Worksource Oregon
INITIAL ASSESSMENT REPORT
NEAR-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS
OVERVIEW
The coronavirus pandemic dealt a blow to Oregon’s economy, one that was felt disproportionately by younger workers, women, lower-wage earners, and BIPOC communities. Responding to ongoing high unemployment coupled with strong workforce needs, the state legislature tasked a governor-appointed Continuous Improvement Committee (CIC) with assessing the effectiveness of WorkSource Oregon (WSO), the state’s public workforce system. The Committee—comprised of state agencies, post-secondary
education institutions, non-profit service providers, and local Workforce Development Boards from all corners of the state, both urban and rural—understood that access to talent and workers is imperative to economic development and growth. The CIC contracted with Coraggio Group to complete an Initial Assessment Report of WSO that included near-term recommendations to improve user experience and outcomes for disenfranchised communities and those most impacted by the pandemic.
APPROACH
Get Clear: Insights
Document and data review
Survey (895 responses), one-to-one interviews (17), focus groups (6)
Get Focused: Planning—User Experience
Create system and value stream maps
Understand WSO services, processes, and interdependencies
Identify pain points and opportunities for improvement
Partner with subject matter experts to outline recommendations
Deliverable: Assessment Report
Get Focused: Planning—Governance & Accountability
Map WorkSource Oregon’s current state: partnership structure, funding and resource flows, core programs and services, and decision-making roles and responsibilities.
Review national public workforce best practices and benchmark to six competitive set states.
Partner with subject matter experts to outline recommendations
Deliverable: Assessment Report
OUTCOMES
WSO now has two assessment reports that clarify the current state of service delivery and include actionable recommendations for improving the system's governance and outcomes for disenfranchised communities across the state.
System and value stream maps for key system customers: job seekers and employers.
Given the complexity of WSO and the general lack of awareness of its reach by both customers and service delivery partners, stakeholders now have a baseline from which to understand and improve upon the system.
The stakeholder outreach process helped repair damaged relationships with customers and partner organizations, resulting in a new framework for developing better relationships in the future.
“Access to talent and workers is one of the top issues impacting economic development and business growth. Through our work together, the State of Oregon now has a more robust system to match displaced workers to job opportunities, directly impacting the economic prosperity and health of Oregon communities.”
— Todd Nell, Director of Oregon’s Workforce & Talent Development Board