Blog archive

 What will the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) mean for sector initiatives and supporters around the country? Questions we are hearing at NNSP:

• How will new funding for industry-focused workforce development, such as in healthcare, energy, and transportation construction, be distributed?
• How can local workforce areas use their supplemental allocations?
• What’s the timeline for release of funds?

Following is our current knowledge of the ARRA’s workforce provisions. Read quickly! By tomorrow, there will no doubt be new developments.

Click "Read more" below for information and commentary.

This November 2008 article from Advanced Research Technologies, Inc. offers another layer of industry cluster analysis that might be useful in the world of sector strategies. The authors assert that traditional cluster analysis methods might miss some subtle but important "microdevelopments" at the regional level that could reflect innovative and entrepreneurial activities. They further assert that decision makers need better tools to detect these developments in order to direct appropriate resources to support industry growth or "value-creation." Two case studies (Northeaset Indiana and California's San Joaquin Valley) are used to illustrate some new ways to conduct an industry cluster analysis that might lead to more focused and pro-active policy changes.

The Council on Competitiveness has published a report called Engage: A Practitioner’s Guide for Effective Engagement of Business Leaders in Regional Development. The report comes out of learnings from the ETA's WIRED initiative:

Engaging the business community has been one of the most significant challenges in creating regional leadership in WIRED initiatives. Experience has shown that business leaders are usually most active in those development efforts which they themselves have initiated. In regional initiatives like WIRED though, business leaders are typically not the originators, nor can they act independently. Instead, they must collaborate with public, non-profit and educational entities that operate very differently. Distinct motivations and expectations, as well as differences in organizational culture, often result in difficulty recruiting and retaining business leaders in regional development initiatives.

WIRED is occurring at a dynamic time in the evolution of the role of business in society. Principles of corporate social responsibility are being integrated in businesses throughout the country. Many business leaders are starting to consider environmental, social and economic issues, including regional economic and workforce development, as strategic factors in the long-term success of their firms. As the link between business strategy and social issues becomes more accepted, firms are incorporating plans to address social needs into their core operations. Accordingly, appeals to corporate social responsibility offer an increasingly viable way to attract business participation.

The guide offers principles for recruiting and retaining regional business executives and suggests the approaches that can be most appropriate for different types of business leaders. Highlighted throughout the guide are case studies and examples of regions that have successfully engaged business leaders in development efforts.