Inside the Black Box - Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago

Funding
Part of the continued success of workforce organizations facing tough economic circumstances may be
attributed to their ability to continue securing and establishing sufficient funding, which provides the
resources needed to produce, collect, and report successful outcomes to funders. These outcomes, along
with an organization’s established reputation with a variety of funders, help programs secure diverse and
stable funding.
The organizations that participated in this study also provided a great deal of insight regarding the
limitations and flexibility of funding. Funding requirements focus on the deliverables and steps programs
must take to achieve traditional outcomes. Agencies align their services and practices with varying
outcome measures, which can differ among funding sources. Funding must be flexible enough to provide
support for services beyond immediate job skills training in order for programs and participants to
succeed.
Organizations also described the challenges of funding silos that are encouraged at the federal level – the
funding that focuses on single types of program models or program participants. However, these silos
conflict with the comprehensive mission and services of many organizations. As a result, diversifying
funding becomes critical. Agencies and policymakers involved in workforce development need to have a
more system-wide, collaborative view of their work in order to ease the burden on providers while
improving the outcomes of participants. By working together across silos, policymakers, administrators,
and researchers can better see areas where organizations need more support and align policies in ways
that contribute to successful employment outcomes regardless of funding silos.
Partnerships and External Engagement
Strong employer relationships allow programs to achieve successful job placement outcomes. Programs
engage employers in a variety of ways, including through employer volunteerism and by providing
business services. These efforts ultimately serve the goal of building strong relationships with employers,
keeping them engaged over time, and finding job placements for program participants, including those
harder to serve. Dedicated staff and a dual-client mentality (participant and employer) strengthen the
employer partnerships among the organizations in this study.
To improve the quality of the job matches, liaisons from the training programs can work hand-in-hand
with an employer liaison. Having this established relationship and consistent interaction help to increase
graduates’ employment placement and retention. A continuous open dialogue facilitates the job match
process from enrollment through graduation, leading to better employment outcomes.
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