Building, Strengthening, and Expanding Partnerships to Advance Equity, Job Quality, and Climate Resilience
The UCLA Labor Center, commissioned by the State of California Workforce Development Board (WDB), is leading a two-part, two-year evaluation process to provide analysis of the workforce development capacity of the eight skill-focused, industry-based training partnerships funded through the state’s High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) initiative.
The California WDB launched the HRTP initiative to position equity, environment and job quality at the center of the state’s workforce development system. The program funds labor-management training partnerships in a variety of sectors: healthcare, hospitality, transit, freight, water and wastewater, and building operations. The program aims to connect low-wage and/or low-skill workers to quality career ladder jobs and programs that include a climate change approach and vision for equity.
The UCLA Labor Center is developing a process evaluation to tell the story of the initiative, documenting the experience of project partners. The first phase of the evaluation consists of crafting eight project briefs that describe each of the partnership models and highlight expected impact and transformation within its industry. Appropriate metrics will be determined to assess the progress of funded organizations at this time.
The second phase will produce a final evaluation report that will assess HRTP models to tell the story of the initiative and how it can advance successful regional training partnerships and transform California’s workforce development system. The evaluation will monitor the successes and challenges partnerships experience in developing programming that addresses economic inequality, climate change, and job quality.
The UCLA Labor Center conducts in-depth interviews, focus groups, and surveys with grantees and key partners, including steering committees, private and public sector leaders or agencies when appropriate, to contextualize the projects and measure their impact and transformation. The UCLA Labor Center coordinates research efforts, shares information, and monitors the progress of funded organizations working in partnership with the UC Berkeley Labor Center, the Technical Assistance Consortium, and the State team supported by the University of Wisconsin.
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