Employer Engagement Excellence | Industry Sector Strategies
Regional workforce planning is a top priority for employers, but it requires more than simply posting jobs or reacting to shortages. Sector partnerships provide a structured way for employers to define shared talent needs, align priorities, and co-develop solutions with education and workforce partners.
AIR helps workforce ecosystems mobilize employer leadership, secure buy-in, and build strong, sustained engagement practices that lead to action. When employers help design workforce strategies, they see the value of their investment and commit to long-term involvement.
Our Projects
Strengthening New Jersey’s Workforce Through Industry Sector Partnerships
Industry sector strategies are proven methods for engaging critical workforce ecosystem stakeholders where the focus is on engaging employers to identify priority talent needs, aligning education and workforce programs by industry and occupation, and better matching of talent needs. NJDOL partnered with the AIR to strengthen the implementation and impact of New Jersey’s industry partnerships. This effort increased statewide capacity, deepened employer engagement, and established consistent systems and tools to support scalable, sustainable sector partnerships across key industries.
Industry-Led Postsecondary Partnerships
To strengthen students’ pathways through postsecondary education and into in-demand careers, employers and colleges must work more closely together. Industry-led, public-private partnerships have tremendous potential to build and grow these employer-college relationships, but little information is available on these partnerships and their postsecondary initiatives. AIR researched 23 employer-college partnerships and created tools to strengthen them. We developed a map, directory, and best-practice recommendations.
