Combined forces: Communicating with the community

We often hear that the key to a successful relationship is frequent communication. But what does that actually mean? It’s an important question because not all communication is equal. In a community college partnership where community colleges, employers, and other stakeholders work toward a common goal, there needs to be clear guidelines and expectations. Building up the community requires clear expectations of what everyone’s role is and an emphasis on constant communication. 

That means intentionally communicating the why, how, and when.  

“It’s common to have communications challenges,” said Jaimie Francis, vice president of policy and programs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. “Everyone has different languages,” she said. That’s why she recommends the foundation’s workforce strategy Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) to equip employers with tools to create clear career pathways for students and workers.

The TPM framework encourages business-facing organizations—or another entity trusted by the employer community—to convene employers to get their facts straight on their most critical job needs, including upskilling and reskilling workers and connecting entry-level workers to employment. Education, training, and service partners, such as community colleges and community-based organizations, are brought to the table to co-design talent solutions with employers once employers can more effectively communicate their needs. This flipped model of organizing employers first results in greater returns for all partners—especially students and workers. 

See how it works

An example of this framework used successfully is a recent Michigan case study where Consumers Energy partnered with several community colleges to expand the pipeline for diversified talent in the electric and natural gas industry. The industry’s workforce is aging, and the small number of women and workers of color hired is not representative of the state’s talent pool. Consumers launched a diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative to understand better what barriers prohibit these communities from enrolling in the worker’s training program.

With lessons learned from TPM, Consumers collaborated with colleges and community partners to design a training program to address the most persistent obstacles. This led to a shorter training length, training relocation costs, and input from trusted local leaders who could inform their communities about the opportunity. 

Francis also recommends identifying and engaging employer champions to get buy-in that talent strategies are critical to overall business strategy. Having advocates for more employer engagement in education-business partnerships goes a long way in achieving better results for students and workers.  

“Because the message is more meaningful when it’s coming from a respected leader,” she said. 

Lumina Foundation grantees the U.S. Chamber Foundation, New America, and the National Fund for Workforce Solutions say they’ve seen greater success with opportunities for frequent partner communication, along with plenty of chances to get feedback, especially from students.  

Helping Hispanic, Latino population

County College of Morris (CCM) in Randolph, N.J., is part of New America’s New Models for Career Preparation cohort and wanted to understand better its low Hispanic and Latino student enrollment and retention. CCM representatives approached partners that serve much of the Hispanic and Latino population to ask the hard question: What could CCM do to better support its Hispanic students? Community and student feedback from panels and focus groups revealed that students felt as though the college was not communicating with them. Moreover, they didn’t see themselves reflected in marketing materials or the language used by staff. This feedback compelled CCM to put more resources toward resolving barriers that often impeded students from starting or completing their program.

So, the school made its marketing and language more inclusive, built more navigational and advising support, created more staff-to-student interactions, and started a Dover College Promise program that provides free tuition to a cohort of Hispanic students. Since making these changes, they have reached the 25%  Hispanic enrollment threshold to qualify the school as a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI). 

Building the “power of the network” is an important piece in partnerships, said Bishara Addison, director of job preparation for Fund for Our Economic Future. In her work with Northeast Ohio communities, she often asks: What problem are we trying to solve? Whose experience are we trying to impact? This helps partners identify where to receive feedback. Addison cites Slavic Village, a community in Cleveland with high barriers such as lack of transportation and digital access, unstable housing, food insecurity, and lack of awareness of available programs and services that greatly impacted their access to education and manufacturing careers.

Her partners worked with Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) to provide accessible training for many of the area’s open jobs. They also worked with a local collaborative that had already established trust in the community and created a tailored outreach strategy and more accessible on-ramps for students. In this partnership, Tri-C acted as the technical training partner and managed the fiscal nuance of leveraging existing funding for more support services including career coaching. Using a “backbone” to keep each group on task and progressing in their work together meant greater success for all partners 

But this setup doesn’t have to be the norm. The employer or a local nonprofit could serve in this “backbone” role. The most important part is to build a strong infrastructure system with frequent communication and collaboration from partners. 

“You don’t want to go at it alone,” Addison said. “Build your network and capitalize on social capital and credibility.”