Christy Jewell is a senior program manager for the Institute for Local Government (ILG); she can be reached at cjewell@ca-ilg.org. Rafael Aguilera is the program director for ILG’s Workforce Development & Career Pathways; he can be reached at raguilera@ca-ilg.org.

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Many local governments are struggling with limited hiring pools, unprecedented levels of resignations, and training the next generation of leaders. Even some public sector positions that offer competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits are struggling. Something else is at play, as shown in several new studies on workforce opportunities and challenges for local governments.

“People need government, but right now government really needs people,” said Caitlin Lewis, executive director of Work for America, which conducted one such study.

To better understand the barriers to entry and retention in California, the Institute for Local Government (ILG) ran a series of focus group interviews with employees from underrepresented backgrounds and labor relations staff. Our preliminary findings indicate that there are real and perceived barriers to public sector employment, including:

• Excessive hiring times.  
• Limited upward mobility and/or unclear career pathways.
• Ambiguous, time-intensive, and complicated hiring process.
• Misleading salary ranges.
• External perceptions of nepotism and favoritism.
• Emphasis on degrees or academic credentials over experience.

To address these challenges, cities may want to consider out-of-the-box strategies that many private sector employers have already adopted.  

Degrees … do you need them?

One concept gaining momentum is skills-based hiring, which shifts the emphasis away from educational background, years of experience, and job titles to the skills needed to perform a job. Many employers — particularly in the tech industry — argue that academic degrees don’t always ensure that workers have the necessary skills to do a particular job.

In fact, 90% of hiring managers nationwide say that applicants with bachelor’s degrees lack the necessary skills to perform their roles. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that requiring a four-year degree dramatically limits the pool of potential employees. The requirement can also have startling implications for diversity. According to Opportunity at Work, adding degree requirements automatically screens out around three-fourths of African American, rural, and Latinx workers.

“Federal, state, and local governments have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the trajectory of the labor market,” says Blair Corcoran de Castillo, vice president of policy for Opportunity at Work. “Skills-centered policy and practices are core to getting it right.”

Consider partnerships that build capacity and reach

Many cities already partner with outside organizations to efficiently provide public services. Cities can also partner with educational institutions and workforce development boards to expand their outreach to potential employees as a way around capacity and budget constraints.

Regional workforce development boards have access to programs and resources that can support recruitment, retention, and training needs. Workforce development boards can also provide job seekers with on-the-job training and offer wage subsidies to compensate cities for costs associated with training and supervision.

“A successful partnership between cities and workforce boards should include leveraging partnerships, achieving common goals, and improving, aligning, and expanding the public sector workforce pipeline,” said Anita Maldonado, executive director for Sacramento Employment & Training Agency (SETA).  

In Sacramento, city staff work with Maldonado’s agency to plan, align, and implement workforce development programs and initiatives, such as the Aggie Square Talent Pipeline project. The program connects underinvested neighborhoods surrounding a major development to high-quality jobs. SETA also supports many of the city’s youth workforce initiatives.

Similarly, Long Beach launched the Public Services Corps to encourage local college students and recent graduates to consider a career in local government. Fellows participate in a series of trainings and site visits that teach them about the many functions of the city, develop essential skills, and connect them with city leaders and staff. The fellows get paid, hands-on experience with city projects that align with their interests and career goals, as well as the city’s needs.

“Public service is a gift that we should share with future generations,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said. “The Long Beach Public Service Corps embodies a commitment to provide local students and residents with greater access to long-term employment with the city of Long Beach, as well as the healthcare benefits, secure retirement, and economic stability these jobs afford.”

Area colleges and universities support the partnership through information sessions, career fair engagement, and direct referrals of eligible candidates to the program.

Further north, Rocklin partners with higher learning institutions to recruit interns for the city’s Police Department, City Manager’s Office, and Communications team. John Jackson, the president of Jessup University calls the partnership with Rocklin a win-win for his students.

“By far, the most meaningful [benefit] to our students has been through internships and early-career recruitment of their next generation of young leaders,” says Jackson.

Rocklin City Manager Aly Zimmermann says the internships benefit everyone. Interns receive real-world experience and soft skills that future employers are looking for, as well as a better sense of how local government works.

“We are public servants because we want to make a direct impact in our community,” said Zimmermann. “These partnerships make that possible.”

What white-collar apprenticeships can do for cities

While apprenticeships have long been associated with public safety, construction, and many other blue-collar jobs. Now they are gaining momentum in nontraditional sectors like human resources, accounting, and IT. Known as registered apprenticeships, this promising trend could help cities fill occupations that are in high demand and notoriously difficult to fill.

“Apprenticeship programs can democratize access to top-notch training and high-quality public sector jobs for individuals from diverse backgrounds, all while meeting local government’s evolving needs,” said Erica L. Manuel, ILG’s CEO & executive director. Manuel also chairs the state’s Interagency Council on Apprenticeships’ Public Sector Subcommittee.

By better aligning training with job requirements, public agencies can ensure that employees hone essential and unique skills, resulting in industry-recognized credentials and a pipeline of talent. Earn-and-learn apprenticeships can offer a variety of career pathways, especially for job seekers without college degrees. Apprenticeships also help upskill and re-skill existing staff to increase career mobility or fill specialized positions.

Some cities have made moves to adopt this burgeoning and promising movement. Long Beach proposed a charter amendment that would shorten hiring timelines through merit-based recruitment while reducing redundancy and bureaucracy. If approved by the voters, it would give the city more flexibility to explore recruitment and retention programs like registered apprenticeships to fill their evolving workforce needs.

New resources from ILG

With support from funders like the Irvine Foundation, Broad Foundation, California Workforce Development Board, and the U.S. Department of Labor, ILG is building out the infrastructure to become a statewide intermediary for public sector registered apprenticeships. This will allow ILG to help cities implement nontraditional apprenticeships, with specialized support and technical assistance.

ILG will also launch a new public sector apprenticeship demonstration project with up to 10 jurisdictions to pilot programs for high-demand occupations. This program will form the basis for registered apprenticeships on a statewide scale. Later this year, ILG will open a Resource Library and Community of Practice. The digital library will feature successful workforce practices and provide a central repository and forum for public sector hiring ideas.

“Apprenticeships are one tool in the local government toolbox that can help cities compete for talent and lead the way in creating inclusive, effective, and resilient workforce solutions,” Manuel said.

To learn more about ILG’s workforce development resources, share promising practices, or stay informed about the apprenticeships pilot program, email workforce@ca-ilg.org.