Building a Workforce Development Community: A Practitioners’ Forum Investment, Accountability, and Impact Brian S. Lyght The Annie E. Casey Foundation May 11, 2004

Overview Workforce Development Investments Results-Based Accountability Impact, Influence and Leverage

Workforce Development Investments Initiatives with potential to demonstrate innovative policy, service delivery, and community supports for children and families AECF Seattle Jobs Initiative – Increasing access to workforce system – Raising skills to raise wages – Building families’ economic success

Workforce Development Investments - Examples Job Opportunities Task Force: convene, inform, and advocate for policies and strategies to improve employment outcomes for low-skilled workers and job seekers The Baltimore Fund: catalyze Baltimore regional economy by targeting investments in high-growth companies in the region to create jobs for low-income individuals and financial return for investors

Workforce Development Investments - Examples Wider Opportunities for Women, Inc.: improving policies and practices of both the Workforce Investment Boards and the One Stop Workforce Centers by incorporating Self-Sufficiency Standard Other examples: – Support infrastructure for collaborative work – Support pilot programs, research, evaluation and dissemination of what works – Support and use performance accountability

Results-Based Accountability Adapted from Fiscal Policy Studies Institute – Mark Friedman, Director Step-by-step process to improve agency performance – Step 1: Who are our customers? – Step 2: How can we measure if our customers are better off? – Step 3: How can we measure if we’re delivering services well?

Results-Based Accountability – Step 4: How are we doing on the most important of these measures? – Step 5: Who are the partners that have a potential role to play in doing better? – Step 6: What works to do better? – Step 7: What do we propose to actually do?

Impact, Influence and Leverage Impact on the conditions of well-being for our customers Influence others to adopt principles and strategies necessary to improve outcomes Leverage funds and other resources, both public and private, in support of principles and strategies