Employer Engagement Playbook:
Current Practices in Workforce Development in the Chicago Area

About this report

Effective employer relationship initiation is essential for successful workforce development partnerships. This guide provides insights into current practices across various workforce organizations in the Chicago area, offering actionable strategies for establishing, maintaining, and enhancing employer relationships. Each topic in this guide highlights key approaches, shared practices, and unique methods used by leading organizations, ensuring workforce professionals can tailor engagement to meet the diverse needs of employers.

Please use the table of contents below to navigate this resource.

Read the report

How organizations conduct initial needs assessment with employers, introduce workforce development in general as well as their own organization’s programs, and gauge whether an employer could benefit from workforce development programs. 

Ways that organizations follow up or otherwise build relationships with potential employer partners. How do organizations keep employers’ interest and stay top of mind, despite how busy they may be? 

How organizations collect and share information about expected outcomes and potential financial rewards and incentives.

How organizations are set up to build partnerships with employers, and how they leverage relationships with other organizations for better outcomes.

Common challenges and how organizations typically respond to them. 

There are multiple ways to browse the content in this report. In addition to exploring the topics listed above, you can use the links below to explore each organizations’ practices,

Additional information

The Employer Engagement Playbook emerged as a result of many workforce organizations seeking to elevate the experience of Cook County employers when engaging with the workforce development ecosystem, in the service of promoting equitable employment for Cook County residents. These organizations were eager to leverage the extensive expertise and strategies cultivated by workforce organizations across Chicago and Cook County. The Playbook is the product of interviews and insights gathered from various organizations, showcasing current practices in use by active workforce organizations. This tool is intended to support workforce practitioners who engage with employers as part of their work.

Organizations leading this effort have included, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: 

Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, Chicago Jobs Council, City of Chicago Mayor’s Office, Cook County Bureau of Economic Development, Origami Works Foundation, Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance, The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, The Innovation Nexus. 

Many other organizations have contributed to the Playbook by sharing content and/or participating in convenings to gather input.

The Employer Engagement Playbook is a resource that showcases current employer engagement practices in workforce development. Designed for workforce practitioners who interact with employers as part of their role, this guide helps you navigate the Playbook, locate relevant insights, and tailor its strategies to fit your specific needs.

The Playbook is organized into broad categories, each containing specific topics related to employer engagement. These topics contain real-world strategies used by participating workforce organizations.

Finding Topics

  1. Scroll to the “Read the Report” section.
  2. Each broad category has a “+” sign next to it—click the “+” sign to expand and see the individual topics grouped underneath.
  3. Click on a topic to view:
    • A description of the practice
    • Examples from different organizations

For example, the first broad category is “Introductory Conversations and Assessment.” When you click the “+” sign next to this category, you will see four topics listed. Selecting one of these topics will display current practices from participating organizations.

Browsing by Organization

If you prefer to see how a particular organization approaches employer engagement, scroll to the “Browse Content by Organization” section. When you click the “+” sign next to this title, a list with all organizations will appear. Click on an organization’s name to view its practices across multiple topics.

Using the Information Effectively

  • These are current practices, not best practices—you decide what to use or modify.
  • Each section provides real-world insights and strategies.
  • Some sections may include downloadable tools or external resources.

 

The organizations leading this work are exploring several possible directions for supporting business services representatives with information and tools. We’ll be seeking input from stakeholders like you to help prioritize the initiatives that will have the greatest impact. Here are a few possibilities we’re considering:

  • Building a Community of Practice: One potential direction is to establish a space where business services representatives can connect, share insights, and collaborate on best practices. This would foster a supportive network to help professionals navigate common challenges.
  • Future Convenings: We are also exploring the possibility of hosting a series of convenings, such as events, webinars, and workshops, where representatives can come together to discuss solutions, exchange ideas, and build connections with peers.
  • Expanding Existing Content: Another option is to deepen the content already available in the Employer Engagement Playbook, offering more detailed resources, tools, and case studies to enhance its usefulness and relevance for your work.
  • Regular Updates to the Report: We envision continuing to refresh the content of the report, ensuring it reflects emerging trends and insights that can guide your efforts in real time.
  • Future Tool Development: Finally, we’re considering the development of new and improved tools that could offer even more functionality and support for business services representatives.

We’ll be seeking feedback from stakeholders to help shape these decisions. Our ultimate goal is to provide business services representatives with resources to support their work, and we look forward to collaborating with you as we move forward.