Baltimore Workforce Collaborative

Baltimore

, Maryland

The Baltimore Workforce Intermediary Project is an alliance of approximately 70 organizations that are collaborating to improve the economic health of the city of Baltimore by developing a workforce system that prepares city residents for skilled positions with employers who are experiencing critical workforce shortages.

Funding Collaborative

The Baltimore Workforce Intermediary Project is financed by a network of seven regional and national foundations in conjunction with the BaltimoreWorkforce Investment Board and the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development. The foundation partners are the Aaron Straus & Lillie Straus Foundation; the Abell Foundation; the Annie E. Casey Foundation; the Goldseker Foundation; Open Society Institute-Baltimore; the Thalheimer Foundation; and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.

Together with key educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, the funders form a steering committee to plan strategically aligned investments, with the healthcare sector as its initial venture.

Originally housed within the Maryland Hospital Association, the Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare operates as an independent, nonprofit, workforce intermediary with membership drawn from both the health care industry and the funder community, including:

Health Care Organizations: The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Maryland General Hospital, Mercy Medical Center, Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital, St. Agnes Hospital, Sinai Hospital, Union Memorial Hospital, University of Maryland Medical System, and American Radiology Services
Federal and State Government Agencies: The Baltimore Workforce Investment Board, the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board, the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, the Baltimore City Office of Social Services, the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, and the U.S. Department of Labor
Educational Institutions: Baltimore City Community College, Baltimore City Public School System, Community College of Baltimore County, University of Maryland School of Nursing, and Villa Julie College
Other Organizations: Biotechnical Institute of Maryland, The Caroline Center, Civic Works, Empower Baltimore Management Corporation, Goodwill Industries, Job Opportunities Task Force, Maryland Center for Arts and Technology, Maryland Hospital Association, and Service Employees International Union

Key Strategies and Proposed Interventions

The Baltimore Workforce Intermediary Project is endeavoring to restructure the city’s approach to workforce development by creating a climate of collaboration among public and private stakeholders. The project supports the formation and expansion of sectoral intermediaries that coordinate financial resources and service providers to help low income residents find and keep jobs with employers who need skilled workers. These intermediaries convene sectoral planning, analyze the skills and competencies needed by employers in the industry sector, facilitate the development of new curricula and program designs by service providers, and raise revenue to run programs by aligning grants from multiple sources. The public/private funder collaborative works proactively with employers to support the work of industry-sector intermediaries.

Labor Market Analysis

The following powerpoint provides an analysis of Baltimore regional labor market. The analysis is intended to provide a picture into overall employment conditions and structural changes in this local economy, focusing on the period from 2001-2007. Though this data does not capture changes associated with the recent 2008 recession, it should still provide useful insights into medium-term demographic and employment changes.

The data analyzed here comes from two major sources: The American Community Survey 2007 (and 1990 & 2000 Decennial Census for some charts) from the U.S. Census Bureau; and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For a full guide to the data content, structure, and how it might be used, please listen to the June 16, 2009, recorded webinar available here.