Connect Individuals to Meaningful Work
The prompt for this round of the FEDforum is New Year, New. . This week, hear from the National Academy of Public Administration.
Each month, at the National Academy of Public Administration* (the Academy) , we highlight one of our 12 Grand Challenges of Public Administration and February focuses on the challenge to Connect Individuals to Meaningful Work. Revisiting this challenge gives us an opportunity to review the work we have done in this space, and it also enables us to highlight some of the new work we are engaged in that focuses on the role public agencies and administrators have in preparing our people for the future of work and to address the complex network of federal programs implemented through grants to state and local partners. Universities and community colleges, employers, community leaders, state licensing boards, and unions all also have key roles to play and their activities inform findings and recommendations of the work the Academy does.
Last year, a Panel of the Academy published the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency report that was the culmination of the congressionally directed study addressing shortages in the federal cybersecurity workforce. It provided a detailed analysis of the need for training and retraining to connect people to new ways of doing work and to create alternative models for building a strong cybersecurity workforce. The report’s findings and recommendations around expanding efforts to train and prepare individuals to be successful in this rapidly evolving workforce continue to inform the next steps and government-wide conversations about closing this critical employment gap. The Academy has also begun working with the United States Department of Agriculture to assist them with their efforts to modernize the National Finance Center and to address the organizational structure of the Farm and Production and Conservation (FPAC) Business Center PAC. Both studies look to identify the best ways to meet the needs of the customers as well as the employees dedicated to these crucial missions. Findings and recommendations will be developed with the goal of connecting employees to the organizational mission and providing them with the tools they need to succeed in their positions. One last example of our studies that reflects this month’s Grand Challenge is our Comprehensive Equity Assessment of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. A key component of this study was to address any disparities in treatment that lead to disparate outcomes among all Montgomery County Fire and Rescue employees. We look forward to observing the next steps that Montgomery County takes to more fully connect its employees to the critical service they provide to the public.
The Academy’s work within the Center for Intergovernmental Partnerships has also focused on ways to better connect people to meaningful work across all levels of government. In 2022, the Center hosted a discussion of intergovernmental strategies needed to ensure that states have the workforce in place to implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program could create millions of jobs over the coming years and create new opportunities for people who have been sidelined and unable to find meaningful work. A critical question addressed was how to connect these people to the training and the jobs. During the session, speakers from the private sector, county, state, and federal agencies agreed that more effective collaboration and coordination would be needed to ensure the nation could meet its infrastructure workforce needs. The session highlighted apprenticeships as flagship on-the-job training that leads to a credential. The U.S. Department of Labor, through the Employment Training Administration, provides financial and technical assistance to states and localities providing workforce training services. The state of Missouri was highlighted for its focus on apprenticeships as an essential part of the workforce strategy. Their Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development meets several times each year with educators, employers, and workforce partners from across the state to identify and address community needs. Community colleges are also playing an important role in workforce training, providing the knowledge, skills, and credentials that allow students to find meaningful work, putting education within reach for many low-income students. Making sure we have an adequate workforce to build infrastructure is the responsibility of every level of government. In the 21st Century, no significant public problem fits entirely within one government agency or even one level of government, and our federal system presupposes that all levels of government have an important role in the democratic process. These intergovernmental relationships can amplify the efforts at each level and help close the gap between employer needs and the available workforce, providing new mechanisms to enable individuals to connect to meaningful work and contribute to our national economic prosperity. Tune into the Academy’s podcasts that will feature Fellow perspectives on this Grand Challenge all month.
**The National Academy of Public Administration (the Academy) is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization established in 1967 to assist government leaders in building more effective, accountable, and transparent organizations. Chartered by Congress to provide nonpartisan expert advice, the Academy’s unique feature is its nearly 1,000 Fellows—including former cabinet officers, Members of Congress, governors, mayors, and state legislators, as well as prominent scholars, business executives, and career public administrators. The Academy helps the federal government address its critical management challenges through in-depth studies and analyses, advisory services and technical assistance, congressional testimony, forums and conferences, and online stakeholder engagement. Under contracts with government agencies, some of which are directed by Congress, as well as grants from private foundations, the Academy provides insights on key public management issues, as well as advisory services to government agencies. If you would like to find out more about how the Academy can support your organization, please visit us at www.napawash.org.
The column from the National Academy of Public Administration is part of the FEDforum, an initiative to unite voices across the federal community. The FEDforum is a space for federal employee groups to share their organizations’ initiatives and activities with the FEDmanager audience.
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