Horizons Recap: Essential Insights for Meaningful Systems Change

Any meaningful systems change within a workforce ecosystem requires collaboration, strategy, and communication. Though these words all sound appealing, they carry significant weight in practice. The good news is that many resources and experts are available to help workforce initiatives gain momentum and reach their true mission—connecting job seekers and learners with meaningful employment opportunities.

On July 23rd, 2024, our Vice President of Workforce Solutions, Laura Ward, hosted a collaborative workshop titled "Setting the Table for Success: Youth Apprenticeship Ecosystems" at Horizons by JFF in Washington, D.C. Two other industry experts and friends joined her: Dr. Minzi A. Thomas, Senior Education Designer at Education Design Lab, and Amy Merritt Campbell, CEO and co-owner of Elevate Consulting.

Within the workshop, the speakers guided participants with the strategies, tools, and personal anecdotes necessary for systems change transformation through the lens of youth apprenticeships. These strategies can help any workforce initiative or systems change journey. If you missed the session or the entire Horizons summit, we've compiled all the key insights so you can confidently begin your journey.

Healthy Collaboration and Partnership Are Essential to Systems Change

Collaboration and partnership are the building blocks of systems change. When stakeholders across the ecosystem communicate regularly and often while reinforcing a shared mission, the complex process becomes much more manageable.

An analogy Dr. Minzi A. Thomas described many workforce initiatives she’s been a part of as “building the plane while flying it.” Translating that transformation often involves running a system while you are transforming the system, figuring it out together, and pivoting as needed. In the same vein, co-creation requires both patience and urgency. It may sound like an oxymoron,  but both aspects are equally crucial to systems change. All stakeholders must be prepared to be patient with each other and each other's vested interests while continuing to move the needle on a project.

Thomas went on to say that this often looked like regular meetings with stakeholders over Zoom and simply listening to the needs of the workforce player in question (college, employer, youth apprenticeship program, etc.). Incorporating a communication cadence with an open area for stakeholders to be honest and share their needs created a safe space for change where everyone felt their interests were carefully considered. Laura Ward said conflict is normal - and if you don’t have conflict, you are not hearing from everyone. The only way for transformation to begin is the feeling of discomfort, much like anything else.

Thomas shared with participants the “neutral convener approach” that her organization, Education Design Lab, employed when working with Montana to design micro-pathways for college students to enter employment. As follows:

The 5-phase human-centered process to design micro-pathways:

• Phase I: Pre-Design
  What do we need to know before we design? 
• Phase II: Understand
  Capturing the needs of learners and employers.
• Phase III: Design
  Facilitating collaborative sessions and activities.
• Phase IV: Prototype & Iterate
  Drafting the micro-pathway design.
• Phase V: Micro-Pathway Launch
  Marketing and implementation.

Following these simple phases can help stakeholders add guardrails to complexities and create routines that drive action when dealing with intricate workforce projects. 

Two Things Are Critical for Strong Collaborative Work: Getting the Right People in the Room and Building Trusting Relationships

Investing in getting the right people in the same room (or table) is the only way to do meaningful work. When stakeholders with different areas of expertise, power, and representation become a part of the conversation, planning, decision-making, and implementation are more powerful and strategic. Ward said during the workshop that “systems change moves at the speed of relationships, which moves at the speed of trust.” Finally, getting the right people involved requires buy-in—everybody has to believe in the shared mission. Only then can long-term sustainability and momentum occur.  

Another crucial aspect of this work is centering the work on the people closest to the issue. In the case of youth apprenticeships, it means using student voices as a touchstone, integrating them into the process and the solutions. The ultimate goal is to connect students to employment. Still, the process is also part of the solution. Ward shared her experience conducting a “listening tour” in Nashville, where stakeholders attended meetings with students, parents, and other stakeholders to collect qualitative and quantitative data on what was happening on the ground. Employers, community leaders, and educators attended the meetings as listeners. The published report is included in the toolkit provided to attendees at JFF. 

As you may have guessed, stakeholders collectively had a certain “A-ha!” moment during the listening tour. They realized that the decline in program recruits was often due to financial burdens or mental health challenges rather than student apathy. This shift in perspective created better collaboration and understanding, ultimately strengthening program efficacy and morale. 

Understanding who is leading, funding, and executing the work is essential. This alignment with strategic points helps stakeholders who can financially support these efforts. Additionally, it's essential to constructively examine all the data— the good, bad, and ugly. Data enables stakeholders to identify gaps or areas for improvement in workforce initiatives, such as understanding why a youth apprenticeship program has a low percentage of graduates entering the workforce.

Thomas provided an ecosystem mapping tool the education design lab uses to help guide these revelations, which you can find in our toolkit from the session.

Utilizing a Neutral Convenor Strengthens the Process and Increases the Impact

Amy Merritt Campbell was both the moderator and neutral convenor of the workshop.  Her organization, Elevate Consulting, is a neutral convenor for many initiatives, and workforce development happens to be one use case. 

Campbell shared the three significant benefits of having a neutral convenor at the table when building workforce strategies, particularly lessons learned in the organization’s work with New Skills Ready in Nashville.

• Conflict Resolution and Relationship Building
  Having a neutral facilitator freed up partners to do relational work.

• Innovation
  Small wins and tangible products generated interest and energy. 
• Strategy and Direction
  Different perspectives on the system from a less immersed vantage point provided insight into new opportunities.

In summary, when a neutral convener joins the process, it can open doors that elevate missions to the next level. A neutral convener offers an outsider's perspective, much like a doctor or therapist, which can provide valuable insights and benefits.

The Process Is Never Linear or Predictable. Just Begin.

Every workforce initiative will be different because every workforce player is different. While we navigate complex initiatives, we must consider several aspects.

• Setting the right table
  Who do we need to be building relationships and moving work forward? In some cases, that means a “listening tour,” but it could also be interviews or other ways to hear from those closest to the system you are solving for with your team. As Thomas and Ward suggested, see where your stakeholders are and how the system impacts them to gain perspective instead of building on our predispositions of what’s working or not working for them. 

• Building trust and shared ownership
  What processes can we put in place to engender trust and ownership? Is it something like Thomas mentioned, such as a regular weekly meeting to check in on all the moving parts (a.k.a. what parts of the plane have we finished building or need more help with?) 
  
  
• Utilizing a neutral convener approach
  A neutral convener approach allows for more opportunities in transformation as the neural convener is less invested in the same aspects other stakeholders may be. Consider utilizing an agency like Elevate Consulting or Education Design Lab to push your workforce initiatives through the finish line without the burden of thinking you have to do it all by yourself. 
  
  Get started on your collaborative journey with our digital toolkit today.