How can a felony record impact job prospects?

A felony record, even from minor infractions committed as a teenager, can prevent individuals from being hired, regardless of their education or skills. Community-based organizations play a crucial role in helping to expunge these records, allowing employers to consider qualified candidates.

Why is a down economy a good time for workforce development collaboration?

During a downturn, resource constraints encourage collaboration. It becomes essential to identify all available assets and players in the landscape and build upon collective work, rather than operating in silos. This necessity fosters innovative partnerships and efficient resource braiding.

What is the 'fire hose and garden hose' analogy in education and employment?

The 'fire hose' represents the structured, batch-output nature of higher education (e.g., a class of 25 graduates at once). The 'garden hose' represents the job market, where employers hire individuals one or a few at a time. This mismatch requires aggregating jobs or creating flexible educational models to align supply and demand.

How does Futura Health address healthcare workforce shortages?

Futura Health, a joint venture between Kaiser Permanente and its unions, tackles allied health shortages by creating a non-profit focused on growing the next generation of healthcare workers. They leverage unusual collaborations and innovative educational models to meet the significant demand.

What advice does Von Tanquinlivan give to women leaders and founders?

Von emphasizes the importance of learning from the experiences of other women who have navigated the personal and professional intersection. She highlights the value of mentorship and understanding the 'peaks and valleys' shared by those ahead, similar to how best practices in workforce development are passed down.

What is the benefit of incorporating digital badging in training programs?

Digital badging can be an effective tool for credentialing soft skills, addressing employer concerns about these attributes. Experiments have shown that incorporating digital badging can increase program adoption and provide flexible recognition for skills acquired through various educational pathways.

Key Moments

GOI Launch Keynote Ton Quinlivan

MIT OpenCourseWare

Education4 min read25 min video

Jul 20, 2022|110 views|3

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Van Ton-Quinlivan discusses workforce development best practices, emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and civic roles for economic mobility.

Key Insights

Workforce development is a team sport requiring collaboration between employers, education, and community-based organizations.

A down economy presents opportunities for novel collaborations and efficient resource braiding due to resource constraints.

Government can amplify successful concepts, but initial experiments are often best conducted outside of government structures.

The healthcare sector offers a structured environment for credentialing and instructional design, particularly for allied health roles.

The 'fire hose' (education) and 'garden hose' (employer demand) mismatch can be solved by aggregating job demand through industry partnerships.

Stepping into civic roles allows for systemic change by shaping policy and resource allocation, amplifying individual impact.

Leveraging virtual and hybrid education models, especially post-pandemic, enables flexible, stackable credential pathways.

Unusual collaborators, like unions and employers in a joint venture, can unite to address significant workforce shortages.

THE CRUX OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: A TEAM SPORT

Van Ton-Quinlivan emphasizes that effective workforce development is inherently a team sport, not an individual endeavor. This collaborative approach requires distinct roles for employers, educational institutions, and community-based organizations. Employers should focus on clearly articulating their needs and hiring, while educational bodies are responsible for bridging the gap between the available talent pool and employer requirements. Community-based organizations play a vital role in community outreach, candidate screening, and case management, ensuring individuals are prepared and supported through the process.

THE POWER OF COLLABORATION AND CRISIS AS OPPORTUNITY

A significant insight from Ton-Quinlivan is that a down economy, while challenging, offers a prime opportunity to foster novel collaborations. In leaner times, organizations are more inclined to identify and leverage existing assets and players in the landscape, braiding resources and building upon collective efforts rather than starting from scratch. This proactive environmental, stakeholder, and asset scan is crucial for connecting the dots and moving further together than any single entity could alone. This contrasts with more prosperous times when silos might be more rigidly maintained.

INNOVATION SEEDING AND GOVERNMENT AMPLIFICATION

Ton-Quinlivan advocates for conducting initial workforce development experiments outside of traditional government structures. These proofs of concept, like the early adoption of digital badging for soft skills, can be more agile and experimental. Once proven successful, government entities can then step in to amplify these innovations, scaling them across broader systems. This approach allows for rapid learning and iteration in a less bureaucratic setting before leveraging governmental resources for widespread adoption and policy integration, as seen with the expansion of digital badging across California Community Colleges.

NAVIGATING THE HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE LANDSCAPE

The healthcare sector, despite past perceptions of being "unsexy," is highlighted as a fertile ground for workforce development. Its inherent structure around credentials and clear pathways makes it ideal for developing stackable credentials that facilitate economic mobility. The sector faces critical shortages, particularly in allied health and behavioral health roles, creating a strong impetus for innovative training solutions. The post-pandemic environment has accelerated the adoption of virtual and hybrid educational models, enabling more flexible and responsive training programs tailored to immediate workforce needs.

SOLVING THE FIRE HOSE VS. GARDEN HOSE DILEMMA

A fundamental challenge Ton-Quinlivan addresses is the mismatch between the 'fire hose' of education (producing cohorts of graduates at specific times) and the 'garden hose' of employer demand (drip-feeding individual job openings). This disparity can be resolved by aggregating demand. By pooling job needs from supply chain partners, trade associations, or even competitors, a critical mass can be formed. This aggregated demand makes programs more viable for educational institutions, facilitating more flexible start dates and responsive training schedules that better serve adult learners and immediate labor market needs.

THE STRATEGIC VALUE OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Ton-Quinlivan strongly encourages individuals with valuable skills in data, technology, and workforce insights to consider stepping into civic roles. These positions, particularly those within state or federal agencies, offer a unique opportunity to influence institutional behavior and shape policy. By leading initiatives that direct the flow of money and resources, individuals can effect change on a much larger scale than through peripheral program development. This perspective underscores the profound impact that skilled leadership in public service can have on fostering economic mobility and reskilling.

UNUSUAL ALLIANCES FOR ADDRESSING CRITICAL SHORTAGES

The formation of Futuro Health, a joint venture between Kaiser Permanente and its unions, exemplifies the power of bringing together unusual collaborators. Faced with a critical shortage of allied health workers, this partnership demonstrates a commitment to investing in the next generation of healthcare professionals. This collaboration highlights that even entities with historically contentious relationships can unite when the collective need—in this case, addressing a significant healthcare workforce gap—outweighs individual differences, reinforcing the 'team sport' philosophy in practice.

LEADERSHIP LESSONS FOR WOMEN AND MENTORSHIP

Responding to the role of women leaders, Ton-Quinlivan emphasizes her appreciation for mentorship. She learned through programs like the International Women's Forum Fellows that understanding the experiences and challenges of women who paved the way is invaluable. Navigating the intersection of personal and professional life lacks a universal playbook, but shared stories and insights from mentors provide guidance, helping to anticipate and overcome obstacles. This transfer of knowledge and experience is crucial for the success and advancement of future generations of women leaders.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Companies

●Organizations

●Books

Key Principles for Workforce Development

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Recognize workforce development as a team sport involving employers, education, and community-based organizations.

Employers should focus on articulating needs and hiring.

Educational institutions should close the skills gap.

Community-based organizations should screen, case manage, and support candidates.

Use down economies as opportunities to foster novel collaborations and leverage pooled resources.

Consider experiments outside of government before amplifying with government support.

Encourage those with data and technology skills to consider civic roles in government.

Aggregate jobs to create critical mass for educational program viability (match the 'fire hose' with the 'garden hose').

Collaborate with competitors or trade associations to build talent pools, competing only at the point of hiring.

Unusual collaborators, like labor and management in healthcare, can come together to address critical shortages.

Seek mentors and learn from the experiences of those who have navigated personal and professional intersections.

Avoid This

Employers should not try to do everything; focus on articulating needs and hiring.

Do not reinvent the wheel; leverage existing best practices.

Avoid siloing resources; braid and build upon collective efforts.

Do not limit experimentation to government; use external proofs of concept.

Do not expect government to be great at initial experimentation, though it excels at amplification.

Do not limit workforce development to isolated program solutions on the periphery; consider civic roles for broader impact.

Do not assume employers and educators can operate independently; recognize the mismatch between 'fire hose' education output and 'garden hose' employer hiring.

Do not wait for ideal conditions; leverage down economies and unusual collaborations to drive progress.

Workforce Development Roles: Three Key Players

Data extracted from this episode

Player	Primary Focus	Key Action
Employers	Talent Needs	Articulate needs and hire
Education	Skills Gap	Close the gap between population needs and employer requirements
Community-Based Organizations / Workforce Boards	Candidate Pipeline & Support	Screen, case manage, and support candidates

Healthcare Workforce Shortage Statistics

Data extracted from this episode

Category	Figure	Notes
Allied Health Roles	65% of healthcare workforce	Critical need across all states
Allied Health Workers Needed (California)	500,000	Specific state projection

Common Questions

Effective workforce development requires collaboration between employers (who articulate needs and hire), educational institutions (who bridge the skills gap), and community-based organizations or workforce boards (who screen, case manage, and support candidates). Each plays a distinct role to ensure economic mobility.