Workforce Leadership Council: Second Cohort

2013 Learning Exchange Opportunity

What is the Leadership Council?

The Workforce Leadership Council is a learning exchange of workforce investment boards interested in growing their capacity for leadership.  The NAWB Leadership Assessment provides the starting point for boards to better understand organizational strengths and areas of opportunity. With more than 200 responses analyzed to date, the survey results are becoming a valuable tool for NAWB to determine commonalities in developing leadership capabilities, and provide participants a way to compare their results with a growing pool of national data. Participating boards will learn from colleagues through peer-to-peer discussions, webinars from leaders in the field, and technical assistance from subject matter experts. Boards have used the results to inform their strategic planning processes, improve operations and start new initiatives in their region. Join us in growing the leadership capacity of the system!

NAWB Salutes First Cohort

• Berrien-Cass-Van Buren Michigan Works!
• Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership
• City of Phoenix Workforce Connection Board
• County of Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board
• Dakota Scott Workforce Investment Board
• High Country Workforce Development Board
• Northern Rural Training and Employment Consortium
• San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board
• Southeast Minnesota Workforce Investment Board
• West Piedmont Workforce Investment Board
• Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County

2013 Cohort Details

Learning from the first cohort, NAWB will make several adjustments based on member feedback for the second cohort to reflect the complexity of organizational, staff and board diversity that exists across the country (e.g. city and county configurations, nonprofits, consortiums).  Cohort 2 will consist of two distinct phases:

1. Assessment and Feedback: The leadership assessment is the foundation for continuous improvement and deepening capacity in the four leadership areas. Two assessments are provided including one for WIB members and one for WIB staff.  NAWB’s subject matter experts review the assessment results and provide detailed feedback in an online meeting and final report with recommendations.
2. Based on the results and discussion with each Workforce Investment Board (WIB), the second phase involves one-to-one technical assistance in the four leadership areas, which may include online meetings, webinars, additional assessments, and skill-building exercises, resources and tools to implement recommendations.  For example:

Strategic Management: Strategic management skill sets are needed to build a solid operational structure for WIA funded programs, while at the same time expanding the capacity of staff and Board members to become labor market experts.  The webinars and online learning for this leadership area are geared toward creating a solid WIA operational structure, exceeding WIA performance metrics, and honing strategic management skills.

Labor Market Analysis: WIBs are experts in labor market information, yet often experience a sense of “drowning in the data”.  This leadership area develops the capacity of organizations to make sense of data, identify key stakeholders, and become leaders in making informed decisions using labor market information. This section primarily targets staff, but is applicable for interested board members.

Communications/Outreach/Advocacy: What is a strategic communications plan?  How do you identify your primary and secondary targets audiences?  What are the most effective communication messages?  This leadership area improves the organizational capacity to position the WIB and its services through the right message and communication mediums that results in engagement of funders, partners and customers.

Strategic Convening:  Leveraging the leadership capacity of the board to bring the right partners to the table,build effective coalitions, and move from “isolated” to “collective” impact, is a critical skill, especially during a time of budget cuts and policy scrutiny. This section provides fundamental tools for effectively identifying the right partners and advancing initiatives that make a lasting impact in the community.

Fact Sheet »
Click here to apply for the second cohort »

NAWB is proud to offer the Workforce Leadership Council in partnership with Full Capacity Marketing, Public Consulting Group and The Council for Community and Economic Research.