In today’s rapidly evolving labor market, many Americans need support navigating the complex education and training options that help them build the necessary skills for a changing world. These varied pathways – from credentialing programs and apprenticeships to on-the-job training – are collectively known as workforce development.
Workforce development is not just a policy buzzword, but a critical pathway towards lasting economic mobility for individuals and families. Despite major public investments in job training and employment programs, far too many people still continue to fall through the cracks, especially those navigating persistent barriers like unaffordable childcare, unreliable public transit, housing instability and limited access to education.
Community-based organizations (CBOs) are uniquely positioned to fill those gaps. NCRC supports community-based organizations with the tools, resources and partnerships they need to deliver effective workforce development programs. This support helps CBOs expand their impact as frontline drivers toward more equitable workforce systems. Grounded in trust and deep relationships within the communities they serve, CBOs play a vital role in connecting people to opportunity. They are not only trusted messengers, but they are also frontline architects of equitable labor markets at the local level. As we work toward a more resilient and inclusive economy, CBOs deserve greater recognition, more partnership opportunities and sustained investment.
Community-Based Organizations and Why They Matter
CBOs are nonprofit and grassroots institutions deeply embedded in the neighborhoods they serve. They’re often staffed and led by people with lived experience who understand the realities and barriers that too often go unseen in larger workforce development systems. What sets CBOs apart is their ability to meet people where they are.
They offer culturally responsive, wraparound supports that reflect the realities of those navigating systemic inequities, whether that’s a parent balancing multiple jobs, a young person disconnected from school and work or a returning citizen rebuilding their life after incarceration.
While traditional workforce institutions may focus on credentials or job placement alone, CBOs follow a more holistic approach. They recognize that economic mobility is not just about employment, but about creating stability, access to opportunities and dignity. CBOs often serve communities historically excluded from effective economic mobility pathways, including low-income workers, Black and Brown communities, immigrants and refugees, people emerging from the criminal justice system and single parents.
Because CBOs are trusted in their local communities, their leadership and staff can connect with jobseekers in ways that other institutions can’t by way of institutions deeply embedded in those communities, such as faith-based organizations, local schools, tenant associations and direct outreach initiatives.
CBOs are more than service providers. They are essential partners in building pathways to meaningful work, stronger communities and a more inclusive economy.
Core Functions of CBOs in the Workforce Development Ecosystem
Community-based organizations play a critical — and often under-recognized — role in making workforce development systems actually work for people. Their functions go far beyond employment referrals and general resume workshops. CBOs are the bridge between community needs and workforce opportunities, helping individuals navigate not only job placement, but the barriers that stand in the way of long-term success.
Their impact shows up in four key areas that are essential to building a more inclusive and effective workforce system:
- Outreach and Engagement: CBOs are often the first — and sometimes the only — point of contact for jobseekers who’ve been left out of traditional workforce development systems. They build lasting relationships with people who may not see themselves in formal workforce development programs. Whether it’s through community health centers, food pantries, churches or neighborhood canvassing, CBOs meet people where they are and bring them into the conversation.
- Wraparound Supports and Barrier Removal: Job readiness isn’t just about skillsets but about providing program participants with real stability in the immediate. CBOs help participants tackle the everyday barriers that too often derail career goals, such as lack of transportation, childcare gaps, housing insecurity, mental health needs and more. By connecting individuals to these supports, CBOs help people stay enrolled in programs, complete their vocational training and transition into the workforce with an actionable plan toward long-term success.
- Career Navigation and Case Management: Navigating job training, credentialing programs and employer expectations can be overwhelming, especially for people juggling multiple responsibilities or re-entering the workforce for the first time in years. CBOs act as key service navigators, offering individualized case management that helps participants move through complex systems, access financial aid and stay on track. Many CBOs also provide soft skills training (such as professional communication, digital literacy and time management) — skills that are essential for long-term career success but often overlooked.
- Advocacy and Systems Change: Beyond direct service, many CBOs play a powerful role in shaping policy and advocating for systemic change. They bring the voices of their communities into decision-making spaces, advocate for better funding models, equity-centered policies and challenge workforce norms that leave too many people behind. Whether it’s pushing for fair wages, more inclusive hiring practices or better access to supportive services, CBOs help shift the workforce system toward equity and accountability.
The Power of Partnerships in the Workforce Ecosystem
While CBOs are vital connectors and advocates, they shouldn’t be tasked with driving workforce development outcomes in isolation. For real, lasting impact to take place, CBOs need strong, sustained partnerships with institutions across the workforce development ecosystem.
These partnerships are not just about coordination, but about aligning systems to better serve jobseekers, workers and communities as a whole. Effective workforce systems depend on a network of partners with a collective vision all striving for equitable and sustainable outcomes. Key partners across the ecosystem each play a distinct and essential role in supporting a more equitable and effective workforce system, including:
- Workforce development boards that allocate funding, set regional priorities and coordinate training providers.
- Community colleges and adult education providers who deliver accessible, affordable trainings and short-term credentialing opportunities.
- Employers and industry leaders who can offer job placements, shape training curriculum based on real labor market demands and commit to inclusive hiring practices.
- Public agencies, such as human services, housing authorities and transportation departments, that can support the wraparound needs that help people stay employed.
- Philanthropy and private funders who can provide flexible, unrestricted and long-term investments in community-led solutions.
- Unions and worker centers that uplift worker voice and advocate for job quality, wage equity and safe working conditions.
Strong partnerships are built on mutual respect, shared goals and a commitment to equity. CBOs should be at the table from the beginning of any crucial conversation, not brought in after substantial decision-making has taken place. Their insights should shape every aspect of a community-based workforce development program, from outreach strategies to program timelines to the overall success metrics.
Effective partnerships also value and invest in broadening CBOs’ operating capacity. This would entail providing CBOs with funding for their administrative support and staff development needs, not just direct service delivery. Ultimately, when institutions treat CBOs as equal partners, they unlock the full power of workforce ecosystems to create meaningful pathways to opportunity for all community members.
CBOs are doing far more than filling service gaps — they’re building the connective tissue of a workforce development system that centers people, equity and opportunity. As a national intermediary, NCRC is proud to support this work by providing training, resources and technical assistance to frontline agencies navigating complex challenges on the ground.
Nearly 200 NCRC members are already delivering workforce development services in their communities as a core strategy towards economic mobility. NCRC’s ultimate goal is to help scale and sustain that impact by driving equitable investments into underserved places and toward underserved priorities. When we invest in the people and organizations most directly impacted by inequitable systems, we get closer to real, lasting solutions.
Doug Mollett is the Economic Mobility Program Manager for NCRC’s National Training Academy team.
Photo credit: Howen via Upsplash.
