PROGRAM OVERVIEW

While Atlanta’s five local workforce development boards (WDBs) offer critical services to job seekers in the metro area, variances between offices in how these services were offered created challenges for customers. WorkSource Metro Atlanta, which is made up of the five federally funded WDBs and serves a 10-county area, and CareerRise embarked on a three-year, grant-funded initiative termed Systems Change for Economic Mobility (SCEM) to align processes across the areas served by the WBDs to create a more customer-friendly system that also brought shared efficiency and best practices to staff.

PROGRAM IMPACT

Sarah Flesher, Founder of Endurance Project Management and consultant for the SCEM project, led the work of the project and says the work has resulted in increased customer equity and access.

INNOVATION

Now centers have insight into customer behaviors and know which of their services offered is in the highest demand. Another innovative approach was the deep dive into data via a dashboard created by Emory University, Neighborhood Nexus, and the Atlanta Regional Commission. The dashboard was created using three years of WIOA participants’ data and provided a snapshot of the trends in each area.

PARTNERS

• WorkSource Metro Atlanta
• Annie E. Casey Foundation
• Atlanta Civic Site
• Atlanta Regional Commission
• Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
• Emory University’s Policy Analysis Laboratory
• Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
• Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
• Metro Atlanta eXchange for Workforce Solutions
• Metro Atlanta Chamber’s Opportunity ATL Initiative
• Neighborhood Nexus

LESSONS LEARNED

Change takes time, patience, and consistency. A streamlined system involves the entire workforce system, including the WDBs, staff, customers, employers, and providers.

“The streamlined process allows partners to better support customers and provide them with clear information upon referral.”
– SARAH FLESHER, Founder 

When Workforce Works is an opportunity to tell and highlight successful workforce programs, projects, and initiatives from the MAIP Partner network. These aren’t just any stories about workforce programs, but stories of programs that really get it right – putting industry first, engaging career seekers, and developing deep partnerships – the workforce “secret sauce”. 

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