This Innovation describes a collaborative partnership between acute and long-term health care providers, community and private colleges and nonprofit organizations, the Flint (Michigan) Healthcare Employment Opportunities (FHEO) Program. More importantly, the Profile report offers insights into overcoming barriers to forming and sustaining a collaborative in the context of operating a sectoral employment development program, as well as gaining and maintaining employer involvement.

Managed by the Greater Flint Healthcare Coalition (GFHC), the collaborative includes three local healthcare institutions that were experiencing difficulty filling patient care and other positions; Faith Access to Community Economic Development; Flint-STRIVE; Mott Community College and Baker College; the Genesee Area Skills Technology Center, and L. Herzog and Associates. Each partner brings its specific capacities to the effort, and all contribute staff time for collaboration on applicant screening and selection, strategic planning, decision making, public relations, relationship-building, monitoring outcomes, etc.

The project's goal is to educate, train, place and retain unemployed and underemployed residents of Flint in general and clinical entry-level healthcare occupations. The project aims to provide sustainable opportunities for quality employment and career tracks to disadvantaged adults, and simultaneously to address skill shortages in Flint-area hospitals and nursing homes. Owing to its early success and its potential for geographic expansion throughout this urban region, the collaborative recently received funding under ETA's WIRED initiative to supplement its Charles Stewart Mott Foundation funding and technical assistance from the National Economic Development and Law Center.

The Profile report referenced here contains a checklist of capacities needed (among the partners) to design and implement a collaborative healthcare employment and training initiative. It discusses the process of acquiring and sustaining employer collaboration, and highlights three key factors in this area:

• The presence of a high-profile employer champion:

• A collaborative leader (GFHC in this case) that is broadly representative of community leaders in the areas of government, hospitals, labor, business, insurers, physicians, educators, consumers and the faith-based community

• Ongoing development of programs that address key business needs

Finally, the Profile discusses a list of the challenges that relate to differences in organizational culture and capacity. It cites the need to develop systems for providing support services, uniform standards and procedures for invoicing and budgeting, and for data collection and management

For further information, write to wsi@aspeninstitute.org or go to http://www.aspenwsi.org/publications/06-021.pdf