If you would like additional copies of this publication or more information about other National Business Learning Partnership products, please call an NBLP representative at your nearest Employment and Training Administration Regional Office.

If you would like additional copies of this publication or more information about other National Business Learning Partnership products, please call an NBLP representative at your nearest Employment and Training Administration Regional Office.

AtlantaGene CasoWinston Tompoe(404) 562-2119

DallasBill JanesNicholas Lalpuis(214) 767-2154

BostonTom Dalton(617) 788-0113

PhiladelphiaDennis DoughertyJennifer McGraw(215) 861-4838

Business Relations Group- Washington D.C.(202) 693-3949

ChicagoJohn Scott(312) 596-5507

San FranciscoDiane Walton(415) 975-4639

Second Edition

The National Business Learning Partnership (NBLP) has matchedlocal workforce areas that have exceeded their performance stan-dards while delivering effective business services with local sites thatwish to improve their performance by engaging businesses moresuccessfully.

Nineteen mentor and twenty-five protégé workforce areas participatein the project. A protégé site is matched with a mentor to helpdevelop a work plan to accelerate transition to a demand-driven sys-tem. The matches are made by the protégé sites based in part ontraditional factors, such as urban or rural nature, demand occupa-tions, industry needs, population, unemployment rates, and on addi-tional factors, such as strategic approach, service delivery designand organizational requirements and capabilities.

One-on-one consultation and case studies are provided through theNBLP. NBLP mentor and protégé sites work together. Protégé sitesare encouraged to work with more than one mentor site dependingon needs. Similarly, a mentor may consult with more than one site.

In addition to peer-to-peer consultation, NBLP case studies provide awider audience access to the partners’ experiences and learning.Each case study includes practices and principles proven by mentorsand protégés to improve performance outcomes by addressing theworkforce needs of businesses and industries in our communities. Abrief “guide” is included as a part of each case study to facilitateshared learning and promote action.

The NBLP is a collaborative effort among the forty-four State andlocal WIBs, all ETA Regional offices and the Business RelationsGroup to facilitate the transition to a demand-driven system, acceler-ate improvements and encourage innovation.

About the National BusinessLearning Pa r t n e r s h i p

A c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s

Publications of The National Business Learning Partnership are funded by the U.S. Department ofLabor, Employment and Training Administration. No permission is required to copy and use thematerial.

Project Manager, Nick Lalpuis, underthe direction of Regional Administrator,Joseph Juarez; for assistance fromETA’s Business Relations Group; andfor the tireless efforts of ETA’s NBLPregional representatives nationwide.

In a demand-driven system, partner-ships of federal, State and local organ-izations and individuals are required toeffectively assist businesses and theworkforce to adapt to the challenges ofthe 21st century. We are proud thatNBLP exemplifies such a partnershipwhich continues to grow and strength-en by continuing to identify workforcechallenges and implementing andsharing demand-driven solutions.

For more information about the GulfCoast Workforce Board and its experi-ence with the National BusinessLearning Partnership, please contact:

The WorkSource-Gulf CoastWorkforce BoardRodney Bradshaw, Director3555 Timmons Lane, Suite 120Houston, Texas 77027(713) 993-4530

The National Business LearningPartnership (NBLP) is grateful to theforty-four State and local WorkforceInvestment Boards who opened theirdoors, welcomed their peers andshared their insights and experiencesin creating demand-driven businessservice organizations. One key goal ofNBLP is to demonstrate and documentthrough case studies how these organi-zations have become demand-drivenin more effectively and efficiently serv-ing the workforce needs of businesswhile helping workers find good jobsat good wages. NBLP would like tothank these organizations for helpingin the development of these case stud-ies that will ultimately aid other areasin transitioning to a demand-driven system.

NBLP is especially appreciative for thestrategic leadership provided by DOLAssistant Secretary for Employmentand Training, Emily Stover DeRocco, forher vision and resourcefulness in thedevelopment of a demand-driven andinnovative 21st century workforce system.

Further, NBLP is grateful for the man-agement and support providedthrough ETA’s network of RegionalOffices, in particular, the work of

The National Business Learning Partnership goals are to facilitate thetransition to a demand-driven system, accelerate improvements andencourage innovations. To accomplish these goals, each case studydocuments the development of a partner's demand-driven workforceinvestment system with stories, practices and principles illustratingthe successes (and challenges).

“Doing Business on the Gulf Coast” highlights numerous CoastWorkforce Board achievements. With the understanding that eachWIBs’ opportunities arise from its own unique circumstance, thewriter provides some lessons learned, landmines and windfalls.

To explore how your organization may benefit from the Gulf CoastWorkforce Board experiences, please, use the “Inquiry Guide forStudy in Success” to steer discussions, explore alternatives, promoteaction and achieve positive results.

How to Use this Case Study

Gerald AndrewsVictory Insurance Agency, Inc.

Todd ArmstrongAmerican Bank

Anna BabinCatholic Charities of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston

Elaine BarberGreater Houston Partnership

Barry BeasleySouthwestern Bell Telephone Company

Carolyn BilskiC. Bilski Properties

Carl BowlesBowles Womack & Company, PC

Reggie BrewerSouthwest Bank of Texas

Sandra BurlesonTransport Workers Local 260

Pat CharnvejaThai American Chamber of Commerce

Riad ChehlaouiCrest Investments

John “Skip” ComsiaVeranda Living

Salvador EsparzaSal Esparza, Inc.

Yvonne Estrada – Vice ChairRegus Instant Offices Worldwide

Joe GarciaThomas Instruments

Louis GarvinFort Bend Chamber of Commerce

Robert GibbsRobert W. Gibbs, Jr. Attorney at Law

Edmond GorSecurities America

Mark Guthrie – Vice ChairWinstead Sechrest & Minick, PC

Barbara HaleySterling Bank

John HebertJohn J. Hebert Distributor, Inc.

Bobbie Allen HendersonTexas Southern University Center on the Family

Ruben HernandezI.U.O.E. #347

Robert HindsCity of Houston – Economic Development

Arnaldo HinojosaHarris County Department of Education

Watt HinsonSTPNOC

Tracie HolubLamar Consolidated Independent SchoolDistrict

Karen Hoylman South Montgomery CountyWoodlands Chamber of Commerce

Larry JonesDeloitte & Touche, L.L.P.

Jeffrey LabroskiPlumbers Local Union No. 68

Ray LaughterNorth Harris Montgomery Community CollegeDistrict

Elva LeBlancGalveston College

Steve LufburrowGoodwill Industries of Houston

Isaac MontoyaAffiliated Systems Corporation

Deborah MooreTexas Department of Human Services

Rosanna MorernoWells Fargo Bank, N.A. – Houston

William L.H. Morgan, Jr. – Vice ChairWilliam L.H. Morgan, Jr. – Attorney andCounselor at Law

Michael NguyenVN TeamWork

Don NigborBenchmark Electronics

Linda O’BlackUnited Way of the Texas Gulf Coast

John PerryLJA Engineering & Surveying, Inc.

Dale PinsonWharton County Junior College

Hershel RichH.M. R. Consultants

Gulf Coast Workforce Board MembersJanice RuleyIBEW Local 716

Abelardo SaavedraHouston Independent School District

Pamela SandersTexas Workforce Commission

Gloria SandersonLocal Initiatives Support Corporation

Richard ShawHarris County AFL-CIO Council

Katy ShingletonUniversity of Texas MedicalBranch at Galveston

Jerry SparksDayton State Bank

Thomas StinsonGreater Conroe Economic DevelopmentCouncil

Rusty TheutTheut Glass Company

Frank Thompson - ChairThe Thompson Group

Evelyn TimminsJP Morgan Chase

Ned Van MaanenHouston READ Commission

Jose VillarrealHouston Community College System

Frankie WatsonTexas Rehabilitation Commission

Bennie R. WilliamsI.L.A. Local 28

Harold WoolfolkWorld Healthcare Systems/Texas

Sarah WrobleskiGalena Park Independent School District

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

Chapter 2: Workforce Board 3

Chapter 3: Strategic Plan 6

Chapter 4: Business Services Model 9

Chapter 5: Health Care Industry Initiative 14

Chapter 6: Marketing: External and Internal 19

Chapter 7: Performance and Results 22

Chapter 8: Characteristics of Success 24

About the Authors

Inquiry Guide

1Introduction | The WorkSource: A Study in Success

affect on the greater economicwelfare of the community. Theorganization consistently met orexceeded its performance stan-dards, but it was operating as anassembly line—jobseeker comesin seeking assistance, careeradvisor provides services, job-seeker enters or returns to theworkforce. This revolving doorservice model did little to solvethe underlying problem: reduc-ing the number of unemployedwithin the community and/orincreasing the number of viablejobs within the region.

Once the workforce board hadrealized that the organizationwas simply serving the supplyand had invested little into meth-ods to develop the demand, theboard’s entire philosophy of

workforce development shifted andthe system gave birth to a revolu-tionary new way of doing business.

Four years ago, while the U.S.workforce development systemwas transitioning to the require-ments of the new WorkforceInvestment Act, one WorkforceBoard was stirring things up onthe Gulf Coast of Texas.

The Gulf Coast WorkforceBoard, formerly three privateindustry councils comprising theCity of Houston, the balance ofHarris County, and the surround-ing 12 counties, was establishedin 1996, prompted by TexasState legislation that consolidat-ed funding streams within theworkforce development system.The resulting workforce boarddesignated The WorkSource asthe primary service provider tothe fourth largest city and tenth

largest metropolitan region with-in the United States.

In those early years of the work-force board, it became clear that

the workforce system, while pro-viding services to a vast numberof residents, was having little

Chapter1 Introduction

DemandDrivenGulf Coast Workforce | Changingthe revolving door service model toaddress the real problems facing thecommunities it serves

The WorkSource: A Study in Success | Introduction2

stream, is fairly distinct frommost other states. And no onewill deny that the grand scale ofHouston, with its five million resi-dents and 100,000 businessesdispersed over a 12,000 square-mile region, makes it stand outin the national workforce devel-opment system. While there is noquestion that these factors pro-vide the Gulf Coast WorkforceBoard with advantages not avail-able to many other workforceorganizations, there is no con-cept or concern, no program orprocess presented in the follow-ing report that cannot be repli-cated, in practice or principle, byeven the smallest, most remoteworkforce board in the country.

The Gulf Coast story is variedand complex—grand in size andscope but simple in outcome. Byestablishing themselves as ademand-driven partner, they arebuilding a better workforce fortheir community.

Visioning Process

This epiphany resulted in astrategic plan that the workforceboard formulated from a vision-ing process that reshaped notonly the entire structure of theorganization, but also the ration-ale behind the operational plan.This dynamic document, found-

ed on the core values of innova-tion, productivity, accountability,and results, acknowledges theneed to serve both the supplyside of the equation, the resi-dent, and the demand side, theemployer. The vision details thethree domains in which theorganization aspires to make adifference: improvements to theGulf Coast region, to the region-al workforce system, and to theworkforce board itself. The visionstatement asserts that a commit-ment to these changes will result

in more competitive employers, abetter-educated workforce, moreand better jobs within the region,high incomes for the residents,and an increasing return oninvestment. While any organiza-tion might draft a strategic planand display it for all to see, theGulf Coast Workforce Board cre-ated a document that foreverafter has served as a roadmap,receiving regular use. The efforthas made all the difference.

Paradigm Shift

This philosophical shift in servicestructure removed the emphasisfrom the jobseeker and investedit in a commitment to becominga business-led, demand-drivensystem. By focusing on whatbusiness needs, the establish-ment of a fully integratedEmployer Services Division hasresulted in better understandingof and stronger relationshipswith local employers. So whilethe ultimate purpose of servingthe workforce remains the same,through practice, the Gulf CoastWorkforce Boards has shown thatby turning the focus to thedemand side of the equation, thequantity, and more importantly,the quality of job placements hasincreased dramatically.

There is no question that Texas,with its consolidated funding

founded on the

core values of

innovation,

productivity,

accountability,

and results

Workforce Board | The WorkSource: A Study in Success 3

What We Learned

• The Workforce Board is not thelone agent in the workforcedevelopment process. Boardshave the opportunity to lever-age their existing resources toaffect a larger system throughcollaboration and bigger-pic-ture approaches.

• The composition of WorkforceBoards must be such that busi-ness has a voice. Key busi-nesses and industries must berepresented. Work to assurethat private sector Boardmembers are active andengaged when decisions aremade, so that the businessperspective is considered.Trust their ability to lead thesystem.

• To truly be business driven,business must lead. Prior tomaking contact with educa-tors, businesses must beapproached to determine thetraining to be provided; then,training can meet real needs.

• Entering the demand-d r i v e nventure half-heartedly, jeop-ardizes success. To transitionto new forms of service deliv-ery successfully, commitment isrequired from Board membersto every last staff.

Willy Sutton, a 1930s bank robber, was asked why he robbedbanks. His now famous reply was “Because that’s where the moneyis.” When you ask the Gulf Coast Workforce Board why it works sohard to understand business, their reply is much the same: “Becausethat’s where the jobs are.”

Like all Boards, the Gulf Coast Workforce Board has always placeda high priority on finding clients good jobs. By following this trail, itwound up face to face with the region’s business community. Itseems obvious now, that working more closely with employers todevelop a demand-driven system was simply the most reasonablenext step. That was not always the case.

As the Gulf Coast Workforce Board began to explore its new vision,the members realized that they could not remain the solitary opera-tor of a $170 million workforce development organization, butneeded to become the shepherd of a $6 billion workforce develop-ment system --- a system comprised of WIA, other state and federalfunded workforce related programs, and education and training,from kindergarten to technical training to graduate and post-gradu-ate programs. As a result, one of the Board’s primary concerns hasbeen and remains how best to leverage its thin slice of the workforcedevelopment pie to affect the greater regional system, for the benefitof businesses, residents, and the community as a whole.

A first step to toward achieving the new vision required a redefinitionof the Workforce Board itself. Unifying the region’s entire workforcesystem required leadership of a system, rather than simply the man-agement of workforce programs. As a result of the redefinition,Board members became responsible for accessing business and eco-nomic information, grappling with its implications, making judg-ments and articulating their decisions, guiding the system and, inmany cases, owning its projects.

Workforce BoardChapter 2

The WorkSource: A Study in Success | Workforce Board4

To achieve the new vision, the Board consciously decided to allowstaff to manage programs under the Board-approved strictures of itsstrategic plan. Separating from day-to-day program administrationfreed the Board to focus its energies on developing and leading thelarger system.

Business is active and engaged, not “involved,” but participating in aleadership role. Considerable effort was made to ensure the com-position of the Board was truly representative of the business com-munity. Board recruitment is intended to maintain appropriate levelsof business representation, not simply “fill slots.” The Board seeksmembers who will actively represent the workforce issues of theirindustry sector. Larger than most at 63 members, the Board has abusiness majority of well over 51 percent. Board meetings may becancelled, if the private sector is not in the majority.

To make the “business led” approach a reality, the Gulf CoastWorkforce Board reached out to the Greater Houston Partnership, aregional Chamber of Commerce with strong ties to the local busi-ness community. The benefit of tapping into existing networks —particularly those within the business community — cannot bestressed enough. Beyond conferring the power of association,Councils of Government, Chambers of Commerce, industry associa-tions, make significant contributions. From these groups come the“champions” — individuals who leverage their position and networkto lead the charge on relevant programs and service models to solvebusiness problems. These business and industry leaders oftenbecome highly effective advocates for all workforce issues and forthe workforce system, by campaigning and becoming a recognizableface for the cause and a focal point for developing solutions. Achampion can drive an otherwise effective program to unimaginablelevels of success by focusing attention and increasing collaboration.“Champions” bring knowledge of the industry, industry requirementsand industry needs that cannot be replicated by even the bestinformed staff.

As might be expected, education has been the most independentsegment of the workforce system. The school system, public and pri-vate, at all levels, often views itself as an entity removed from thebusiness world. Such restrictive thinking limits both students’ futurecareer opportunities and regional employers’ economic potential.

• Identify and support industrychampions — individuals inpositions of leadership withinthe business community —who support the workforcesystem vision and lead thecharge, generating interest,involvement and solutions.

Landmines

• A noncommittal approach todemand-driven business serv-ices — e.g. keeping one footin the traditional programmodel while dabbling with thisnew system — does notincrease the chances of suc-cess for either approach, itdrastically increases thechance of failure in both.

Windfal ls

• The concept of “growing yourown” provides necessary skillstraining to the next generationof workers, and provides al o n g-term marketing invest-ment, introducing your organ-ization to the workers andbusinesses of the comingdecade.

Workforce Board | The WorkSource: A Study in Success 5

For a community to “grow its own” — cultivate a local workforce thatis able to sustain and strengthen a local economy — education mustadapt to the needs of business. The reality is that the students oftoday graduate to become the workforce of tomorrow.

The concept of “growing your own” requires the efforts of both edu-cation and workforce development to instill in students, as early aselementary school, the practices of occupational exploration, skillsdevelopment, and fiscal responsibility, expanding upon these lessonsthroughout junior and senior high school, so students at graduationare able to make informed decisions relative to future careers andhigher education.

Some think the demand-driven model of business services couldprove to be a fad — the workforce equivalent of bell-bottoms andtie-dye — but, to the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, demand-driven isnot a trend. Neither temporary nor half-hearted, the Board hascommitted to shepherding the workforce development system,extending their role beyond managing programs to building theworkforce, the economy and the system. From a functional perspec-tive, business services cannot be separated from the rest of theorganization.

The WorkSource: A Study in Success | Strategic Plan6

The transition to a demand-driven workforce system can look like aradical move away from the traditional model, but, in many ways, itis and was a natural evolution for the Gulf Coast Workforce Board.Even so, successful transformation involved a plan.

In 2000, the Gulf Coast Workforce Board came together to create astrategic plan that would serve as a dynamic roadmap in the organi-zation’s transition. Early on, the Board made two commitments: (1)the strategic plan would guide every decision it made, and (2) itwould return to the strategic plan on a regular basis, to ensure itwas reflective of the needs of the community. As a result, everymajor decision, every program and project is founded on theBoard’s mission and is examined for its “fit” with the Board’s long-range vision.

The Board’s commitment to its mission and vision drove it to vigor-ously explore outcomes — what they expect to achieve within thecommunity on a long-term basis. Their exploration led to discoveryand to the development of five results statements, each of which wasthen defined by measurable criteria that could serve initially as abenchmark, and over time, as the organization’s measure of success.

With an orientation to the system, rather than to programs, theBoard found itself at the center of the region’s workforce issues,identifying problems and opportunities and developing solutions.When the Board talks about systems, it’s not just talking aboutprocess, it’s talking about outcomes: a better-prepared, better-skilledworkforce, a growing economy, and a vital community. The expand-ed focus elevated the level of discussion among Board members,and, most importantly, made more sense to the business community.

In the past, when the Board talked about programs, business wasn’tlistening. Reporting on a program’s “Adult Credential Rate” didn’ttranslate easily to a business’s or industry’s day-to-day operations.

What We Learned

• A strategic plan works wellwhen it is reexamined on aregular basis, to ensure thatthe organization remainsfocused on its principal aim.

• Don’t let a strategic plan berelegated to a frame on theboard room wall, a bookshelf,file cabinet or website; makethe mission/vision reviewprocess part of all program-matic decision making.

• When myriad program per-formance measures aretracked to determine“progress”, the data will beworthless, unless your organi-zation’s, your customers’, andyour region’s most importantoutcomes are given priority.

Strategic PlanChapter 3

With a system-wide orientation, the Board is able to focus on broad-er outcomes, rather than remain tied to maintenance of a set of pro-grams. Through experience, the Board has found that a business-led, demand-driven approach is simply the easiest, most reasonableapproach. And it works.

Strategic Plan | The WorkSource: A Study in Success 7

8 The WorkSource: A Study in Success | Strategic Plan

9Business Services Model | The WorkSource: A Study in Success

Gulf Coast wanted to do business with business. Setting out tobecome demand driven required actively engaging businessesthroughout the region. Having a full-time Employer Services staffhas been critical to building the lasting relationships needed to suc-ceed. The WorkSource’s Employer Services Division is made up ofmore than 80 staff members focused on workforce development,one-on-one with employers throughout the region.

Business Services ModelChapter 4

O r g an i z a t i o n a l S t r u c t u r eThe WorkSource is designed to provide the highest quality services to all of its customers, whetherbusiness or resident. The organizational flowchart illustrates the staffing design of these two divisions.

10 The WorkSource: A Study in Success | Business Services Model

I n f o r m a t i o n v s . I n t e l l i g en c e

The demand-driven concept that the Gulf Coast Workforce Boardadopted is really quite simple: whether the economy is good or bad,the job market is determined by business demand. EmployerServices is set up to serve the demand side of the equation bystrengthening the relationship and the quality of interactions withemployers, to generate access to more and better jobs. Servicesdesigned to develop businesses contribute to the development of theworkforce; services designed to develop the workforce contribute tothe development of the business.

To maximize the organization’s limited resources, The WorkSourceestablished a priority system to rank employers according to impacton the region. The criteria to determine prioritization is based on anin-depth review of labor market information, consisting of historicaland anticipated job growth, average job openings, and medianwages, as well as the importance of the business and industry to theregion, the size of the particular company, and the degree of associ-

What We Learned

• Rather than pursuing the tradi-tional line of questioning withcustomers — “Are you eligiblefor the services we pro-vide?”— consider an alterna-tive — “What services do youneed?” Find out what the cus-tomer needs, then find a wayto provide it, even if it may beoutside the realm of tradition-al workforce developmentthinking.

• Strive to be the “go to” loca-tion for workforce solutions.

• Consider a different philo-sophical approach.

Labor Market Information Labor Market Intelligence

Labor market information, or LMI, has beenan old, reliable tool for determining trendsand forecasting within the regional work-force. The WorkSource, however, has givenLMI new meaning by supplementing thequantitative, reprocessed, sometimes staledata of labor market information with thedirect, business-focused, current data oflabor market intelligence.

Similar to the covert definition of intelligence,labor market intelligence focuses on sendingstaff into the field to ascertain the state of theeconomy and the viability of the workforceby speaking directly with those on the frontlines. Employers, as the demand elementwithin a regional workforce, serve as the pri-mary source of labor market intelligence.Jobseekers and current employees, althoughapproaching the workforce from the oppo-site perspective, can provide qualitative datarelative to job search and quality of life with-in work settings.

11

ation with The WorkSource in the past. The ranking consists of threecategories of special focus with each business consultant monitoringa caseload of 45–50 “priority one” employers to ensure the highestand most frequent degree of service.

Appropriately, the business services model emphasizes job place-ment quality over quantity. The program is designed to work withboth the business and the jobseeker to understand the skills andexperiences necessary for a position and those possessed by anapplicant, to make the most appropriate referral. Sending anemployer 30 “nearly qualified” applicants for a position not onlyresults in 30 disappointed jobseekers and one frustrated employer,but, more importantly, degrades the relationship with the employer,diminishes trust and adversely affects all future encounters.

In addition to performing active recruitment for employers’ job open-ings, Employer Services staff provide labor market information, assistwith specialty screenings and referrals, provide some computer test-ing services, perform research and share requested information onstate and federal labor laws.

• A long-term constituency in thebusiness community is built bycommitting and performing.

• Establish a priority system forfocusing limited resources toensure the greatest impact.

• Job placement quality shouldtake precedence over quantity,so take the time to locate qual-ified candidates for job open-ings, develop jobs appropriatefor residents seeking employ-ment, and continue to learnmore about the jobs, business-es and industries in the com-munity.

• Training isn’t just something toprovide to customers; it’s nec-essary for our own organiza-tions, to make sure staff is up-to-date on what they need tok n o w, in terms of internal

Business Services Model | The WorkSource: A Study in Success

E SD P r i o r i t y S y s t em

Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3

Employers in those industriesspecifically targeted by TheWorkSource with 100 or moreemployees.

Employers in primary serviceareas with 500 or moreemployees not targeted byThe WorkSource.

Employers with well-establishedworking relationships with exist-ing career office personnel.(The reason for including thiscategory in the list of priorityemployers is to assure ourbusiness customers that existingrelationships are highly valuedand to demonstrate that good,long-standing relationships willnot be disturbed.)

Prioritization allows Employer Services to focus on those businesses that will have the most impact onthe region’s workforce.

12

organizational procedures, thee c o n o m y, business and jobopportunities.

• The workforce developmentsystem requires constant atten-tion and ongoing mainte-nance, to function smoothly.

Landmines

• A dynamic tension remainsbetween the staff of ResidentServices and EmployerServices. Sometimes, theoverarching mission is hard tosee at the level of the serviceprovider, and the two divisionssometimes seem to be workingagainst one another, as theystrive to provide the bestimmediate service to their par-ticular customer. And,although administrative staffhas spent considerable timemapping out how the two divi-sions work together, there isno great method yet for resolv-ing these conflicting demands.

• Employer Services staff sta-tioned at the One-Stops com-plain about having to modifytheir work schedules to per-form office “chores,” andResident Services staff some-times have trouble locatingEmployer Services businessconsultants when needed. Thereality is that the nature ofthese jobs is for EmployerServices staff to be out in thefield and for Resident Servicesstaff to be available in theoffice, and there continues tobe some strain as the details of

The WorkSource: A Study in Success | Business Services Model

To ensure staff fully understood the new service model prior to takingit out to employers, major training efforts were undertaken internally.Although much time and energy was put into an initial round oftraining, fine-tuning was required continuously. A team of five staffmembers, affectionately referred to as the “Power Rangers,” met witheach of the 32 One-Stop centers following program implementation,in order to alleviate confusion and address concerns. The follow-upprocess resulted in 32 pages of additional questions and answers,which were made available to staff.

While the Power Rangers approach may have been established inresponse to a very specific need, the underlying concept is that train-ing continues far beyond the initial change and is a requirement formoving forward. Resident Services, i.e. staff whose primary contactis with job seekers, continued to learn to improve the quality of theirreferrals, and Employer Services staff continued to focus on learningand providing improved services to businesses. The organizationreceives needed feedback on what’s working and what needs fixing.

Although the philosophical shift to business-led, demand-driven serv-ices may seem to some people like a 180 degree shift from the tra-ditional resident focus, the goal remains the same: for both residentsand businesses to receive services targeted to their needs anddesigned to produce solutions. There remains considerable empha-sis on service to residents. In fact, nearly 95 percent of TheWorkSource’s total budget is allocated for resident services and thenumber of residents served in Fiscal Year 2002/03 was just over450,000 individuals; an 11 percent increase in residents served isanticipated for Fiscal Year 2003/04.

13

d a y- t o-day life are workedthrough.

• Having employees of TheWorkSource, the State, and theseven different vendors collo-cated together “has been amonster” in regard to dealingwith process issues and gettingeveryone and their respectiveemploying organization towork together.

• Establishing a prioritization ofbusinesses was initially quite achallenge — particularly, dis-cerning the boundaries anddetermining what differentiat-ed a “priority one” businessfrom a “priority two,” etc.

• Combining networks and cre-ating one infrastructure for allthe partners, both in terms ofcomputer systems and thereality of physical space, was aconsiderable challenge.

Windfal ls

• The physical environment hasbecome more inviting, to bothstaff and the community. TheO n e-Stops are comfortableand businesslike, where oncethey were the stereotypicalsterile setting of a social serv-ices institution. Staff enjoytheir work environment, andcustomers feel good coming infor job search assistance.

• Reconfiguring the organiza-tion to establish the EmployerServices Division provided theopportunity to rework theResident Services Division and

streamline its processes aswell.

• The focus of the organizationexpanded from targeting avery specific low-income, wel-fare population to serving theentire community. Hard-to-serve populations are notignored, but incorporated intothe more inclusive structure ofservices.

• Establishing a caseload of“priority one” businesses foreach business consultantallowed staff to developgreater relationships with areaemployers. As these relation-ships grew, so did communi-cation and trust, which result-ed in better understanding ofjob openings and the skillsnecessary for success. Theknowledge is passed on toResident Services staff whohave a greater range of avail-able positions available to job-seekers, make better referralsand provide more useful labormarket information.

• Success in various initiativeshas resulted in a positive repu-tation throughout the region,which has allowed for evengreater opportunities for col-laboration and continued suc-cess. Like the old cliché, ittakes reputation to maker e p u t a t i o n .

• Services to the communityhave improved through collo-cation of organizations andservices at the neighborhoodOne-Stop centers.

Business Services Model | The WorkSource: A Study in Success

14

To more effectively use its limited resources, the Gulf CoastWorkforce Board chose to establish a series of strategic industry ini-tiatives. As large and far-reaching as it is, the Board knew that itcould not do everything. By focusing its energies on industry sectorsthat are important to the local economy, the Board is, in effect, mak-ing regional venture investments, in the context of a strategy intend-ed to get the most “bang for the buck.”

An excellent example of how the demand-driven approach and theEmployer Services model came together is with The WorkSource’sforay into its initial industry initiative, the health care industry.

The Board investigated industries that were high demand and highgrowth and explored occupations described as high skill and highgrowth. The result was a lengthy list, but when cross-referenced andanalyzed, it was easy to ascertain which of the industries and theircorresponding occupations were in need of focused attention.

While business services and educational services are ranked higheron the industry list in terms of absolute job growth through 2010,health services, ranked third, has ten occupations targeted on theoccupation list. On the list of occupations, registered nurses, isranked third in regard to absolute change through the end of thedecade. In addition, Houston is home to the Texas Medical Center,the largest medical complex in the world with more than 740 acresof healthcare facilities. The decision was made to target the health-care industry.

The Gulf Coast Workforce Board had been a long-standing memberof the Greater Houston Partnership (GHP), Houston’s regionalChamber of Commerce, but the two organizations had not workedtogether on a substantive matter. Healthcare was an issue that des-perately needed attention. When combined, these two organiza-tions had the necessary talent and influence to make positive and

What We Learned

• Collaborative efforts succeedbecause they are Board sup-ported, not Board funded.Great things can be accom-plished by working together toleverage existing resources,rather than attempting torecreate what may alreadyexist.

• With complicated issues, con-sider multiple solutions, ratherthan attempting to identify apotentially non-existent univer-sal cure.

• The role of industry liaison isessential for maintainingongoing communication withlocal businesses; however, itrequires focus and commit-ment. Without the resourcesto dedicate a full-time staffperson, designate an existingstaff person to have the role ofindustry liaison as his or herprimary responsibility.

Health Care IndustryI n i t i a t i v e

Chapter 5

The WorkSource: A Study in Success | Health Care Industry Initiative

15Health Care Industry Initiative | The WorkSource: A Study in Success

long-lasting improvements. The healthcare staffing crisis was theperfect opportunity for the two organizations to work together and tolearn each other’s practical value. GHP had the respect and vastnetwork of business and economic organizations, while the Boardhad the staff and the credentials to carry out and sustain such an initiative.

The result was the Health Services Steering Committee, composed ofhealthcare institutions from throughout the Houston—Galvestonregion, and championed by Robert Mosbacher, president of GHP’sBoard of Directors. The WorkSource hired industry liaison, KarenLove, who had considerable experience within the healthcare indus-try, to serve as the primary representative to the workforce system.

The relationship with GHP meant visibility at the highest levels andestablished the Board as a bona fide player in the healthcare arena.The Board took the additional step of hiring Dr. Richard Murray, ahighly respected member of the education community, to perform indepth analysis and speak candidly with hospital administrators about

Windfal ls

• The health care initiative hadimportant side benefits.Relationships among theBoard, the Greater HoustonPartnership, and the health-care industry were strength-ened. Success improved rela-tionships among the varioushealthcare providers within theindustry, increasing the likeli-hood of greater communica-tion and collaboration in thefuture.

• By providing effective solu-tions to the health care indus-try’s workforce problem, theHealth Services SteeringCommittee provided a suc-

H i gh - G r o w t h , H i g h - D em an d I n d u s t r y S e c t o r s

Industry Sector Absolute Change (2000-2010)

Business services 83,210

Education 52,930

Health services 45,490

Engineering & Management 28,980

Special trade contractors 22,130

Communications 3,430

Identify sectors that show high growth and/or high demand by total employment (greater thanregional average in 2000: 5,768), projected growth rate (greater than regional average for all indus-tries for 2000–2010: 18.8%; greater than 7,000 new jobs for 2000–2010), and average wage (greaterthan $600 weekly wage in 2000), ranked by absolute change in employment (2000–2010).

16

their respective issues. Through his consultations and assessments,Dr. Murray established that the nursing shortage was even greaterthan the public labor market information revealed. The revelationfurthered the Board’s standing within Houston’s expansive healthcareindustry.

What had happened, in effect, was that the supply and demand ele-ments of the workforce equation were imbalanced within the health-care industry, and there were more jobs than qualified candidates.The result was a hiring war that continued to escalate, leading toincredibly high rates of turnover and a total lack of stability withinhealthcare institutions.

Seeing no end to the churning workforce and despite a historicallack of cooperation between medical institutions, the largest hospi-tals agreed to join together for the purpose of resolving industry-wide concerns. The smaller hospitals simply did not have theresources to fight an ongoing wage war and joined efforts. The pro-gram was driven strictly by employers’ needs and focused solely on

cessful model for future initia-tives in other industries.

• The success of partnershipshas resulted in sharing a widerange of resources, includingoffice space, staff, and equip-ment, and allowed for greaterefficiency — online applica-tions, cross-screening, etc.

The WorkSource: A Study in Success | Health Care Industry Initiative16

H i g h - S k i l l , H i g h - De m a n d O c c u pa t i o n s

Occupation Absolute Change (2000-2010)

Customer service representatives 13,160

Computer support specialists 9,010

Registered nurses 8,400

Computer software engineers, applications 7,440

Elementary school teachers 7,000

Secondary school teachers 5,860

Focus on occupations that show high skill, high demand, as determined by projected employment(greater than average for all occupations in 2010: 3,833), projected growth rate (greater than aver-age for all occupations for 2000–2010: 18.8%), educational requirements (postsecondary degree orcertificate, long-term on-the-job training, or work experience in a related occupation), and medianhourly wages (greater than median for all occupations in 2000: $13.64), ranked by absolute changein employment (2000–2010).

17Health Care Industry Initiative | The WorkSource: A Study in Success

resolving the issue of the nursing shortage. (The long-term chal-lenge of creating salary equity between teachers and practitionerswill need to be resolved, in order to eliminate the drive away fromteaching.)

What were the solutions to bridge the gap between health caredemand and the supply of nurses? A variety of solutions were putinto play: marketing career opportunities to middle school students,training foreign-schooled nursing professionals for licensure withinTexas, improving the work environment in hospitals, and advocatingfor public funding of nursing education at the state level.

But the most significant and immediate contributor to the problem ofmeeting industry demand was highlighted by one of the SteeringCommittee’s initial findings: the nursing shortage did not result froma lack of individuals interested in entering the nursing career path,but, rather surprisingly, from a lack of nursing faculty at the variousnursing schools. The shortage of instructors restricted the number ofstudents enrolled in nursing programs, which in turn limited thenumber of qualified graduates and the number of new entrants intothe field. Because of faculty shortages, supply could not possiblymeet demand.

The Health Services Steering Committee served as a catalyst tobridge the training gap. Working together, hospitals willingly sacri-ficed their most valuable resource in the short-term, to provide asolution for the long-term. Each participating hospital chose todonate their most senior nurses to local nursing schools, in order toincrease faculty. The result was to allow a larger number of studentsto enroll, more students to graduate and, subsequently, more newentrants into the healthcare profession. No “hard” money was usedin the solution, as it was facilitated through cooperation and theleveraging of existing resources.

The results: enrollment of initial licensure students is up 27 percentat Gulf Coast-area community college programs, up 13 percent atgeneral academic university programs, and up 33 percent at healthscience centers from Fall 2000 to Fall 2003. In total, the 13 GulfCoast nursing education programs have increased enrollment of stu-dents seeking initial nursing licensure by 557 students — a 24 per-cent increase in just three years.

18

The WorkSource staff and the Greater Houston Partnership continuetheir work in the health care industry and are exploring other industriesthat could benefit from a focused, collaborative effort. Under consider-ation are aerospace, biotech and the life sciences, engineering (bothconstruction and software), as well as the area’s ubiquitous oil industry.

The WorkSource: A Study in Success | Health Care Industry Initiative

He a l t h S e r v i c e s S t e e r i n g C o m m i t t e e M a jo r R e su l t s

• Fall 2003 enrollments in Gulf Coast nursingschools in programs leading to initial RN licensureare up 23 percent over Fall 2000, an increase of533 students in three years.

• Graduations from these programs for the sametime period are up 22 percent, an additional 179students. These statistics mark a dramatic reversalof the trend of declining applications and enroll-ments to and graduations from area nursing pro-grams that persisted throughout the late 1990s.

• An additional $52 million in state funding hasbeen appropriated to support dramatic increases inenrollments and to fund innovative approaches forrecruiting and training more registered nurses andnurse faculty. A good portion of that money will beallocated to the Gulf Coast region.

• For the third year in a row, participating hospitalsare contributing staff qualified to teach in localnursing schools. For the 2003–2004 academicyear, their contribution has grown to approximately28 full-time staff equivalents, a contribution wortha conservatively estimated $1.6 million.

• Over the past two years, local foundations haveprovided over $900,000 to supplement nurse fac-ulty salaries and fund additional teaching positionsto help ameliorate the critical faculty shortage

Since its inception in 2000, the Health Services Steering Committee and its four workgroups have beenactive on a number of fronts. Their combined activities have produced the following results.

which is preventing further enrollment increases inlocal nursing schools. The Committee has identifiedand expanded a very successful model for upgrad-ing incumbent healthcare workers to jobs aslicensed vocational nurses, registered nurses, andother healthcare professionals in labor-short occu-pations. This program helps hospitals attract, train,and retain quality employees, Known as the WorkSchool Program, this initiative has 95 percent com-pletion rate. Since March 2001, 250 workers from20 participating hospitals enrolled in the program.Of those enrolled, 68 percent were preparing forinitial licensure as registered nurses. Federal andstate agencies have provided approximately $5.5million in discretionary funding to support this ini-tiative.

• The Committee has developed an innovative modelfor improving the work environment in Gulf Coasthospitals. This model has four key elements: (1)envisioning the ideal hospital work environment;(2) defining the current industry norm; (3) assessingthe current hospital work environments against thisindustry norm; and (4) recognizing outstandingperformance and sharing best practices. This is acontinuous-improvement model designed to makeGulf Coast hospitals the employers of first choicefor nurses and other healthcare professionals.

19Marketing: External and Internal | The WorkSource: A Study in Success

A key piece of any business venture is getting the word out to thepublic. When the Gulf Coast Workforce Board began to establish its“whole new way” of providing services back in 2000, hiring a mar-keting professional and developing a marketing plan was one of thefirst things it did, to help advertise its new services to both residentsand employers.

Market research was conducted before, during, and after implemen-tation of the new business services model. Benchmarks were estab-lished to determine what the community already knew of their localworkforce development agency and to help gage progress and

Marketing: External and Internal

Chapter 6

W e b s i t e

20

change attitudes toward the new organization and services. Agencynames, logos, even color schemes were tested through focus groupsbefore the organization decided upon “The WorkSource” and thehoneycomb logo, which is now fully integrated into every letter,brochure and business card.

While attempts are made to reach out to the entire community, 75percent of all marketing is currently geared toward the private sectorbusiness. Marketing to businesses consists of media efforts (e.g., TV,radio, and movie theaters), and other methods (e.g., buses, eleva-tors, and CD-based presentations). Bookmarks, mugs, pens, coast-ers, textbook protectors, newsletters, letters, brochures, flyers, andposters are branded as well.

Marketing is taken very seriously, and the Board writes marketingstandards into every vendor contract, including increasingly severepenalties for the accumulation of infractions.

The organization’s marketing efforts are also integrated 100 percentinto the organization’s operations. Marketing considerations arefactored into all operational decisions, and all operational discus-sions include a consideration of the marketing effects. Integratingthe two reduces the chance of programs derailing existing marketingefforts and marketing campaigns misrepresenting The WorkSourceand its staff or programs.

One of the primary reasons the Board felt such massive marketingefforts were necessary was business’s impression of government andgovernment-funded “free” programs. Businesses are wary of gov-ernment and tend to see it as a barrier, rather than a catalyst forprogress. There is also a commonly held belief that anything free isbad, that anything with zero cost has zero value. The further theorganization could distance itself from any semblance of govern-ment bureaucracy, the better it would be. The organization removedgovernment lingo and acronyms from its vocabulary; “Jobseeker”became “resident”; “employer,” “business”; “client,” “customer”; and“Rapid Response,” “outplacement.”

As the organization moved forward, the challenge was to “sell” itsservices to employers as commercial business ventures and to avoid

What We Learned

• Even without the resources of adedicated marketing person,things can be done on anorganizational level to helpwith marketing to the commu-nity, including eliminating gov-ernmental lingo and acronymsand describing services toemployers in words theyunderstand.

• Focus on solutions, rather thanon the subsidized cost.

• Establish a single brand forthe organization, then use iteverywhere.

• Market internally. Staff mustknow who they are before theycan become part of the publicidentity.

• Present yourself, your servicesand your organization honestly.

Windfal ls

• Every staff person has demon-strated a willingness to sharecommon goals and go thisnew direction.

The WorkSource: A Study in Success | Marketing: External and Internal

21

discussing the amount or source of funding, focusing instead on theservices and their benefits.

Before any of these marketing campaigns took off, however, effortshad to be directed internally. In order to ensure consistency of mes-sage to the public from all levels of the organization, TheWorkSource staff were the initial targets of marketing efforts duringthe first year. The internal marketing effort was launched with thedistribution to every staff member of a gift box in the shape of thelogo — a honeycomb hexagon. The box contained a coffee mugand smaller tokens, all in the color scheme and bearing the newlyestablished name and logo. The rationale for such an elaborateundertaking was that, with such a large, dispersed staff, somethingextraordinary had to be done to create a sense of cohesion and tomark the beginning of a new reality with a new image.

Marketing: External and Internal | The WorkSource: A Study in Success

22

The Gulf Coast Workforce Board’s revolutionary philosophy withregard to performance measures is: While traditional performancemeasures are essential to a program, they should not be primary tothe organization. To operate as a demand-driven organization, theprimary focus must be on meeting the needs of the customer; whendone purposefully and with commitment, results will be achieved,and the performance measures will be achieved.

According to an old saying “You get what you measure.” The GulfCoast Workforce Board is so committed to ensuring that its measuresare relevant to its established mission and vision, that it is what itmeasures. As one of staff put it, “In a very significant way, ourmeasurements have driven us to what we ought to be.” For meas-urements to have such a profound effect, they must be consistentwith the organization’s vision, mission and strategic goals.

The Gulf Coast Workforce Board’s record for meeting its mandatedprogram performance measures is pristine; however, how it appearsto those that fund its various programs is simply not a primary con-cern to the Board. The Board has invested much time and energy toexplore the correlation between measures and results, and to assureprograms and their related performance measures correspond withthe strategic plan. The Board is committed to ensuring that its pro-grams are serving their purpose and achieving positive results withinthe community.

Of the 42 federal and state mandated measures, 29 are in directcorrelation with the Board’s five results statements, while the remain-ing 13 relate to process rather than results. Although none of thegovernment-required measures support the first or fifth results state-ments (“more competitive employers” and “increasing return oninvestment”), seven measures fall under “a better-educated work-force,” fourteen under “more and better jobs,” and three under“higher incomes.”

What We Learned

• Step away from managing fortraditional performance meas-ures and, instead, focus onproviding services to meetidentified demand; the out-comes will manage them-selves and performance meas-ures will be achieved.

• A system set up to supportdemand will attract the supplyside, and outcomes will bemet.

• Performance measures will berequired by the fundingsource, but should not becomethe motivating factor.

• Meaningful standards reflectthe vision, mission and goalsoutlined in the strategic plan;not simply the funders’ per-formance standards.

• Be mindful of the system fortracking performance meas-ures; it can obscure moreimportant results.

Performance and ResultsChapter 7

The WorkSource: A Study in Success | Performance and Results

23

On top of these 42 set outcomes, the Board has created additionalperformance measures correlated with its five results statements, toensure that Gulf Coast’s services are comprehensive and to achievethe results prescribed in the strategic plan. The additional measuresinclude gross regional product, revenue per employee, educationcredentials, net jobs created, new jobs created, employment, percapita income, and earnings.

Performance and Results | The WorkSource: A Study in Success

E x am p l e o f R e s u l t s M e a s u r e

24

Much of the Gulf Coast Workforce Board’s success can be attributedto qualities that have developed within the Board and the adminis-trative staff of The WorkSource: leadership, innovation, commitment,and vision. These qualities have established The WorkSource as oneof the nation’s preeminent workforce service delivery organizations.

Leadership allowed the Gulf Coast Workforce Board to become apivotal player within the Houston Metropolitan Region by reachingout to like-minded organizations, such as the Greater HoustonPartnership. A successful workforce organization is not focused onoperating programs, on funding Band Aid® solutions for jobseekerswith re-employment challenges or on referring workers to businesseswith urgent staffing needs. A successful workforce system invests inbuilding through collaboration with others, to create successful busi-nesses, better jobs and a stronger community.

Innovation fostered creating, testing and proving new techniques,rather than waiting for proven techniques to be brought to its atten-tion. The Board’s willingness to encourage creative thinking leads tonew ways of seeing its customers and seeing the possibilities forservice. By stepping back to examine the bigger picture, developingnew partnerships and implementing new services, Gulf Coast hasbeen able to move into new markets with new solutions.

Commitment led to believing so strongly in the new model thathalfway measures were not an option. The Gulf Coast WorkforceBoard did not experiment with the demand-driven model; theymarched forward with it. The Board was prepared for disappoint-ments; the Board knew they were inevitable and unavoidable.Commitment drove them forward through the setbacks. Rapidly, thenew model became “The way we do business.”

Vision allowed the Board and staff to see beyond the short-termhorizon and to envision how a proposal could potentially affect the

What We Learned

• Rather than spending allresources on the delivery ofservices, invest some resourcesto establish collaborative tiesto the others, especially, busi-nesses with a strong need andinterest in workforce.

• Think beyond the traditional;consider all options — nomatter how seemingly absurd— before determining the bestpath forward.

• Immediate return is not alwaysthe best option. Consider howdecisions might affect thelong-term future, and factor inthe distant benefits beforechoosing an option.

Landmines

• Innovation is not without chal-lenges, and a venture into newterritory often brings profoundrisks. Share the knowledgeand the risk as widely as pos-sible. Make sure the prepara-tions, infrastructure and part-ners support the initiative.

Characteristics of SuccessChapter 8

The WorkSource: A Study in Success | Characteristics of Success

25

organization and the region’s economy in the future. A perspectiveon the future encouraged the Board to look favorably on an initiativethat was short on immediate payoffs, but promised significant long-term benefits. As a result, immediate payback took a back seat to alonger-term investment and a better return on investment.

When these four qualities come together, Gulf Coast can delivermore innovative and viable workforce solutions — not simply fortoday’s jobseeker, but for businesses and the entire community.Today, tomorrow, and, hopefully, far into the future, The WorkSourcewill continue to be a study in success.

Windfal ls

• Many staff of The WorkSourceand its affiliated programscontend that it is much moreinteresting, enjoyable and funto place to work as a result ofthe transition to a demanddriven system.

Characteristics of Success | The WorkSource: A Study in Success

This report was developed by Rgamble and Associates. LarryPitchford was the principle author, Jennipher Pham was the Designerand Graphic Artist and Rob Gamble was the Project Manager andEditor. Bill Janes of DOL provided substantial editorial assistance andNick Lalpuis of DOL supervised printing and logistical support.

About the Authors

Inquiry Guide for

A Study in Success

I. The Gulf Coast Board adopted a demand driven philosophy; developed astrategic plan to achieve its mission, vision and desired results; dropped theold “managing programs” and adopted a new “leading the system” approach.

To make the new way real, the Board took ten actions :

1. Implemented an Employer Services Division

2. Revised the service delivery model for Resident Services

3. Prioritized businesses

4. Referred the most qualified applicants to openings

5. Implemented a Health Care initiative

6. Responded to demand with a “pipeline approach” to supply

7. Changed to a new name and image for the organization

8. Marketed the new organization to businesses

9. Marketed the operational changes to staff internally

10. Implemented measures correlated to desired results

A. How do the ten actions (individually and together) reflect a demand driven philosophy forfinding solutions to workforce problems?

B. How do the ten actions (individually and together) address a demand driven system’s mis-sion, vision and desired results?

C. How do the ten actions (individually and together) produce “system” approaches to devel-oping and implementing workforce solutions?

II. The Gulf Coast Board sees itself not as managing a collection of programs,but as leading a system. The Board’s mission, vision and results statementsand its “system” approach were the basis for its strategic plan.

A. The Board says a mission statement expresses “the reason we exist;” the Board’s missionstatement includes employers.

1. A workforce Board extends its mission to “help[ing] employers solve workforceproblems” for the following reasons:

2. Our Board can do more to contribute to “help[ing] employers solve workforceproblems” by:

B. The Board vision statement includes the region, the workforce system and the board itselfand addresses them separately.

1. A workforce Board includes the region, the workforce system and the Board itself inits vision for the following reasons:

2. Our Board can contribute more to the economic vitality of the region, the work-force system and the Board by:

C. The Board results statements include competition, education, better jobs, higher incomesand an increasing return on investment.

1. A workforce Board wants improvements in competition, education, better jobs,higher incomes and an increasing return on investment for the following reasons:

2. Our Board can contribute more to improvements in competition, education, betterjobs, higher incomes and increasing return on investment by:

D. We can strengthen our strategic plan and perform better in the areas of leadership; sys-tems approach to solutions; employer services; achieving goals for the region, the work-force system and the Board; improving competition, education, better jobs, higher incomesand increasing return on investment by the following actions:

III. Gulf Coast Board created an Employer Services Division to work one-on-onewith businesses.

A. The factors appropriate for prioritizing businesses in our area are:

B. A “quality over quantity” placement policy will contribute to our success with both business-es and job seekers by:

C. When we implement and improve our employer (business) services, we anticipate the fol-lowing changes will need to be made in our resident (job seeker) services model:

D. We intend to take the following actions to reduce staff confusion and concern resultingfrom implementation and improvement of our employer (business) services:

IV. The Gulf Coast Board brought together the demand-driven approach and theemployer services model to form the health care industry initiative.

A. High-growth, high-demand industry sectors in our area are:

B. High-skill, high-demand occupations in our area are:

C. Opportunities for partnering with high-growth, high-demand industries providing high-skill, high-demand occupations include the following industries:

D. Forming an industry steering committee, hiring an industry liaison and developing moreuseful workforce-related information is within our capabilities for the following industries:

E. A “pipeline” approach to meeting demand for the occupations in C and for the industriesin B and D will require collaboration with the following groups and organizations:

F. Based on A-E above, the most productive initiative(s) for our area will most likely be withthe following industry(ies):

V. To change its image, the Gulf Coast Board complemented “getting the wordout” with marketing efforts “directed inward.”

A. Businesses’ view our workforce organization(s) in the following way:

B. Job seeker’s view our workforce organization(s) in the following way:

C. To change our image with the business community, we will change the following opera-tional procedures:

D. To change our image with the job seeker community, we will change the following opera-tional procedures:

E. The following marketing standards will be included in our vendor (workforce serviceprovider) contracts:

F. All staff will more thoroughly understand and consistently disseminate the Board’s mes-sage, because our internal marketing and listening practices will include:

VI. The Gulf Coast Board’s primary focus is meeting the needs of its customers;by so doing, the Board believes, results will naturally flow. The Gulf CoastBoard meets or exceeds its funder-required performance measures.

A. In the result area of more “competitive employers,” measures include:

B. In the result area of a “better educated workforce,” measures will include:

C. In the result area of “more and better jobs,” measures will include:

D. In the result area of “higher incomes,” measures will include:

E. In the result area of increasing “return on investment,” measures will include:

E. Correlating our funders’ measures with the five results statement produces the following grid:

Desired Result Funder Measure

Competitive Employers

Educated Workforce

More & Better Jobs

Higher Incomes

Increasing Return on Investment

Career Opportunities Cape Cod, MA Pikes Peak Workforce Center, COChicago Workforce Center @ Pilsen, IL San Diego Workforce Partnership, CADelaware WIB East Central Georgia Consortium Tulare County WIB, CAEastern Arkansas WIB Hampden County WIB, MAIdaho Career Centers Maine Career CenterLower Rio Grande Valley WDA, TX Frederick County JTA, MDMerrimack Valley WIB, MA Mayor's Office Employment Development, MDNevada JobConnect NW Tennessee WIB NW Georgia Workforce AreaOakland WIB, CA Pasco Hernando Jobs & Education, FL Pacific Mountain Consortium Workforce Development Council , WASouthern Essex WIB, MA North Valley Job Training Consortium, CASouthern Maryland Works Gulf Coast WIB, TX SW Washington Workforce Council Tampa Bay Workforce Alliance, FL Workforce Essentials, TNThe Employment Source, OH Topeka Workforce Center, KS Northwest Concentrated Employment Program, WIDept. of Employment Services, Washington, DC Utah Department of Workforce ServiceWest Central Arkansas Workforce Centers West Piedmont WIB, VA North Central WIB, PAWest Virginia Region 7 WIBNW Nebraska Workforce DevelopmentWorkforce Alliance, KS Pee Dee Regional Council, SCWorkforce Investment Council of Clackamas County, OR Boston Private Industry CouncilWorkSource of the South Plains, TX Capital Area Michigan Works

Career Opportunities Cape Cod, MA Pikes Peak Workforce Center, COChicago Workforce Center @ Pilsen, IL San Diego Workforce Partnership, CADelaware WIB East Central Georgia Consortium Tulare County WIB, CAEastern Arkansas WIB Hampden County WIB, MAIdaho Career Centers Maine Career CenterLower Rio Grande Valley WDA, TX Frederick County JTA, MDMerrimack Valley WIB, MA Mayor's Office Employment Development, MDNevada JobConnect NW Tennessee WIB NW Georgia Workforce AreaOakland WIB, CA Pasco Hernando Jobs & Education, FL Pacific Mountain Consortium Workforce Development Council , WASouthern Essex WIB, MA North Valley Job Training Consortium, CASouthern Maryland Works Gulf Coast WIB, TX SW Washington Workforce Council Tampa Bay Workforce Alliance, FL Workforce Essentials, TNThe Employment Source, OH Topeka Workforce Center, KS Northwest Concentrated Employment Program, WIDept. of Employment Services, Washington, DC Utah Department of Workforce ServiceWest Central Arkansas Workforce Centers West Piedmont WIB, VA North Central WIB, PAWest Virginia Region 7 WIBNW Nebraska Workforce DevelopmentWorkforce Alliance, KS Pee Dee Regional Council, SCWorkforce Investment Council of Clackamas County, OR Boston Private Industry CouncilWorkSource of the South Plains, TX Capital Area Michigan Works