Defining Workforce Development
From worker shortages to skill gaps, workforce development has become a popular topic of discussion in the state of Oklahoma. It is difficult to attend any chamber luncheon or business roundtable without the topic of talent attraction, retention or development being mentioned. Most people can agree that Oklahoma needs to develop its workforce and that finding good talent is difficult, but ‘workforce development’ is often used as a catch-all term. The goal of this report is to unpack workforce development by identifying what it specifically looks like, how to do it and who is responsible for it.
In 2009, two scholars proposed a definition of workforce development to best capture the breadth of the concept (Jacobs & Hawley, 2009, p. 2543):
“Workforce development is the coordination of public and private sector policies and programs that provide individuals with the opportunity for a sustainable livelihood and helps organizations achieve exemplary goals, consistent with the societal context.” This definition highlights that workforce development is a shared responsibility between both government and employers. Along with this definition, Jacobs and Hawley discuss four specific focus areas within the scope of workforce development including: 1. How schools and agencies prepare individuals to enter or re-enter the workforce. This includes traditional forms of education (vocational and tech programs, apprenticeships, professional degree programs, etc.) and other forms of education targeted toward adult learners and disadvantaged populations. a. How organizations provide learning opportunities to enhance employee development and improve workplace performance. 2. This includes ways that workers can gain access to lifelong learning opportunities whether that be from internal training at an organization or financial support for external training and education. a. 3. How organizations respond to changes that impact workforce effectiveness. This can include the adoption of new technologies and organizational development strategies beyond training and development. a. 4. How individuals are supported as they undergo life transitions related to workforce participation. This relates to the needs that workers may have at various stages of life, from childcare needs to accommodations needed to support an aging workforce. a. The goal of this report is to evaluate how Oklahoma as a state is performing in these categories and define areas of opportunity for policymakers and employers to develop solutions. There are many valuable workforce reports already established that we do not intend to replicate. We made every effort to utilize and cite local sources of information. The focus of this report is to go beyond traditional measures of workforce readiness and provide a comprehensive look at the variables impacting workforce development in the state of Oklahoma.
WorkTrends 2024
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