About the Toolkit
A single source for workforce readiness resources
The Workforce Readiness Toolkit will help you conduct effective workforce programming in your Club. It includes customizable tools and tips, samples from the field and promising practices from Clubs across our Movement.
The content of this toolkit is organized by components of BGCA’s Workforce Readiness Framework, a research-informed approach to youth workforce and job readiness in Boys & Girls Clubs. The toolkit includes a Workforce Program Diagnostic; a customizable Action Plan template; and comprehensive samples, tools and tips from the field to help you start or improve workforce readiness programs.
Learn more about BGCA’s Workforce Readiness Initiative here.
Who Should Use the Toolkit?
For the time being, this toolkit is meant to support:
- Club level leaders (e.g. Club Directors) in planning and delivering comprehensive workforce readiness programming
- Those who have responsibility over single Clubhouse partnerships, program planning, and launching and managing programs
- Club professionals who lead workforce programs directly will also find this toolkit useful
As content like funding proposals, models for implementation, and partnership strategy are added, this toolkit will be helpful for organization-level leadership.
How to Get Started
1.
Take the Workforce Program Diagnostic
This should be your starting point and will help your Club measure its current workforce readiness efforts, demonstrating areas of success and improvement.
2.
Make an Action Plan
After the diagnostic, there will be an option to download the action plan to outline priorities and specify tactics/activities your Club will need to take in order to accomplish the identified goals.
3.
Explore our Resources
From there, you can utilize these resources to support and improve your program:
Tools
Customizable and downloadable resources for use in the continuous quality improvement process, including the Workforce Program Diagnostic and action plan template
Implementation Samples
Documents created by other Clubs or curated from youth-serving organizations to drive implementation strategies, such as teen recruitment plan
Program Strategies
Methods used by Clubs to start or enhance workforce programming aligned to the Workforce Readiness Framework
Promising Practices
Practices by other Boys & Girls Clubs to support a culture of readiness within the Club environment
Additional Resources
Additional tips and tools for implementation including research-based articles, websites and other recommendations
Continuous Quality Improvement and Workforce Readiness
Workforce Readiness is essential to the Club Experience and reinforces our mission to ensure all youth reach their full potential.
To prepare all youth with the knowledge, skills, experiences, and confidence to be ready for the great future of their choice, we must work to maintain a culture of continuous quality improvement (CQI).
Assess
Review available data and stakeholder feedback to understand how your Club is performing. Understanding where you are now helps you know where you need to go.
Plan
Collaborate with your staff to develop an action plan to build on strengths and address growth areas.
Improve
Implement the action plan with your staff, monitor your progress, and celebrate your successes in improving program quality.
