Rethinking Workforce Practices in Rural Arizona
While many rural Arizona communities have been facing workforce challenges for years; COVID-19 exasperated the need to rethink traditional workforce practices. Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) is a demand-driven, employer-led approach to closing the skills gap; building talent supply chains aligned to dynamic business needs. Local First Arizona has been innovative in pivoting this model to focus on crisis and recovery, as well as the evolving needs of Arizona’s rural employers. As communities recover from the impacts of COVID-19, the need for an adaptive recovery tool is at an all time high. Using the TPM Model to identify critical crisis occupations and crisis plan development will ensure resilience throughout Arizona.
Mental Health Collaborative:
The TPM Model is just as versatile as it is valuable to rural communities, Local First Arizona has partnered with local organizations in Graham and Greenlee Counties to help reduce the stigma around mental health, increase programming and processes for referral, and hire more mental health professionals. Partners include AZ Complete Health, Graham County Substance Abuse Coalition, SEABHS, CPIH, Mount Graham Hospital, Graham and Greenlee County Health Departments, Department of Education, and local police departments.
Behavioral Health Collaborative:
Local First Arizona has also been able to plug TPM programming into health goals identified in the Graham County Community Health Assessment. Through a Healthcare Coalition formed by local family practitioners this collaborative has teamed up to focus on children’s health and to bring behavioral health services to local families. This alignment will help mitigate the economic leakage and meet the demand for these services.
Healthcare Collaboratives:
Three rural communities have expressed the need to develop sustainable workforce solutions in the healthcare industry. Local First Arizona, Arizona @ Work, local hospitals and a handful of both Long Term Care and Assisted Living Facilities have teamed up to develop skill-based talent pipelines in Bullhead City, Lake Havasu, and Kingman. This regional coalition has identified the need to create a pipeline of Certified Caregivers and CNA’s.
Arizona Education Collaborative:
Arizona’s education system has struggled over the past few years in more ways than one. One particular issue, however, plagues rural school districts: Isolation. For this collaborative, Local First Arizona and Superintendents from (7) rural counties identified the root cause of the rural teacher shortage (and feelings of isolation) had stemmed from a lack of connection to their communities. Many are not from the towns they’ve been recruited to work, and many struggle to connect with the community and with one another.
Cottonwood Collaboratives:
Employers throughout Cottonwood have decided to start utilizing the strategic six-phase model to develop skill-based talent pipelines in several industries. Industries and employers include Spectrum Healthcare, Lawler Construction, and Dispatch for the City of Cottonwood. Local First Arizona Rural Development Council will help these employers identify critical pain points and goals through Demand Planning and other strategies within the TPM Model.
Page Collaboratives:
Local First Arizona has also teamed up with Page Economic Development, Arizona @ Work, and Coconino Community College to create a Retail and Hospitality Collaborative in one of Arizona’s most popular tourism communities. This collaborative is committed to creating a shared language regarding certifications and onboarding with a goal to implement a Soft Skills Certification and National Retail Foundation Certification in Customer Service. Local First Arizona is also working with other employers in the region to establish a Healthcare and Education Collaboratives in Page.
The Local First Arizona team will continue to address critical workforce needs in rural Arizona by launching an informational tour through Navajo, Apache, and Gila County to raise industry awareness, communicate workforce needs with one regional voice, and generate interest in creating a better talent pipeline for hiring needs and critical jobs. As the TPM Tour continues, the focus will continue to be on reinvigorating existing workforce coalitions and improving overall connection to place.
If you are interested in starting a collaborative in your community or engaging in an existing collaborative to develop talent strategies and address critical workforce needs, contact Lexie Krechel at lexie@localfirstaz.com or fill out this form.