This issue brief is part of a study funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Chief Evaluation Office that explores the implementation and impact of the America’s Promise Job Driven Training grants, which were awarded to 23 organizations in 2016. These four-year grants, funded by DOL’s Employment and Training Administration, support creating and expanding regional partnerships—including workforce development agencies, institutions of higher education, economic development agencies, employers, and community-based organizations—and are aimed at preparing workers for careers in middle- to high-skilled industries and occupations

This brief draws primarily on interviews with grantee and partner and frontline staff collected through virtual site visits with 18 of the 23 America’s Promise partnerships in fall 2020. Across these 18 partnerships, advanced manufacturing was a target industry for 11 grant partnerships, health care for 9 grant partnerships, and information technology (IT) for 10 partnerships. Findings also rely on data from a survey administered to all 23 grantees in spring 2019. Although the perspectives shared through the interviews and survey are not representative of all the members of each partnership, they offer valuable insight on employer engagement across partnerships. A companion brief, "Employer Perspectives on Regional Workforce Partnerships," presents findings from interviews with 31 employers who participated in America’s Promise partnerships.

Major findings include:

• Regional partnerships used multiple methods to successfully recruit at least 5 employer partners. Grantees typically established contact by phone, email, or via ongoing meetings of industry associations and chambers of commerce, which were followed by one-on-one conversations. Grantees recruited employers as partners for input on services and oversight or for work-based learning opportunities and job placement. Over half (58%) of employer partnerships were newly established as a part of the America’s Promise grant and grantees reported an average of 21 employer partners.
• All regional partnerships sought employer partners willing to hire participants. Of the 18 partnerships visited virtually for the study, 12 had developed arrangements with employers that committed to hiring multiple participants. Of the same 18, 14 offered work-based learning opportunities, 7 offered apprenticeships and internships, 7 offered paid internships, 5 offered on-the-job training, and 2 offered pre-apprenticeships.
• Interviews with program partners highlighted the importance of devoting sufficient time and resources to employer outreach and using incumbent worker training to engage employers.

Other key lessons learned were the importance of engaging small businesses, timing outreach with the grant life cycle, reviewing regional employers when selecting an industry focus, engaging in small- and large-scale hiring partnerships, and establishing strong relationships with business services coordinators.