New Orleans engaged national workforce consultants the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) to support the Workforce Development System Design process to gain objective insights on the current New Orleans system and bring national expertise and perspectives to the system assessment and planning work. They joined New Orleans staff and a local consulting team, Converge for Change, in leading the multi-part process during late Summer and Fall 2016.
Steering Committee
A 19-member Steering Committee made up of New Orleans Workforce Development Board (NOWDB) members, representatives from the business community, leaders from system partners and other experts. This group met monthly during the System Design process and provided critical feedback and guidance to the development of the vision, goals, strategies and planned actions.
Document Review
Project consulting staff reviewed more than 50 documents related to the New Orleans workforce system to gain a clear understanding of the current state of the publicly funded workforce system. Materials included prior local and regional workforce plans; numerous research reports and policy papers regarding New Orleans' economy and needs; all relevant WIOA documents such as Memoranda of Understanding among system partners, performance reports, policies and procedures; and other related materials.
Stakeholder Interviews
One-on-one or small group interviews were held with more than 20 key stakeholders with perspectives on the workforce development system and community needs. Interviewees included City elected officials, City and program partner staff, education system leaders, workforce development board members, funders and other policy makers. The insights from these served as a baseline of information on which the subsequent processes were built.
Listening Sessions
As a part of the New Orleans Workforce System Design process, Listening Sessions were conducted with key system stakeholders. The purpose of the sessions was to seek input on a range of questions related to (1) individual and organizational experiences with, and perspectives on, the workforce system as it currently operates in New Orleans; and (2) feedback on what priority areas the system should focus and what it should become. Information gleaned from this process was used to shape upcoming Design Sessions, as well as frame the strategic plan and WIOA services RFP.
Sessions were co-facilitated by staff of Corporation for a Skilled Workforce and Converge for Change. The following sessions were held:
Workforce System Design Kickoff Event Activity - 80 participants
New Orleans Workforce Board members - 6 participants
Employers - 3 participants
Cafe Reconcile (Job Seekers) - 14 participants
Workforce System Partners - 25 participants
STRIVE (Job Seekers) - 24 participants
YouthWorks (Youth Job Seekers) - 6 participants
JOB1 (Job Seekers) - 10 participants
Youth Empowerment Project (Youth Job Seekers) - 6 participants Research on National Promising Practices
Consultants conducted an analysis of the workforce systems in more than a dozen other municipalities with an aim toward identifying promising practices that could be replicated and used in the development of the New Orleans system. These were summarized in a report to the Steering Committee. (See Appendix 2)
Assessment-Planning and Design Sessions
On October 20, 2016, more than 50 stakeholders gathered for a full-day session to process the learnings from the activities thus far, identify key insights that should drive the subsequent process, and begin a Design phase by identifying the key elements that should be part of the New Orleans workforce system. Participants rotated among a series of "stations" on topics as follows:
1. Job Seekers Services (includes different populations) 2. Career Pathways
3. Sector Strategies AND Business Services 4. Supportive Services
5. Data sharing, data management AND Technology Solutions for Services 6. Partnerships / Collaboration
Each Station's discussion helped begin to develop the recommendations outlined in the Plan below.
Subsequently on November 17, 2016 Design Sessions were held on four key topic areas (including the merger of several of the topics from the Assessment-Planning phase). These sessions included four topics:
Funding, System Governance, and Leadership
Job Seeker Services (Including Youth, Adult, and Special Populations) AND Partnership and Collaboration
Sectors, Business Services, Career Pathways and Training
Data Sharing & Management
Attendees included stakeholders and system leaders with particular expertise and roles tied to the specific topics. (See list of participating organizations below.)
The results of these discussions led to the key Goals and Actions making up the Strategic Plan being presented here.
Design Session Participants Ashe Cultural Arts Center
Behrhorst, Perrin & Du Plantier Group, LLC Café Reconcile
CASA CCRA
Members of City Council
City of New Orleans- Mayor's Office City of New Orleans- Office of Workforce Development
City of New Orleans- the Network for Economic Opportunity
Coastal College Code for America
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Cowen Institute
Data Center
Delgado Community College Educate NOW!
EMPLOY
Entergy Services FFLIC/Black Man Rising Foundation for Louisiana GE Capital
Greater New Orleans, Inc
Greater New Orleans Foundation Hope Enterprise Corporation JP Morgan Chase
Job1 Business and Career Solutions JobCorps
LCMC Health
Louisiana Green Corps
Louisiana Workforce Commission New Horizons - New Orleans New Orleans Business Alliance New Orleans Job Corps
NOLA for Life- Midnight Basketball Ochsner Health System
Orleans Parish School Board Project Homecoming QCS Logistics
Recovery School District STAND with Dignity Strive NOLA
Total Community Action Tulane University
United Way of Southeast Louisiana Urban League
Walgreens
YMCA of Greater New Orleans Youth Empowerment Project YouthForce NOLA
New Orleans Workforce Development Board
2016-17 Strategic Planning Steering Committee Roster
Name-Committee-Sector Company and Title
Sheila Burns
Business QCS Logistics
Robin Barnes
Business Greater New Orleans, Inc.
Jordan Collins Job Seeker Flozell Daniels
Business Foundation for Louisiana
Thelma French
Workforce Total Community Action
Ashleigh Gardere
Governmental Economic and Community City of New Orleans
The Network for Economic Opportunity Mary Garten
K-12 Orleans Parish School Board
Alejandra Guzman
Business New Orleans Business Alliance
Nicole Jolly
Opportunity Youth EMPLOY
Erin Landry
Education and Training Delgado Community College Dr. Larissa Littleton-Steib
Education and Training Delgado Community College Margaret Olmos
K-12 Recovery School District
Melissa “Missy” Hopson-Sparks
Business Ochsner Health System
Jana Sikdar
Funder Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Cate Swinburn
Youth YouthForce NOLA
Domonique Thomas Job Seeker Erika Wright
Funder J.P. Morgan Chase