Partnerships That Work: Building Equitable Workforce Systems from the Ground Up

Equitable workforce development isn’t just about job placement or vocational credentials. At its core, it’s about ensuring a person’s race, gender or zip code does not determine their financial stability by helping people access high-quality employment that provides long-term economic security.  

While funding streams and sector strategies matter, we have to stay focused on the real people at the heart of our work. Workforce equity is built on trust, local relationships and meeting people where they are, which can only happen through cultivating meaningful partnerships. 

Effective workforce strategies are not created in isolation. They emerge through collaboration between housing providers, employers, small business leaders, training institutions and the communities themselves. For many NCRC members, workforce development is not a standalone effort, but one piece of a broader ecosystem connected to housing, entrepreneurship, credit access and small business development.  

These connections matter. They strengthen local economies and help close the gaps that often leave workers behind. An example of an organization that has taken this philosophy to heart is NCRC member Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV). WEV has long supported small business development and entrepreneurship in the Santa Barbara, California area, but their work is evolving.  

WEV’s team brought together single parents who have participated in their programs and asked candidly about the barriers they face, including childcare costs and the lack of reliable transportation. WEV then brought those insights directly to the table with local chambers of commerce, prospective employers and workforce development boards. Through these conversations and focus groups with single parents and community partners, WEV recognized that entrepreneurship, while important, is not always the best fit for everyone.  

Instead of drawing rigid lines between the workforce development and entrepreneurship fields, they are creating thoughtful connections across both. Because the program evaluation process was directly informed by participants’ voices, they were able to identify tangible, community-informed solutions. This is a clear reminder that community-based organizations (CBOs) do not just provide services: they shape systems. WEV is now building programming rooted in lived experience, with the result being a more inclusive and responsive approach to economic mobility. 

This kind of leadership is especially critical in cross-sector partnerships. When done well, these partnerships help CBOs, employers, training providers and public agencies get better aligned around shared goals for workforce development opportunities in high-demand industries. They help scale the right kinds of programming, address systemic inequities and connect people to real opportunities. But they only work when all partners, especially those closest to and based in the community, have a seat at the table from the start. 

Too often, CBOs are brought in after the fact. By then, the program design is set and their input becomes an afterthought. CBOs need to be a part of the process from the very beginning, helping to shape outreach strategies, establishing program timelines and deciding what success will actually look like. Strong partnerships value shared goals, complementary strengths and clear accountability measures. 

For CBOs looking to create and maintain strong partnerships, the following steps can be useful: 

• Aligning training with real-time demands. 
• Assigning roles in program design and strategy early in the process. 
• Sharing accountability measures for retention, advancement and long-term outcomes. 
• Providing visibility to funders and sector leaders through community-centered results. 

For employers looking to create and maintain strong partnerships, the following steps would be useful: 

• Building hiring pipelines that reflect the needs of the local community. 
• Improving retention practices and workplace stability challenges by addressing barriers to participation. 
• Supporting broader efforts around equity, inclusion and fostering economic mobility. 
• Creating a culture of continuous learning, feedback and adaptation. 

Setting clear expectations early is an important part of building trust in an intentional way. Memorandums of understanding (MOUs), appropriate planning tools and consistent communication help clarify roles and keep everyone aligned on overall outcomes. But a good process is not enough. Sustainable partnerships also require shared investment. That includes co-applying for grants, combining public and private resources in a way that leverages each partner’s strengths and ensuring that each partner’s capacity and mission complement one another. 

When workforce development initiatives treat CBOs like vendors rather than co-creators, the communities most in need suffer. When workforce programs prioritize job placement over job quality, they push participants into low-wage or unstable positions. When institutions fail to treat small and minority-owned businesses as equal partners, they limit sustainable economic mobility for entire communities. These missteps don’t just hurt programs, but they erode trust across the entire workforce development system. 

That is why minority-business enterprises (MBEs), women-business enterprises (WBEs) and small-business enterprises (SBEs) should be central to any truly effective workforce development strategy. They can act as trusted mentors as they are already deeply rooted in institutions in the communities they serve. Their involvement adds cultural knowledge and real-world insights that improve program outcomes. 

True systems change is about institutions moving in alignment, sharing power and building durable infrastructures together. We create equitable workforce systems by first creating equitable partnerships. 

At NCRC, we are proud to walk with our members as they do this important work. Our belief has remained unchanged: community expertise is not a footnote, but the foundation of what we do.  

This is the moment to invest in that expertise not just with dollars, but through relationships steeped in trust, understanding and shared decision-making power. When we center the people at the core of our partnerships, we can build more equitable systems for all.

Doug Mollett is the Economic Mobility Manager for NCRC’s National Training Academy team.

Photo courtesy of the Women’s Economic Ventures’ team.