Crawford Partnership & Crawford Works launch State of the Workforce survey

The Crawford Partnership and Crawford Works are collaborating to launch a workforce development survey aimed at gathering information about the state of the workforce, company challenges and growth, and the role training grants, youth programs and a holistic approach such as that offered through Crawford Works can support employers and members of the workforce.

The State of the Workforce survey will be open until Aug. 2. A summary of the results will be made available in August and will help inform future workforce development programming. The online survey can be found at surveymonkey.com/r/SOWSurvey24 .

“Understanding the biggest needs and challenges faced by our community is essential to the missions of both the Crawford Partnership and at Crawford Works,” said Todd Boyer, member of Crawford Partnership’s Executive Committee and chair of the Crawford Works Board of Directors. “This survey will provide critical insights that will allow both organizations to identify and better address the most pressing barriers to workforce development.”

Crawford Works will use the survey data to update a 2015 needs assessment that led to the creation of Crawford Works as a job readiness and work program in 2016. In addition to the survey, there will be in-depth, in-person interviews with companies and community service providers.

Goal is to identify model update needs

The goal is to identify potential updates to the Crawford Works model and structure in response to evolving workforce needs. Since it was founded, Crawford Works has helped 345 individuals participate in the workforce and has worked with several companies to provide coaching for retention services.

Crawford Works board member and former director Robin Hildebrand is assisting the larger study.

“The mission of Crawford Works is to help individuals achieve economic self-sufficiency through employment," Hildebrand said. "This process often takes years, relying on a network of comprehensive employment services and community partnerships. Crawford Works is unique, in that it offers lifetime support services to members of the workforce to improve individual job skills and retention for area employers.”

Angela Neef, former supervisor of OhioMeansJobs Crawford County currently affiliated with Crawford Works, along with Lisa Marcum, workforce development manager with the Crawford Partnership, will meet individually with targeted employers in July as part of this new study.

“We are excited to partner with Crawford Works to identify ways to improve the quality of workforce services to businesses and individuals." said David Zak, president & CEO of the Crawford Partnership. "We believe a hands-on approach to gather data and insights will help us better design and operate programs to meet the evolving needs of businesses and people in Crawford County.”

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Crawford Partnership & Crawford Works launch State of the Workforce survey