Ann Arbor, Michigan, February 3, 2023: With generous support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) is launching the Worker Centered Benchmarking Project (WCBP) focused on rethinking how workforce program success is defined, developing new metrics reflective of this definition, and issuing recommendations to providers and funders on incorporating key findings into everyday practice. CSW is seeking applicants from around the country interested in workforce evaluation and participating in the WCBP. The WBCP will create a critical space for workers and learners to be the driving force behind workforce development research and will provide a platform to share strategic recommendations with the field.
Workforce programs are commonly developed because labor market data projects growth in a specific occupation or industry, or in replication of models that have demonstrated success in other sectors or localities. But how do we know if programs are achieving their intended impact within the communities where they operate? How do we know what communities want from workforce programs, or even how success is defined?
Existing workforce program metrics focus primarily on employment status and earnings, but do not consider holistic metrics like housing status, wellness, feelings of hope, or self-esteem. This research aims to provide practitioners, funders, and policymakers with a human-centered framework to consider success, measure impact, and design services to reflect what communities want and need.
Director of CSW’s Improving Practices and Outcomes team, Chioke Mose-Telesford, stated, “Programs are so often designed to meet the outcomes an organization is measured by from our funders—this project has the potential to impact the workforce system and how we deliver services to jobseekers. The WCBP offers up a unique opportunity to engage directly with workers and learners across the nation and identify new workforce measures of success, under the guidance of an advisory group made up of workers and learners.”
“The field of workforce development must continue to evolve to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse generation of workers and learners,” says Allison Gerber, the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s director of employment, education, and training. “CSW’s Improving Practices & Outcomes team will center the voices and perspectives of workers in a new definition of workforce program success as the field continues to adapt to the changing labor market.”
The WCBP is an eight-month project, beginning with capacity-building sessions in April 2023. Workforce program participants, providers, and funders interested in participating in the planning process or occupying a role on the advisory council are encouraged to contact Alex Breen, Senior Policy Associate, at abreen@skilledwork.org. More information about the program and application process can be found at https://skilledwork.org/what-we-do/worker-centered-benchmarking.
About Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW): CSW is a national workforce policy nonprofit that catalyzes change in educational and labor market systems, policies, and practices to increase economic mobility, particularly for people of color and others historically excluded from success. For more than 30 years, CSW has focused on achieving scalable improvements in worker skills, lifelong learning, and job quality. CSW collaborates with change makers to develop strategies, identify evidence to inform strategies, build the capacity of organizations, manage initiatives, and evaluate lessons learned.
About the Annie E. Casey Foundation: The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF®) is devoted to developing a brighter future for millions of children and young people with respect to their educational, economic, social and health outcomes. Their work focuses on strengthening families, building stronger communities and ensuring access to opportunity, because children, youth and young adults need all three to succeed. They advance research and solutions to overcome the barriers to success, help communities demonstrate what works and influence decision makers to invest in strategies based on solid evidence.
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