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Workforce Development 101: What Kind of Industry is it?

Each day in my working life, I go to my office full of job seekers and workforce development professionals. I am surrounded by people that both know and understand what I do or at least have an idea what I do for a living.  I exist in a bubble of sorts where I don’t need explanation.   Then I leave the confines of the office and I enter my real life.

One of the things that is difficult is trying to explain the industry to non-workforce development professionals. Some industries have a name for people that are not in the industry. For example, in religion, non-clergy are “laymen” or for the military, anyone non-military is a “civilian,” but terms of the non-professional aside, these are the non-workforce folks.  

Recently, I was at an event in the community. People that had never met were coming together for a cause and the first thing is introductions.  As everyone went around and introduced themselves they mentioned their work or industry. One person worked in the information technology industry and another in medical. Easy to explain.  Then it comes time for my introduction.  After my name, I stated I work in workforce development.  Instead of the affirmations of smiles and head nodding everyone else received, there was silence that begged for crickets in the background and the blank look. Further explanation was necessary.

This is not the first time that I have had to ponder the industry. I have been on Linked In for many years and the site requires people categorize themselves by industry. I chose “Professional Training and Coaching” because I felt that this best matched my particular work at the time. I have seen other colleagues choose “Government Relations” or “Nonprofit Organization Management.” Sometimes I also see “Staffing and Recruiting’ as an industry.  I think everyone has chosen a correct answer as workforce development is an interesting hybrid industry with people working for many different types of organizations.

I cannot possibly be the first person to have this issue and over the years in my career, I have learned to deal with the question and preparer for the reaction with further education.  I try to think back to when I was a brand new workforce development professional and how I categorized workforce development in my early years. To be honest, I did not ever think about it. I just existed in the industry.  As part of the education of new workforce development professionals, there is a need to help them define the industry to others and how they fit.

For the readers out there that are seeking an answer, you can find an expert in the field for a definition or ask the all-knowing and all-powerful internet. Searching for a definition of workforce development lead me to Wikipedia, where it is defined as an “American economic approach that attempts to enhance a region's economic stability and prosperity by focusing on people rather than businesses.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workforce_development.   Not exactly what I was thinking. I do believe that America is not the only place in the world where the industry of workforce development exists and it is much more complicated than the online encyclopedia would lead me to believe.  I am also not 100% sure it is an American invention.

I have decided on my own definition. Next time I am networking in the cocktail party style and I get the “I have no idea what that is” look, I am going to explain my definition. Workforce Development is a public-private hybrid industry that seeks to connect job seekers and hiring employers in order to grow the economy and its workforce.  Quick and to the point. What is your definition?

Questions, comments, ideas to share? Leave a comment below.  Anything written above is my idea and opinion on the topic alone. I am representing myself and the thoughts in my brain only.  Feel free to reach out to me also by email at kcirincione@gmail.com, Linked In at https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenjcirincione or on Twitter at @kcirincione. ~Karen Cirincione

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