Workforce Strategies Initiative

Topic:	Collaboration
Project:	Flint Healthcare Employment Opportunities (FHEO)
Location:	Flint, Michigan
Institution:	Collaborative partnership among acute and long-term health care providers, community and private colleges and nonprofit organizations
Established:	2002
Abstract:	FHEO offers insights into the challenges of collaboration in the context of operating a sectoral employment development program. This profile offers background on FHEO and the partners involved in its implementation, and outlines the competencies needed to implement a sector initiative like FHEO. The profile then discusses the elements that have been key to FHEO’s ability to maintain employer involvement, and the challenges inherent in operating a collaborative structure that aspires to engage the specific talents of a diverse set of organizations. The profile closes with some lessons learned regarding the establishment of specific systems.

In the field of sectoral employment development, the Flint Healthcare Employment Opportunities project (FHEO) stands out as an initiative that has achieved active and meaningful collaboration among a wide variety of partners. Managed by the Greater Flint Health Coalition (GFHC), the GFHC and other partners representing health care employers, education providers, and community-based organizations provide a range of services that are integrated into an overall program service delivery model. Partners collaborate on program planning, management and implementation.

Current trends in public funding for sectoral workforce development initiatives increasingly promote or mandate coalition-building and development of partnerships representing workforce development service providers, the business community and other relevant institutions, and make the experiences of the FHEO particularly timely for examination and reflection.

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