9 Workforce Development Strategies To Achieve High Placement Rates
By: Francisco Fuentes
Tags: Strategy Planning, Nonprofit Management, Social Impact, Workforce Development, Workforce Management

What makes a workforce program effective?

I’m sure there’s more than one way to measure a workforce program.

The most effective way, I found, for measuring a workforce training program quantitatively lies in the number of students able to generate an income and, surprisingly, home furnishings as well. I first learned this at Sama, where I was first introduced to “social impact” and the tools to measure it at a global level.

Things like a running fridge, a gas or electric stove, sanitation, running utilities, clean water, beds perhaps, personal books, and the sort, impact entire households and the support network they count on for help. There are readers of mine right now who can relate with the struggle of basic home furnishings. And there are analyst like myself who crunch these numbers monthly, quarterly, and annually.

Numbers aside. I had a coding bootcamp ask me a very important question in 2016.

“How can a workforce program secure high placement rates for future graduates?”

I was asked, “How can a workforce program secure high placement rates for future graduates?” The bootcamp equipped students with the skills to secure employment as engineers or developers. I provided the bootcamp a list of nine key strategies based on my own experiences developing and evaluating workforce programs.

These strategies will work best for workforce programs that have, what I call, the “most effective combination”: a focus on high-growth sectors, specialized training, and offer living wage employment prospects.

If your training program has the right combination, then try some or all nine of my strategies to maintain high placement rates.

In the Spring of 2017 I was asked by The Salvation Army to evaluate its new Culinary Arts program in Napa, California and measure its social impact. After 4 cohorts completing the training program, Steve Harvey’s TV Show reached out to feature the workforce program in late 2018.

I recently came across my recommendations while cleaning up my old hard drive and figured others could benefit from the list.

The list is not exhaustive, in no particular order, and not exclusive to the tech sector. I’ll keep each recommendation brief.

First Impressions.

Grads can’t afford to submit anything less than a noteworthy cover letter and resume, along with a relevant and first-rate portfolio piece, that demonstrate a value-add to the prospective employer. This means a workforce program should seek to improve their students’ “Employer Readiness” by increasing collaboration between the instructional team and job placement team, especially in the final stages of training. This way, every students job application materials are print-ready and available on the cloud prior to graduation.

Application Rates.

Grads optimize their chances for employment when they apply to all relevant job postings as they are made public to ensure they get an opportunity to interview. Consider requiring students to sign up on relevant hiring platforms such as Angelslist.co, Linkedin, ReWork, etc. This work is often repetitive and discouraging. To combat fatigue, program coaches must be intentional about keeping students motivated regardless what the outcome may be.

Resource Access.

Recognize that no two student’s are alike and each individual may face unique challenges and barriers toward employment. In the long view, provide the resources your students need. In the interim, provide the best version of in-house resources. Transportation and housing are foundational and should have been addressed prior to enrollment. Considering how wide the Digital Divide really is in any U.S. State, always make resources available online and offline for your students. Also, experiment with different formats and methods of delivery. A program will achieve the most when its Placement Team is diverse, inclusive, and has lived the experiences that define the students’ perspectives.

Technical Interviews.

In the tech sector, these kind of interviews are known as “technical interviews.” Strengthen interview skills by exposing students to “insider” perspectives from industry experts and technical recruiters. Host technical or structured interview workshops on an ongoing basis. One of the biggest hurdles between a qualified applicant and her dream job is a highly-structured interview.

My first workforce grads in 2013 (San Francisco, CA). Little did I know that the curriculum and instruction would increase their employment rates by 28% and raise their wages by 27% in less than six months! It was their stories that enabled us to grow our organizational reach and make an impact worldwide.

Tell Your Graduates’ Stories.

A workforce program needs a landing web page dedicated to tell stories and attracting hiring managers and recruiters. As such, it should have a clear call-to-action for recruiters in the header. Down the road, build a search functionality for recruiters who want to review student profiles through your workforce site. Develop an outstanding reputation for student-to-worker performance after job placement and rave about your outcomes online.

Accountability.

Provide students with exceptional career support during and after the program, yet this proven method for employment is not enough. Hold high expectations of students and they will surprise you. Be practical, like requiring each apply to a specific number of relevant jobs, attend specific events, and network outside of the program. Ensure your students success by being pragmatic and conventional; and, accept this won’t be enough. You’ll need to re-develop strong ties with them again as grads because they’ll be operating under a different dynamic with your program.

Negotiation Skills.

There is no doubt your graduates will receive a job offer based on their skills, application, presentation, and portfolio. And when they do, make sure they’re ready to secure a competitive salary in a job where they can thrive and develop professionally. Like interview workshops, the Placement Team should offer regular workshops on salary negotiation.

Alumni Referrals.

Alumni represent one of your organization’s greatest assets. Methodically grow a strong alumni culture so future students can benefit from the network-effect. Seek to strengthen your alumni network in order to build a referral or job-announcement program that is beneficial to job seekers and non-intrusive to alumni’s work environment.

Start Early.

Connect students with organizations, teams, and professional communities early on in your program curriculum. Strategically incorporate campus and workplace tours that don’t detract and, instead, compliment student’s stage of learning. Where tours are not possible, personal brand-building activities and networking events or workshops should be provided regularly.

What other strategies does a workforce program need to apply to achieve high placement rates?

With growing class sizes and a vision to expand into new territories, many workforce training programs are recognizing that meaningful social impact requires continuous curricular improvement and innovative strategies to keep up with the changing markets and new skills-in-demand.

I’ve found that most successful workforce programs focus on high-growth sectors, specialized training, and living wage employment. Coding bootcamps, in general, have the right combination yet their ability to achieve high placement rates is never a given.

One thing still holds true for any workforce program: An organization must work hard and experiment frequently to ensure meaningful outcomes for its graduates.