Building Staff Skills in a Flat World

In the global economy, workforce systems are continually challenged to identify the critical core competencies that Board and One-Stop staff need to effectively function in the flat world. Life-long learning and the use of both formal and informal learning opportunities become key components of the workforce system's overall capacity to provide quality business and job seeker services.

As we transition to a new way of doing business, ask yourself if your staff have these critical skills:

  • Do they understand how the global economy has fundamentally changed business practices and the kinds of workers companies need?
  • Do they know how to properly use assessment tools (not just the TABE) to help identify job seeker skill gaps and issues and ensure that job seekers are prepared for employer skill requirements?
  • Do they understand the three new kinds of jobs in a global economy--fungible, anchored and value-add--and can they effectively advise job seekers using this information?
  • Do they know how to facilitate job seekers in developing effective, actionable career plans? Can they provide the appropriate support and follow-up to ensure that job seekers are able to implement their plans?

The value of workforce Boards and One-Stop service systems lies in the quality of your staff, so to be successful in a global economy, Boards and One-Stops must commit to ongoing capacity-building and training. They need to ensure that their staff have the up-to-date skills that businesses require.

Building the Skills of One-Stop Staff

The Widing Group recognizes that building staff capacity is an ongoing challenge for most Boards and One-Stops. We've developed a range of learning services that meet a wide variety of needs.

Assessing Staff Functions and Competencies
One-Stop staff work in a variety of programs and provide a number of different services. But regardless of their job titles, they generally must possess a series of core competencies. The Widing Group has identified 12 core competency areas needed by most One-Stop staff and defined the key behaviors and activities associated with competency in those areas. We can help you use this information to devise hiring and interviewing strategies and to develop individualized training plans for your existing staff.

Providing Staff Training 

Training_hands_1We can provide staff training to Board and One-Stop managers and staff on a wide range of topics. Our training is hands-on and experiential. Wherever possible, we create learning experiences that allow staff to practice new skills and have extensive interactions with others. Our trainings are based on best practices in business and workforce development and can be customized to meet your individual organizational needs.

Partial List of Training Topics

  • Comprehensive Career Assessment
  • Career Planning and Decision-making
  • Integration of Career and Service Planning
  • Understanding and Using Labor Market Information
  • Understanding LMI in a Flat World
  • Employment Facilitation and Job Development
  • Training and Group Facilitation Skills
  • Case Management and Counseling
  • Team-building and Communication Skills
  • Manager Skill Training

In addition, we can develop and deliver customized training to support the roll-out of your organizational initiatives, such as new policies and procedures.

Customization Options
The Widing Group can customize training for specific staff groups (i.e., case managers, job developers, etc.) and for specific organizational needs. We can also work with your time-frames for training, providing programs that can last anywhere from a couple of hours to several days, depending on the needs of your organization.

Other Capacity-Building Strategies
Besides staff training, The Widing Group can also assist in building organizational capacity by:

  • Organizing and coordinating best practice conferences and events
  • Conducting and disseminating best practice research
  • Developing informal and e-learning strategies to support ongoing staff development efforts.

To learn more about how The Widing Group can help build your staff capacity, click here.