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Workforce Partnership Initiative

The Workforce Partnership Initiative encouraged public libraries to become economic development leaders in their communities, extending and enhancing their ability to support employment as California fights to recover from the effects of the pandemic. Libraries partnered with their Local Workforce Development Board (Local Board) to promote employment, career development, and skill-building for job seekers through activities such as workshops and enhanced collections and resources. Libraries also built staff skills and confidence in supporting job seekers from diverse backgrounds.

Purpose: Workforce Partnerships help public libraries leverage and enhance their resources to advance equitable economic recovery, increase local employment, and build regional capacity by partnering with a Local Workforce Development Board.

Target Audience: Adults, with an emphasis on those community members most affected by unemployment and currently not engaged with the library or other community organizations. Unemployed or underemployed Californians may disproportionately be women, people of color, young people, and people with without college degrees.

Expected Outcomes: Participants will report increased skills and confidence in navigating the job search process. Library staff will report increased skills and confidence in assisting unemployed and underemployed individuals.

Partnerships: You are strongly encouraged to partner with your Local Workforce Development Board. A formal written agreement (such as a Memorandum of Understanding) and/or a letter of support is encouraged as part of the application for a grant. The agreement or letter should detail the responsibilities and contributions of each partner. Additional community connections might include local government agencies, employers, community colleges, the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA), the Chamber of Commerce, SNAP Employment and Training, and the California State Library’s CAreer Pathways program.

Budget Considerations

• Staff time
• Program materials
• Outreach and marketing materials
• Library materials: additions to the collection, hardware/software, supplies needed for display and circulation
• Fees for instructors

Planning Considerations

• Co-design your project with your community Identify potential participants, focusing on reaching people not currently visiting the library, and gauge interest in the project. Meet with them to discuss the program. Engage them in envisioning the project, planning how to proceed, what activities will take place, and how community members will be invited and encouraged to attend.
• Know the “Why.” Before planning specific programs, prepare a clearly defined community needs statement and be able to explain the purpose and intention of the project to potential partners, community members, and library staff.
• Research examples. See examples of workforce projects below and consider which aspects work for your library and community:
  • Kern County Library’s Job Seeker Toolkit
  • Anaheim Public Library’s Workforce Connection Career Resources
  • San Diego Public Library’s Workforce Partnership
  • Stanislaus County Library’s Workforce development programming series
  • San Jose Public Library’s SJPL Works
• Contact partners. If you do not already have a partnership with your Local Workforce Development Board (Local Board), reach out to them to discuss working together on this project. If possible, include at least one additional local partner or community connection as well. In collaboration with your partner(s), develop a plan to respond to community needs and aspirations around workforce development. Decide on the activities and resources you will develop as part of your initiative. Will you offer programming, collection enhancement, staff training, a job fair, and/or a designated career space in the library? Be clear about the roles, expectations, and timelines of each partner so all parties involved understand the terms of the collaboration.
• Identify costs for each activity. Determine staff costs to plan and implement the program(s), service costs for instructors and marketing, and costs to purchase all supplies and materials for each activity.

Implementation Steps

• Organize any programs and workshops. Decide on programming format and create supplementary materials. Will you have one-off programs, multi-sessions, invite people to larger events, or focus on one-on-one service? Will you include programs in languages other than English? Schedule programs and reserve space in the library and/or online.
• Select and purchase circulating materials related to workforce development. Allow sufficient time for processing and delivery. Work with your vendors to identify potential supply chain challenges. Consider where you will shelve these items. Will you create a separate career section or hub in your library?
• Develop a marketing campaign. Work with your partner(s) to discuss the best methods of reaching your target audience. Run a collaborative marketing campaign to increase effectiveness. Be sure to clarify timelines, responsibilities, and identify who will design the materials.
• Train staff and volunteers. Train all public-facing staff on library job seeker resources and how to use them. Be sure to communicate the intended impact and objectives of the project to increase staff buy-in.
• Document, evaluate, and share. Survey program attendees and staff to evaluate your success in reaching the project objectives. For in-person events, provide surveys with pens/pencils to participants and/or hand the participants a card with the library’s SurveyMonkey link or QR code. For virtual events, share a virtual link with an invitation to provide feedback. Debrief with staff and volunteers to discuss what went well, and what needs additional support, and be sure to adjust the next program accordingly. Document larger events and new resources with photos, video, and social media posts.

Additional Resources

• California Librarians Small Business Toolkit: a toolkit developed by a team of librarians for the California State Library and California Library Association’s 2021 Leadership Challenge. This website includes resources related to program planning, staff training, community outreach, and more. Please note that a free CALL Academy account is required to access the Toolkit.
• Ready Access: a toolkit developed by a team of librarians for the California State Library and California Library Association’s 2021 Leadership Challenge. This website includes a librarian toolkit and community outreach resources to those impacted by incarceration history and need assistance re-entering the workforce.
• Reimagining the Public Library’s Role in Local Workforce Development: a publication from the Burning Glass Institute, which advances data-driven research and practice on the future of work and of workers. This report lays out a model in which librarians assist entry-level job seekers by acting as workforce development navigators, creating learning pathways for in-demand positions, helping individuals signal that they have the skills local employers are looking for, and ultimately making a warm handoff to a partner organization that is positioned to pick up the next phase of the workforce journey