How to Build a Team
Download team building guidance and FAQs here
Academy registration will give preference (in space and cost) to teams of individuals from the same local area, labor market region or state. Teams must include leadership from workforce development, education entities (K-20), economic development organizations, Chambers of Commerce, and other stakeholders.
Teams of 6-10 individuals from the same state, local area or labor market region seeking to expand industry engagement efforts via Next Gen Sector Partnerships should register. Teams must have a minimum of 6 individuals (maximum of 10). This is important. Full teams will be provided a skilled team-time facilitator to help them take stock and plan for coordinated sector partnership activity. Team times (60-90 minute sessions) will allow teams to synthesize and apply what they’re learning to their own communities and states, and develop shared action plans to take home. Groups of less than 6 individuals will not receive a dedicated facilitator during team times, and must register as individuals. Space is reserved for 15 teams of 6-10 individuals each.
Start identifying and inviting individuals in workforce, education and economic development organizations in your local area, labor market region or state that could come together as a team and register! Early Bird Team Registration Cost (ends December 20, 2016) : $248/ person.
Frequently Asked Questions
I DO NOT HAVE A FULL TEAM TO ATTEND. CAN I STILL PARTICIPATE?
If I attend as an individual, what will I walk away from the academy with?
I'm totally new to this. What can I expect?
Yes! If you are a practitioners, i.e. someone employed by a workforce, education or economic development organization, or individuals from State agencies.
Limited spaces are reserved for individuals not attending as part of a team. Due to high demand, these individual spaces will be reserved for practitioners only. Other interested stakeholders (including Federal Government representatives, national organizations, and consultants) can register by invitation only. If you are unsure of eligibility, please inquire at info@nextgensectorpartnerships.com.
As an individual participant, you will:
Learn directly from expert practitioners currently convening successful sector partnerships
Participate in focused, peer-driven breakout sessions on topics like recruiting industry, building a support team, and measuring success
Join role-playing and simulation-based exercises that provide clear visions of what good sector partnerships look and feel like
Contribute to critical conversations related to connecting sector partnerships with career pathways and apprenticeships.
This Academy is designed to meet you and your team where you're at. You will find the content, workshops and team times full of information about how to get started, how to design and launch sector partnerships, and what to expect over the life cycle of good partnerships. If you feel like a newcomer to the concept and practice of sector partnerships, this Academy is an accelerated way to prepare for the launch of next gen partnerships and learn directly from the best in the field.
I've been doing sector strategy work for a long time. Why should I attend?
As you know, the world of sector strategies has changed over the past 20 years. Many workforce and education organizations have done well working with industry to develop sectoral training and education programs. Next Generation Sector Partnerships leverage decades of this knowledge and experience, but they add in new lessons learned about sustainability, authentic business partnering, and coordinated approaches to industry that are game changers for short- and long-term impact for jobseekers, companies and public programs. If you feel like you've been doing this for a long time, you should definitely organize a team to attend the Academy. Make sure you're adding your experience and knowledge to the field, and go home with new insights and lessons to take your sector efforts to the next level.
What kinds of organizations should be represented on a team?
Teams of 6-10 individuals should represent a balanced combination of Workforce Development Boards, Job Centers, community-based organizations, workforce organizations, representatives from K-12 school districts, community/technical colleges, universities, economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, organized labor organizations, elected officials, and other stakeholders. Sector partnerships are local or regional, but State leadership can help create the right conditions for their success. Therefore, state system leaders from education (K-12, Community Colleges and other higher education), workforce development (Boards and agencies) and economic development can also attend as part of a local/regional team.
Special Note for Individuals from State Agencies:
States interested in bringing a team of mostly state-level individuals are encouraged to do so, as long as the team also includes 2-3 local practitioners from workforce development, education and/or economic development. This combination will help ensure that state leaders create the right incentives for local partnership success, and that locals are given ample opportunity to be an early adopter of the model.
Who from these organizations should be on the team?
Individuals should represent executive or leadership level positions as much as possible. The Academy is designed for teams to make joint decisions together about how to expand and launch formal, coordinated sector partnerships together. This requires decision-making authority across organizations or agencies represented on each team.
Should businesses (or employers) be a part of the team?
Not necessarily. Consider this Academy as an opportunity for critical “support partners” (non-industry partners) get on the same page, make joint decisions about target industries, and do coordinated planning around the design and launch (or expansion) of one or more sector partnerships. Business partners do not need to be involved in these discussions, and in some cases, should not be. There are exceptions to this rule: if your area or state is lucky enough to have a business partner who is a true advocate for this type of work, who will not bias the discussions toward his/her industry, and who can help advocate for the model once home, by all means include him or her on your team.
How should teams be built?
If you think your local area or region will benefit from this Academy, start thinking about and inviting individuals to join your team! Share the www.nextgenerationsectorpartnerships.com and other critical information with them, and start building your team. Remember, space is limited to up to 10 individuals, so make sure you have the right people. If you think others in your area may also be thinking about attending, connect with them now and start building a team together. We will only be able to accommodate one team from each local area or labor market region.
How much is registration and When should teams register?
The cost to attend the Academy is $298 per person for team registration and $345 for individual registration. The final registration cut off is January 16th.
What steps do I need to take to register as a part of a team?
Steps to Register a Team:
1. Choose to register as a team
2. If you are the first person on your team to register, congrats! You should create a team name (I.e.- New Orleans Health Partnership or NM Sectors Team) and proceed to register. Once you have registered, don’t forget to share your team name with your teammates and encourage them to register ASAP! You will also receive an email with additional information.
3. If you know your team name and password, please enter it after selecting to register as a team
4. If you have any questions, please contact info@nextgensectorpartnerships.com and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
How can you find out more about team building?
It is important that teams are made up of the right people and the right organizations in order to get full value out of Academy participation. Interested parties will have two ways to get help thinking through the who and how of good team building. Academy staff will host a virtual Chat session on December 1st from 3-4pm ET for open Q&A, and will also be available to schedule individual one-on-one calls with teams or “team-builders” (individuals interested in building a team). To schedule a one-on-one call, please e-mail info@nextgensectorpartnerships.com.