Implementing the National Fund for Workforce Solutions: The Baseline Evaluation Report
| 2009
The National Fund is a rather young endeavor, yet this evaluation report reveals that NFWS is sparking innovation nationwide, that structural changes around workforce development are being implemented and tested, and that NFWS sites are successfully marrying workers’ training needs with employers’ workforce demands.
- More than 21 funding collaboratives, which pool funds in a community, have been organized. Several more are expected soon. 37 workforce partnerships – local organizations, ranging from community colleges to employers, which join together to develop training programs – have been formed. With the addition of new collaboratives, it is expected that more than 100 workforce partnerships will soon be operating.
- The 37 workforce partnerships served a total of 6,306 individuals. Indeed, NFWS is serving a population adversely affected by the economic crisis. At least 45 percent of participants had a high school degree or less. Forty-six percent of participants were African-American. Twenty-one percent were Hispanic.
- More than 40 percent of these partnerships are focusing on the health care sector, reflecting the urgent connection between building a skilled workforce and successful health care reform.
- The data regarding outcomes for individuals reveal early indicators of impact. For example, one year into the initiative, approximately 11 percent of participants received a degree or credential. Of the placements made in year one – 887 – 85 percent were in the sector targeted by the project and in full-time positions.
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