Getting On-Board: Use of Government-Sponsored Boards to Further Business Interests
When Belinda Kovach, HR Manager at Oregon-based Don Pancho Authentic Mexican Foods, joined the Enterprise Board for Education, she had two goals: to secure better trained workers for her company, and to improve the workforce in the community.
Government-sponsored boards exist for a variety of purposes, but many, like the Enterprise Board for Education, are designed to tailor the resources of government to the needs of the community, and to confront widespread problems, be they social ills or economic development. The Washington Economic Development Commission, for example serves the latter interest. Not all community boards are government sponsored, such as boards sponsored by chambers of commerce. Government-sponsored community boards address issues that need more than just policy—they address issues that require more specific, practical solutions.
And, of course, federal grants fund the board’s existence. The Enterprise Board for Education exists to provide federally-funded training and education in order to meet market demands for skilled workers. It consists of government service providers, employers looking for solutions to skilled worker shortages, and other representatives from the private sector.
Like others who joined the board, Ms. Kovach realized her goals were interrelated—she was looking for ways to train her workforce, as well as address qualified workforce shortages in the community, generally.
Dean Craig, Manager of Personnel Source, a large staffing agency in Salem, had similar motivations for joining the board. “Our workforce need and workforce supply are rapidly converging and we’ll have much more demand than supply.” Craig said. "In that case businesses tend to move backwards.”
Michael Blanchard, a CPA with Johnson Glaze and Co. in Salem, noticed a similar pattern with the companies he serviced. “I deal with small business owners and I hear their complaints about the workers.”
Challenge of Developing Common Goals
Government-sponsored boards are an avenue for private entities to influence the direction of government programs that affect their business. Participation on such boards has increased business’s access to and awareness of government resources available that directly and indirectly benefit operations.
Some business representatives do not feel they are perceived as customers by government employees because of differing interests. Government service providers are often more focused on addressing the needs of at-risk youth and business needs can be complex.
“[There is] a constant challenge for the private sector to get public sector workers to understand what we need. It has been complicated,” Ms. Kovach notes.
Kovach developed a training program proposal for workers in the manufacturing sector. When she presented it to a group of government service providers, she was surprised by their reaction. "Workforce development response was apathetic at best. It gave everyone an opportunity to see that workforce development centers [needed improvement].”
The experience resulted in some important changes, starting with the board hiring a consulting group to better understand business needs in the counties the board serves. As a result, it appears to members of the board that the government-funded vocational trainings will be more closely tailored to needs of businesses in the community.
Mr. Blanchard believes the involvement of business managers on government-sponsored boards is essential. “The end user of our education system is business. The person who gets the training benefits the workforce. Without business input there is a train that doesn’t know where it is going. Governments need that feedback.”
Because government protocol often requires more steps before a decision can be made, than in the private sector, it often takes a while for representatives from the private sector to acclimate. Mr. Craig believes the complicated and slow-moving process also makes some business representatives reluctant to encourage colleagues to join.
“Business people are wired to make a decision right away,” Mr. Craig said. In fact, it could take six months to a year before everyone on the board comes to an agreement.
Results and Benefits
But like other members of the Enterprise Board, Mr. Blanchard maintains that despite the slow-moving process, the board’s mission is important and his involvement on the board will benefit the community and private businesses. “A lot of the boards are designed to encourage larger companies to move into the area, and that feeds a number of small businesses, plus there is an overall impact on the local economy.”
In addition, Ms. Kovach notes that her company has benefited from its participation on the board by being able to access grants that fund training for her company’s employees.
All three board members agree that the benefits of producing results through the board are not limited to individual companies; the board addresses challenges that ultimately affect all members of the community.
Dean Craig articulates this sentiment: “When we don’t have enough workers, businesses will go elsewhere, be it another state, or another country. In the manufacturing arena, we are going to have a problem keeping them here. If the board can affect that, then there are definite benefits of having the board.”