That means that one sector partnership might be centered around training entry-level workers at a large scale, but another might not involve training at all. Let’s consider two questions:

Comparing Outcomes Across Sector Partnerships

First, can we fairly compare outcomes across sector partnerships? Consider…

• Over 1,000 healthcare service workers are trained every year by the Worker Education and Resource Center in Los Angeles for a major metropolitan hospital and smaller area clinics;
• About 130 at-risk youth are trained and placed in employment per year by a solar installation sector partnership in Richmond, California; and
• 3 Journeyman apprentices were supplied in one year to Grand Coulee Dam (the 4th largest hydroelectric dam in the world) as a result of a Power Generation partnership in Washington State.

These examples demonstrate that it is unwise to make comparisons across sector partnerships, but that outcomes instead must be measured based on impact relevant to the industry and the type of skills gap being directly addressed and the type of sector initiative underway. What does that mean for regional conveners? It means they must take the time to understand the needs of industry and workers, and then choose the appropriate benchmarks that will evaluate their success in meeting those needs.

Assuming Training Outcomes

Second, do we assume training outcomes? Consider…

• A small manufacturers sector partnership that focuses on career awareness (summer camps for youth; glossy brochures and DVDs that go out to community college students, parents, high school counselors);
• An energy partnership that develops skills standards of critical occupations in order to align titles and HR selection criteria across energy employers; or
• A healthcare sector partnership that trains entry-level customer representatives.

Sector partnerships are not always about training. They are about meeting the needs of an industry on behalf of the jobseekers and workers in a region. That means the solution could be about training, career awareness, Human Resource policies, local/state/federal regulations, or other barriers.

States and regions that are willing to truly understand the workforce challenge of the target industry (versus assuming it is a training issue) will see greater success. States and regions that find ways to capture and message that success, whether it is training or non-training related, will garner additional support for their partnership and their programs. For an example of how to capture and message the value of the diverse nature of sector partnerships, read Evaluating Industry Skill Panels: A Model Framework.