Photo: Harry Connolly

Welcome to Enterprise's Workforce Development Step-By-Step, an online tool for organizations that want to improve their existing workforce development program or are considering starting one up.

Implementing a new workforce development program is a complex and strenuous task that should be done only after very careful consideration. Your clients might be better served through your collaborating with local, experienced workforce providers. Nonetheless, this tool can help you think through the various aspects of creating a new program.

Workforce Development Step-By-Step is designed to help your workforce development program serve both job seekers and employers with equal success. It links you to tools, strategies, Internet resources and suggestions for improving program performance.

This tutorial guides workforce service providers clearly, systematically and chronologically through six sections. Each section addresses key strategies and tools related to its theme. You can review the various sections in sequence or click on a specific section to review and download relevant material. For a complete listing of each section, key strategy and attached resource, go to the list of resources for easy navigation.

Within each section, the key strategies are defined and explained in more detail. Each key strategy also includes links to a variety of helpful resources

• Section One: Community Outreach and Recruitment
• Section Two: Intake, Assessment and Identifying Barriers to Employment
• Section Three: Preparing Job Seekers for the Workplace
• Section Four: Job Development and Placement
• Section Five: Job Retention
• Section Six: Career Advancement

Background
The methodologies, tools and expertise included in this tutorial reflect Enterprise's work in helping nonprofit organizations deliver employment programs that move people from dependency to self-sufficiency. The data is culled from our supporting nonprofits through our Community Employment Alliance and from our work with 27 local partners in an $8 million Welfare-to-Work grant from the U.S. Department of Labor that began in 1998. This work has helped employ more than 1,000 welfare recipients and other hard-to-place individuals while simultaneously helping workforce providers become more proficient in supporting people with multiple barriers to employment.

Funds from the U.S. Department of Labor were used to develop this tool. We are grateful for their support. This tool does not necessarily represent the official opinion or policy of the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration.

This tool is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information on workforce development programs. It is offered with the understanding that Enterprise is not rendering legal, accounting or other project-specific advice. For expert assistance, contact a competent professional.