Policy Advocacy and Research Investments

The Collaborative invests in policy advocacy and research in order to promote responsible stewardship of public workforce funds as well as the adoption of effective workforce policies.

Research and Advocacy on Key Policy Issues

  • A new $50,000 grant to the Commonwealth Institute on Fiscal Analysis will help support the creation of a Northern Virginia office for this research and advocacy organization. The goals of the new office are to:
    • Helping Northern Virginia nonprofits and policy advocates influence state policies and regulations that affect the populations they care about, and
    • Creating more awareness among state policymakers regarding issues affecting low- and moderate-income families in Northern Virginia, including their workforce development needs.

 Announced in June, 2011, the grant is being matched by a similar investment from the Moriah Fund, and additional support is being raised for the launch. Interested donors should contact Sara Oldmixon, Director of Workforce Initiatives at The Community Foundation at soldmixon@cfncr.org.

  • The First Tuesdays Lunch Group, which is convened by the Collaborative and composed of local workforce development policy researchers and advocates from the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, DC Appleseed, the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates, the DC Employment Justice Center, the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, the DC Jobs Council, Greater Washington Research at Brookings, the Greater Washington Workforce Development Collaborative, and the Local Initiatives Support Collaborative, have released three briefs on how to improve the quality of workforce development infrastructure and policy:

    • Transforming Workforce Development in the District: Building a Strong Leadership Structure and Contributing to an Economic Opportunity Agenda, sets forth a vision for effective workforce development to promote inclusive economic growth in the District of Columbia. (to read this report click HERE)
    • Reforming First Source: Strengthening the Link Between Economic Development and Jobs, discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the District's current First Source policy and suggests an innovative solution that promises benefits for employers and workers alike. (to read this report click HERE)
    • Beyond Good Intentions: Using Data to Promote Economic Opportunity, sets forth a vision for instilling a data-driven culture in the District's workforce development system with recommendations on how to improve the District's outcomes for workers by strengthening its capacity to collect,  analyze, and use data. (To read this report click HERE)

  • The Collaborative sponsored study Building a Strong Independent DC Community College, helped the local movement to bring a community college to the District of Columbia gain momentum, culminating in the launch of the new Community College of the District of Columbia in August 2009.  The study was led by Greater Washington Research at Brookings and DC Appleseed.
  • In January 2010, the collaborative made a grant to the DC Fiscal Policy Institute to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the public workforce system in the District and make recommendations around strategies to strengthen public investments.  The collaborative will make parallel investments in Maryland and Virginia in 2011.
  • The Collaborative works to foster regional conversation and collaboration through periodic convenings for local Workforce Investment Board directors, staff, and members.  The most recent meetings included a focus on the needs of ex-offender populations and a briefing on the local workforce landscape featuring Dr. Stephen Fuller of George Mason University and workforce consultant, Ed Trumbull.

Promoting Systemic Change

To complement investments in healthcare career pathways initiatives, the Collaborative provided seed money to launch the Regional Alliance for Careers in Health (ReACH) in August 2009.  ReACH serves as a coordinating body for health employers, education/training providers, support service organizations, workforce policy authorities and community organizations working to address healthcare workforce development challenges in the region.  Key activities include:

  • Serving as an information clearinghouse for regional healthcare workforce development issues.
  • Convening key stakeholders to identify shared challenges and share best practices.
  • Researching and advocating for public policies that promote high-quality healthcare workforce development for the national capital region.
  • Identifying funding opportunities and working with key stakeholders to bring new resources to the region.

ReACH has already begun to establish a track record of success.  Accomplishments include:

  • Developing a website (www.greaterwashingtonreach.org) which includes a clearinghouse with information on more than 50 healthcare training programs across the region.
  • In collaboration with the Greater Washington Board of Trade, bringing together one dozen regional employers to discuss shared workforce challenges and explore opportunities for collaboration.
  • Helping to convene a group of regional stakeholders to pursue federal stimulus funding for healthcare workforce development.  This effort resulted in a $4.9 million grant to launch the Capital Health Careers project. 
  • In March 2011, the Collaborative issued three $25,000 grants to ReACH partners to launch the Career Navigators initiative, which will test whether career coaching is an effective strategy to help entry-level healthcare workers advance their careers and wages while, at the same time, helping employers minimize turnover, improve quality of care by improving the skills of their workers, and "grow their own" workforce by training entry-level employees for higher-skilled occupations that are currently or expected to be in demand.  Participating workers will receive one-on-one career coaching to help them select specific career goals as well as training ranging from adult literacy services to community college coursework.  The Collaborative has hired a consultant to help the hospitals create career ladder maps and to provide training for the career coaches.  The grantees are Montgomery General Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, and Suburban Hospital, each of which matched their grant with $50,000 in-kind contribution.