What is sector strategy?

State sector strategies are state policies that promote and support the development of specific industries in different regions. States can use a variety of policy tools to encourage sector initiatives in critical industries.

Sector strategies are among the few workforce interventions that statistical evidence shows to improve employment opportunities for workers and to increase their wages once on the job.

What is sector partnership?

Sector partnership is a regional, employer-driven collaborative of industry, education and training organizations that focuses on the workforce needs of an in-demand industry in their shared region. Sector partnerships have many names (Skill Councils, Industry Partnerships, Industry Cluster Training Consortiums, Skills Alliances, to name a few), but they all rely on a workforce intermediary (or convener) to uncover and facilitate joint solutions addressing common talent challenges regardless of industry, business size, or longevity.

CSW is a national expert in the field of sector strategies. We have worked closely with local partnerships in New York and South Carolina, as well as with local and state leaders in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Colorado, Maryland, Georgia, Michigan, Wyoming, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. CSW is also a key partner in designing and implementing a four-year (2006-2010) 25-state Sector Strategy Learning Network with the National Governors Association and National Network of Sector Partners.

Designing and implementing sector partnerships takes time and careful attention to many factors, including industry analysis, employer engagement, effective partnering across public systems, root cause analysis of industry workforce challenges, sustainable funding and support, ongoing process improvement, and the ability to adapt to changing industry needs. CSW has the breadth and depth of experience and understanding of promising practices that can help new or existing sector partnerships achieve results for employers and workers.

CSW’s Sector Strategy Services

Technical Assistance to State Leadership in Framing and Implementing Sector Strategies

The real work of designing and implementing a set of state policies for effective sector partnerships requires establishing a foundational knowledge across state leaders and stakeholders. CSW provides this foundational knowledge; acts as an expert and sounding board for choices about implementation; and is available and flexible for both the quick questions and more intense conversations as you and your partners roll out sector strategies.

The mix of activities should include both on-site and virtual technical assistance. For example:

• Providing An Introduction to Sector Strategy, an early on-site presentation and facilitated meeting of state-level partners about the fundamentals of sector strategies, why so many states are implementing them, and what it might look like in your state. This type of meeting can be an important way to ensure state partners have shared knowledge, direction and goals about sector strategies.
• Facilitating Partnership Meetings, on-site time for facilitated meeting(s) of state-level partners to work through and make the right choices around implementation (e.g. funding, lead agency, policy and resource alignment, training and capacity building for regions, industries of focus, evaluation, etc). These activities are a critical opportunity to confirm buy-in and re-calibrate where necessary.
• Conducting Industry Analysis, including working with state labor market information departments to apply data to your state’s strategy, to help train local stakeholders on how to use data, or to find ways to share information about your state’s critical industries (such as creating Industry Guidebooks)
• Providing On-going Regional Strategy, including coaching to you and key partners on the principles, framework, goals, implementation and evaluation of a state sector strategy over the course of 12 months.

Training for Local Workforce Boards and Partners Convening Sector Partnerships

In our experience, regional stakeholders setting up a sector partnership succeed when given strong foundational knowledge about the model. CSW provides hands-on training and technical assistance to workforce board directors, community college personnel, community based organizations, and other conveners of sector partnerships. This includes all stages of developing and implementing a successful sector partnership, including start-up, use of data, initial and ongoing employer engagement, maintaining the partnership, and sustainability.
CSW provides the foundational knowledge needed to create effective partnerships; acts as an expert and sounding board for choices about implementation; and is available and flexible for both the quick questions and more intense conversations as you and your partners roll out sector initiatives. CSW provides assistance with:

• Developing a Sector Policy Academy, where teams of regional stakeholders convene for a two-day training about sector partnerships, with subject matter experts, speakers and real examples from within the State and around the country. We recommend that teams of about 5-10 folks from education, workforce, economic development, industry, and other stakeholders attend from each region. Often this is a required event for regions interested in applying for future competitive grants to set up sector partnerships.
• Facilitating use of the START Toolkit, an online resource for planning, implementation and on-going improvement of sector initiatives. Each chapter of the toolkit provides useful information on the “whys” and “hows” of growing a sector initiative, garnered from our extensive work with states and local areas. This includes dozens of real tools from existing sector initiatives across the nation such as agendas, PowerPoint presentations, data analyses, marketing strategies, evaluation dashboards, and other tools used by initiatives in many different industries.
• Providing tailored technical assistance, on-site, up-front, face-to-face technical assistance and coaching sessions about the fundamentals of sector partnerships, why so many regions are implementing them, and what it might look like in your region.

On-going Coaching to Local Conveners and their Partners

One of the biggest challenges in effectively launching and sustaining an effective sector partnership is to recruit industry leaders and sustain their active engagement over a period of time. CSW believes that training and capacity building of conveners is crucial to the long-term success of a regional sector partnership. To immediately begin building your capacity to pull a partnership together, we can provide facilitation and expertise that kick starts your initiative. This may include:

• Designing and implementing a business engagement strategy. One of the biggest challenges in effectively launching and sustaining an effective sector partnership is recruiting and sustaining active employer engagement over a period of time. CSW can work with you to identify potential business champions, meet with them, and recruit them to join the initiative.
• Facilitating partnership meetings. CSW can prepare agendas, materials, and provide on-site facilitation support for early meetings. As you become more confident as the convener, CSW provides behind-the-scenes support to assist you facilitating subsequent meetings.
• Conducting strategic planning. As a sector initiative matures, strategic planning becomes crucial for long-term sustainability. CSW can provide expert facilitation of your staff, employers and partners to develop a comprehensive strategic action plan for your initiative.

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