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Healthcare Workforce Development Academy: A Catalyst for Action to Increase Employer Investments in Frontline Workers

May 1, 2019

Frontline, entry level healthcare workers are in high demand. In today's competitive labor market, healthcare employers are searching for evidence based strategies to recruit and retain these essential workers. Although many entry level positions are low paying, the healthcare industry offers career pathways to positions that provide family sustaining wages. However, industry leaders sometimes fail to recognize the valuable contributions of frontline staff and underinvest in their development. CareerSTAT is leading to change this. An employer-led healthcare initiative of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, CareerSTAT seeks to increase employer investment in the skills and careers of frontline healthcare workers. The initiative achieves its goals by engaging a national network of over 300 professionals in peer learning, documenting industry practices, recognizing "champion" organizations, and providing technical assistance. To accelerate the adoption of evidence based practices and increase investment in frontline workers, the National Fund created the CareerSTAT Healthcare Workforce Development Academy (Academy).

Behavioral Economics for Workforce Professionals

December 1, 2017

This report outlines six key insights of behavioral economics and applies them to situations of workforce development and business leaders working together. Specifically, the report outlines four biases—in-group/out-group bias, status quo bias, fundamental attribution error, and the focusing effect—that might affect an employers' decisions and suggests solutions based on behavioral economics.This report is a perfect for anyone interested in how decisions are made and what cognitive biases influence our choices.

A Decade of Changing Lives: Impact in the National Fund for Workforce Solutions

November 29, 2017

On November 29, 2017, the National Fund for Workforce Solutions celebrated the more than 30 backbone organizations, 800 local funders, 5,000 employers and almost 100,000 workers that made its decade of impact possible.Because each worker, company and community has their own story about these 10 years of extraordinary collaboration, the National Fund produced a comprehensive program book that documents these critical stories.

Giant Eagle and UPMC: Investing in Young Adults with Disabilities

October 1, 2017

Giant Eagle and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center face different types of challenges in recruiting, training and retaining workers, but both have found young adults with disabilities to be a key, and often overlooked, source of talent. Both employers have developed strategies for hiring and retaining young adults with disabilities which have helped their organizations tackle these challenges and thrive.

Okay Industries and ACMT: Connecticut Manufacturers Building a Talent Pipeline for Young Adults

September 1, 2017

Two Hartford area manufacturers and their next generation of workers from an unconventional source: young adults who are often out of work and out of school. Okay Industries and Advanced Composites & Metalforming Technologies (ACMT) are investing in their younger workforce and partnering with community organizations to create a pipeline of talented, young workers.

Mercy Health: Using Evidence to Drive Hiring and Advancement

August 31, 2017

The Mercy Health, West Michigan case study is the second in CareerSTAT's business practice series on how healthcare employers measure the impact of their investments on frontline workers. This study documents Mercy Health's approach to workforce development and program measurement with a focus on how strategic goals, workforce needs, and programatic tools influence decision making and investment goals.

How to Use Qualitative Research

August 1, 2017

The purpose of this briefing paper is to provide practical guidance for workforce collaboratives interested in embedding qualitative research into their Learning Community Partnership (LCP). The content in this report is informed by the work of SkillUp Washington, a Seattle-based workforce funder collaborative.This work complements, and is intended to be reviewed in tandem with, quantitative approaches. The qualitative research strategies presented in this report are aimed at developing a comprehensive view of how different workforce development programs are working from the vantage point of workforce participants, instructors, navigators, college administrators, employers, and other key partners. Qualitative data provides insight into the work under way, setting the stage for LCP members to collectively analyze their work and resolve challenges.

Making Data More Useful

August 1, 2017

The purpose of this report is to provide regional collaboratives, industry partnerships, and service providers with insights from research across National Fund sites, focused on three primary questions:Data collection—What are the processes and systems used to collect data by National Fund regional collaboratives and industry partnerships—especially those with consistently high(er)-quality data?Data utilization and learning—What do we know about how regional collaboratives and industry partnerships analyze and use data to inform program practice and strategy?Implications—What are the implications for the data collection, utilization, and learning activities of regional collaboratives and industry partnerships, as well as for future National Fund strategies?

Norton Healthcare: Integrating Workforce Investments with Business Impact

June 9, 2017

The Norton Healthcare case study is the first in CareerSTAT's business practice series on how healthcare employers invest in the skills and careers of their frontline workers. This study documents Norton Healthcare's approach to workforce development and program measurement with a focus on how strategic goals, workforce needs, and programatic tools influence decision making and investment goals.

Universal Woods: Business Logic of Trust

May 1, 2017

National Fund Senior Advisor Steve Dawson speaks with Universal Woods' management and frontline workers to understand how a company can invest in its long-term success by investing in its employees. From that premise flows all major workforce decisions:Eliminate the role of supervisorShare financial informationBuild team-managed teamsInvest in everyone's educationEncourage participation throughout the organization

SIF Scales the National Fund: A Model that Works

February 21, 2017

The Social Innovation Fund (SIF) is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service and a powerful approach for finding and growing community solutions with evidence of results. Over the past 5 years, the SIF has helped the National Fund reach scale and measure the effectiveness of its programs.SIF support has catalyzed almost $30 million of investment in workforce programs that are better for workers, businesses and communities. Spanning 28 communities, these programs have helped 62,000 workers develop new skills and thousands of business find critical talent.This report anaylzes the national and local impact of the National Fund's SIF-supported projects. 

CareerSTAT Guide to Investing in Frontline Workers

January 13, 2017

The CareerSTAT Guide to Investing in Frontline Health Care Workers provides health care employers with strategies and a framework for investing in the skills and careers of frontline worker to increase business impact and provide workers with opportunities for advancement and growth. The Guide explains why health care employers invest in their frontline workforce and offers metrics to make the business case for investment