PEER TO PEER 2007: STRUCTURED PEER SHARING AND LEARNING BY ARIZONA’S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS
Overview and Objectives
Over the past three years, local Workforce Development organizations representing eight counties in Arizona have participated in the Peer Professional Development initiative. This effort is a grassroots initiated peer learning program that includes the expanded network of Workforce Development professionals at all levels of the One-Stop Career Centers. The initiative is designed to accomplish several things:
- Build capacity within participating One-Stop Career Centers statewide;
- Develop awareness through first-hand experience of different methods for serving employer and job-seeking clients;
- Identify successful One-Stop organization and management patterns and techniques that were perceived by professionals to add value;
- Provide opportunities for adapting effective practices to different One-Stop locations;
- Establish a foundation for professional certification that is based upon real-world practice and shared knowledge of local context; and.
- Examine the potential for branding Workforce Development services, while serving rural, tribal, and urban communities within the state.
The response to the Peer Professional Development Process by participating professionals has been consistently positive. Gaining an external view of a One-Stop Career Center has provided each location a fresh perspective of operations from the viewpoint of a knowledgeable consumer.
Specific professional input offers a response to each Center’s findings and to the observations of the professional peer team. This professional feedback not only contributes to the development of a realistic overview of One-Stop delivery capability statewide, but clarifies opportunities for a consistent level of branding for the One-Stop product in urban, rural and tribal communities.
Current Phase of the Initiative
Peer to Peer 2007, the current phase of the initiative, sponsored by Maricopa County Workforce Connections, emphasizes the consolidation and documentation of optimal practices as well as providing an ongoing interchange among professionals. The goal is to engender a sustained effort to share and grow capacity in a manner that sustains the network and facilitates development of the profession. Peer to Peer 2007 includes the following specific objectives:
- Explore the system-level configuration of each local area Workforce Development Organization;
- Create dialogue among key Workforce Development professionals concerning certification of professionals and sites;
- Participate in a statewide meeting of all Workforce Development professionals (including local area organizations that have not participated to date) for purposes of sharing what has been learned throughout the initiative to date; and
- Systematize “next steps” with Peer to Peer communication and learning.
Learning to Date: Workforce Practices
To date, Peer to Peer 2007 has demonstrated several benefits relating to the practices and the profession itself, including but not limited to the following:
· Deepened understanding of local approaches. Professionals have acknowledged the ability to understand some unique aspects of their own practices pertaining to Workforce Development services to employers and job-seekers. For example, one small, rural One-Stop Career Center has mastered the concept of partnership integration for seamless service to clients. Other One-Stop professionals, notably urban-based individuals, have cited a sense of discovery about the clarity of purpose achieved in this smaller location. These sites have sought to replicate the behavior that created that clarity, in spite of the complexity inherent in large-scale operations.
· Expanded recognition of alternative system configurations. At least two of the rurally-located organizations participating in Peer to Peer 2007 are configured in a nontraditional way. Nonprofit corporations provide the Workforce Investment Boards the needed flexibility to furnish services in a setting where service providers are sparse. Both urban and tribal locations have cited the benefits of such flexible system configurations. Professionals have noted that a range of organizational structures may be beneficial for delivering services to client groups.
· Heightened appreciation of the model, large-scale One-Stop within one county’s “flagship” operation. One of the largest urban locations is an organization that has offered professionals the opportunity to view the One-Stop configuration at its most effective. While recognizing that few locations possess the resources to afford such comprehensive services in a streamlined way, this operation serves as the model for examining what is possible for the federally mandated array of service provision.
· Meaningful dialogue concerning certification. Peer to Peer 2007 has afforded professionals statewide the vehicle for sharing perspectives on specific components of the initiative. The firm hired to facilitate and document processes has gathered feedback relative to certification from leaders and key performers in the field. This feedback is made available to state-level leadership for the purpose of fortifying the discussion concerning this opportunity for building the One-Stop brand statewide. Key among discussion highlights were examples of certification successes in such fields of endeavor as small business services, probationary officers and related areas. Workforce Professionals with direct knowledge of other certified professions have identified opportunities for One-Stops to benefit from their experiences.
· Identification and adaptation of “Best Practices”. The sequence of visits to urban, rural and tribal One-Stops and the follow-up sessions to confer about service levels and types has resulted in numerous adaptations of practice. In addition to idea-sharing, participating professionals have sought to replicate many areas. For example, services provided to businesses seem to function effectively in both rural and urban settings. Practices in this area feature high levels of credibility and growing utilization of such offerings as interviewing and screening of employees for large-scale businesses new to a local area. Peer to Peer 2007 represents a growth-inducing approach to building capacity at local area One-Stops through consistent and well-targeted dialogue and learning.
Learning to Date: Professional Development
Peer to Peer 2007 exemplifies a real-world approach to building capacity. As a vehicle for Professional Development, the initiative has revealed several noteworthy findings:
- Establishing a coordinated initiative to promote and foster focused Professional Development is key to its success. Professional Development efforts in many workplace environments risk being ad hoc and unconnected. Peer to Peer 2007 has benefited from assigning specific personnel to maintain an active presence responsible for fact-finding, idea generation, documentation and facilitation of meetings.
- Maintaining an event-based initiative provides for minimal intrusion into the professional lives of those key individuals who are subject-matter experts in the field. The key individuals attendance at a “round up” or sharing event further optimizes Peer to Peer 2007. This event promotes an energetic means of strengthening the professional network in a focused manner.
- Keeping the approach flexible. Peer to Peer 2007 has been, and remains, an informal and optional activity, rather than required at the departmental level. The initiative utilizes the “pull” rather than “push” method of drawing interest. Participation has been high, based upon the appeal that typifies sharing sessions. Participants have take-away items that add value to meetings, and maintain dialogue relative to “what works” and potential adaptations of methods at their own sites.
- Showcasing innovation. Center staff who represent multiple locations have responded favorably to having their practices showcased. This practice has served as a stimulus that propels participation to a high level and enhances the excitement about Professional Development and One-Stop development alike.
- Maintaining emphasis on the range of clientele. Peer to Peer 2007 has enhanced and added new dimensions to the client awareness of each participating organization. Such emphasis consistently strengthens any approaches shared. In this way Peer to Peer 2007 highlights the value of selecting an approach that will be most effective with specific businesses and job-seekers within the unique communities served.
Next Steps
The successful track record to date of Peer to Peer 2007 highlights the importance of maintaining focus on what works in the wide range of participating Workforce Development organizations serving different populations. In anticipation of the fall meeting of participants, the next steps will target opportunities to serve the Professional Development efforts of Workforce Developers themselves. It is in this context that these individuals, working together, form a client base for the Professional Development provider.
Dr. Sheila E. Murphy is President of Sheila Murphy Associates, a Phoenix-Based Consulting firm.
Margaret Trujillo is Interim Assistant Director of Maricopa County Workforce Development Division.
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