Who do we talk to first about upskilling through a partner?
The first people to talk to about upskilling through a partner are usually a community college's workforce development, continuing education, or customized training office, or your local workforce development board. The board can point you to training providers and funding in your area. The office names vary from college to college, so ask for the people who design training for employers. Private training providers and industry associations may also offer what you need.
Bring specifics to the first conversation: the skills employees need, the roles involved, how many people, when they could attend, and when you need the skills in place. If you're still deciding whether to develop current employees or hire, Should we upskill the people we have instead of hiring? covers that decision. Working with a college to build a pipeline of new hires is a different question, and How do we start working with a local college or school district on our hiring needs? covers it.
Who pays for training through a college or training partner?
Who pays for training through a college or training partner is usually the employer, at least in part, but public workforce funding may cover some of the cost. Under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), a local workforce development board may reserve up to 20 percent of its adult and dislocated worker funds for incumbent worker training. That's training for current employees, designed to meet an employer's needs, with a commitment from the employer to keep the workers it trains. The employer pays the rest of the cost: at least 10 percent for employers with 50 or fewer employees, 25 percent for 51 to 100 employees, and 50 percent for more than 100. The wages you pay employees while they attend training can count toward your share.
Whether this funding is available, and how much, depends on your state and your local board's policies and budget, so ask them directly. Ask the college as well, since it may know of state programs or other sources, and check whether your own tuition assistance could apply.
How do we fit training around shifts and the work that still has to get done?
Fitting training around shifts starts with deciding where and when it happens, and then deciding who covers the work while employees attend. Training can take place at your site, on campus, online, or in some combination, and it can happen during paid work hours or outside them. Each choice affects who can take part. For example, employees on night shifts, or with caregiving responsibilities, may not be able to attend sessions scheduled for the convenience of the rest of the team.
Ask the employees involved what schedule would work for them before you settle on one. Plan coverage in advance, because training added on top of a full workload with no one covering the work shifts the strain onto the employees you're trying to develop and onto their coworkers. Supervisors need support too. They're often the ones adjusting schedules, covering gaps, and helping employees use what they learn, so they should know what the training is for and have the time to support it.
What should we agree on with the partner before training starts?
Before training starts, agree with the partner on what employees will earn, who owns the curriculum, what your organization will supply, and how you'll know the training worked. On what employees earn, find out whether the training carries college credit or leads to a recognized credential that employees keep if they leave, or whether it ends at your door. Credit can give employees a next step toward a certificate or degree.
On ownership, settle whether you can reuse the materials, whether the partner can offer the same course to other employers, and how content specific to your organization will be handled. On what you supply, that may include subject experts, equipment, examples drawn from your own work, and a named contact who answers the partner's questions. Finally, decide before training begins what should be different on the job afterward, and how you'll check. How do I know if our training is worth what we spend on it? covers that question.
The Grantibly perspective
Angelika's perspective
Workforce development doesn't end when someone gets hired. Employers also need to understand what happens after employees arrive, including whether they see opportunities to grow.
When an organization invests in training its people, that investment should be reflected in how those employees are treated: whether they have the time to learn, whether their work is redistributed while they do, and whether their supervisors have support so they can support their employees. It isn't enough to say that employees matter. Sometimes that means investing money, changing policies, or redistributing workloads.
And when the training is done, the question to come back to is whether the changes improved the outcomes you were trying to improve.
