As a workforce consortium, it makes sense that we want to remain focused on workforce development. But workforce development does not exist in isolation. There is an entire ecosystem surrounding a person’s ability to enter, succeed in, and remain in the workforce.
Childcare is workforce development when the lack of it prevents someone from getting to work. Transportation is workforce development when a reliable ride determines whether someone can keep a job. Housing stability, education, mental health, recovery supports, and access to basic resources all interact with employment. That does not mean we have to become the provider or solve every problem. It means we have to recognize that these things are part of the workforce ecosystem and when one part of that ecosystem isn’t functioning, the rest of it cannot function as effectively either.
Our starting point has to be the people we serve. Systems and institutions are supposed to work for people. Too often, however, we place the responsibility for navigating disconnected systems back onto the individual: Find childcare. Find transportation. Figure out the bus schedule. Meet the employer’s requirements. Navigate the benefits system. Get the paperwork. Make all the appointments. And don’t miss work while you’re doing it. Then we call those things “barriers.” But if we already know the barriers exist, we should be asking a different question:
How much of the burden should continue to fall on the person, and how much can the ecosystem itself begin to carry?
Our job cannot simply be to prepare people to become better at navigating difficult systems. Part of our responsibility must be asking how those systems can become easier to navigate. We spend a great deal of time asking employers what they need from workers and we should. Employers are essential partners in workforce development. But we must be equally willing to ask:
What do our people need from employers?
Employers hold tremendous power within the workforce ecosystem, and with that power comes responsibility. If businesses want a reliable, committed workforce, they also have a stake in understanding what makes reliability and commitment possible. That may mean examining scheduling practices, attendance policies, onboarding, transportation, childcare realities, second-chance hiring, advancement opportunities, workplace culture, or the way an employer responds when an otherwise good employee experiences a temporary crisis. This isn’t about asking employers to solve people’s lives. It is about asking every part of the ecosystem including employers to consider what it can do differently so the individual isn’t always expected to do all of the heavy lifting.
What Have We Changed?
After seven years of working together, perhaps one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is:
What have we made better or easier for the people we serve?
We have changed lives together. That matters. Every person who has found employment, increased their income, gained skills, or moved toward greater stability represents meaningful success. But our collective power gives us the opportunity to reach beyond individual success. What policy have we influenced? What practice have we changed? What barrier have we reduced? What connection between systems have we strengthened?
What became easier for the next person because of something we learned from the person before them? That is where a consortium has the opportunity to become more than a collection of organizations providing services. Changing one person’s life is powerful. Changing something in the ecosystem can change the experience of every person who comes after them.
We do not have to solve childcare to recognize it as a workforce issue. We do not have to provide transportation to influence how transportation intersects with employment. We do not have to become employers to challenge employment practices that unnecessarily push people out of the workforce. Our greatest opportunity may be using what we collectively see and learn from the people we serve to identify where the ecosystem itself needs to change. Because ultimately, workforce development cannot only be about asking:
“How do we help people become ready for the workforce?”
We must also be willing to ask:
“How do we create a workforce ecosystem that is ready for our people?”