COMMUNITY AUDITS

A CORNERSTONE

Community Audits ensure:

• Effective strategic planning efforts

• Linkages between Workforce Boards, contractors and key community stakeholders

• Promotion of regional partnerships

• Shared best practices, materials and tools

Current Information:

• Accurately identifies skill shortages, technological change, and a tight labor market;

• Addresses critical information gaps in the regional area;

• Provides individuals with up-to-date information on good job and career opportunities;

Current information also:

• Provides employers with assistance in finding, training and retaining employees with the right sets of skills;

• Assists service and training providers with current information to design workforce development programs; and,

• Identifies business trends that allow us to respond to employers needs prior to adverse actions.

Mapping of Assets

• WHY?

Local stakeholders need to know more than the needs of their employers and workers. They also need to know what resources they have at their disposal to meet those needs.

Resource Mapping

Community audit resource mapping identifies programs and services already in the community along with new sources of funds that can be accessed to address community concerns. Resource mapping also assists in identifying gaps in services.

Collaboration and Partnerships

• Help meet the customer’s BASIC needs

• Eliminate barriers

• Ensure employment and job retention

• Alleviate duplication of services

• Leverages limited resources

• Expand services

Sustaining Partnerships

• Engage the employer community and stakeholders (citizens and workers)

• Establish an active community presence and awareness

• Participate in community development efforts

• Communicate results

Resource Development

Look at and beyond public resources – philanthropic and corporate organizations often have funds available to meet targeted workforce and/or social needs.

Recipe for Success

Ingredients

• Community Buy-In

• Mapping of Assets

• Partnerships to Sustain

• Resource Development

Recipe Instructions

Mix your community Chief Elected Official and Board representative with community members to engage employers. Once blended, gently stir in economic development agencies, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, educational institutions and any other additional ingredients you desire. Set aside and

Recipe Instructions-con’t

let partnerships rise. When partnerships double in size, knead gently and let rise again. The mix will be lumpy – these lumps are the special flavor enhancers that allow you to pass the recipe onto others and build upon the capacity to deliver workforce development services.

Additional Ingredients

May add such ingredients as: Department of Human Services, Protective & Regulatory Services, County Health Departments, Child Care Providers, Adult Probation, Juvenile Justice, County Extension Agents, Women, Infant and Children’s programs, Department of Health, Alcohol & Drug Abuse programs, Literacy Councils, business organizations and Public Housing entities.

Yield: Plenty

• Examples – • Regional Cooperation & Local Innovation Grants• Direct Child Care Funding Grants• Community Development Block Grant funding• Regional corporation grant funding• TANF Supplemental & Rural Expansion funds• Monetary Awards