What effective employer partners do

Insights for backbone organizations from Washington Jobs Initiative employer site visits

‍

Overview

Backbone organizations leading sectoral partnerships spend much of their energy recruiting, supporting, and retaining employer partners. This document highlights what makes for a strong employer partner — the traits and practices that distinguish the employers engaging most effectively in workforce development. Knowing what those partners look like, and what the best ones already do, helps inform the way backbone organizations recruit, coach, and support employers.

These insights are drawn from five Washington Jobs Initiative (WJI) site visits conducted by Washington STEM across manufacturing, healthcare, and clean technology employers: JumpStart King County, CLT Care Academy & CLT At Home (Vancouver), Spindle Dynamics (Tacoma), Aquagga (Tacoma), and Urban Accessories with Amcor (Tacoma). They are not a representative survey. They are a close look at employers who are engaging effectively in workforce development efforts — and a chance to name the practices worth looking for, encouraging, and supporting across the WJI network.
‍