Workforce Development Planning Research Articles

Building a Competency Framework to Integrate Inter-disciplinary Precision Medicine Capabilities into the Medical Technology and Pharmaceutical Industry.

Integration of precision medicine (PM) competencies across the Medical Technology and Pharmaceutical industry is critical to enable industry professionals to understand and develop the skills needed to navigate the opportunities arising from rapid scientific and technological innovation in PM. Our objective was to identify the key competency domains required by industry professionals to enable them to upskill themselves in PM-related aspects of their roles. A desktop research review of current literature, curriculum, and healthcare trends identified a core set of domains and subdomains related to PM competencies that were consistent across multiple disciplines and competency frameworks. A survey was used to confirm the applicability of these domains to the cross-functional and multi-disciplinary work practices of industry professionals. Companies were requested to trial the domains to determine their relevance in practice and feedback was obtained. Four PM-relevant domains were identified from the literature review: medical science and technology; translational and clinical application; governance and regulation and professional practice. Survey results refined these domains, and case studies within companies confirmed the potential for this framework to be used as an adjunct to current role specific competency frameworks to provide a specific focus on needed PM capabilities. The framework was well accepted by local industry as a supplement to role specific competency frameworks to provide a structure on how to integrate new and evolving technologies into their current workforce development planning and build a continuous learning and cross-disciplinary mindset.

On-the-Job Learning: Bright Spots of Governmental Public Health Employee Reflections on the COVID-19 Response.

This article is one of 3 research briefs that highlight valuable experiences and opportunities that can be thought of as "bright spots" of the governmental public health workforce's pandemic response. Using PH WINS 2021 data, we qualitatively examined responses to an open-ended survey question about workforce experiences during the pandemic response. On-the-job learning was emphasized as a critical component of employees' experiences. Seven "on-the-job learning" subthemes were identified among 91 responses. Findings indicate that the pandemic facilitated opportunities for on-the-job learning for various skills and workplace activities. Public health employees were appreciative of the opportunity to gain new technical and practical skills including communicating with the public and to experience new roles and responsibilities. Respondents reported other related benefits including career growth and leadership opportunities. Highlighting these unexpected benefits of the COVID-19 pandemic is important for employee morale and continued workforce development planning.

The Role of English Speaking- Skills in Career Progression: A Case Study among Sudanese Undergraduate EFL Students

The present study is to shed light on the nature and extent of the impact of English language proficiency on career advancement across a range of professional contexts by compiling and critically analyzing scientific research on the subject. The research shows on the connections between language proficiency, professional mobility, and socioeconomic circumstances by drawing on the ideas of linguistic capital, socio-linguistic adaptation, and globalized labour markets. Moreover, the English language has a significant influence on our workplaces and businesses. Regardless of differences in geography, society, politics, or religion, English has emerged as the dominant language in the global business community. Fieldwork was carried out at Vignan's Foundation for Science, Technology & Research, Andhra Pradesh. For this, Sudanese graduating EFL students were chosen from various courses of the institute.The findings show a significant relationship between job success and English language competency, particularly in fields where English is the predominant language of exchange. The extent of this advantage, however, it varies depending on the industry, the cultural setting, and the specific organizational policies. The findings highlight the importance of English education and training in workforce development plans, particularly in locations with a low native English-speaking population. Businesses may benefit from investing in language training as a means of retaining and developing talent. Policymakers may take these findings into account when creating educational curriculum and social interventions to address linguistic gaps on a larger scale. The investigation reveals a favorable correlation between professional advancement and proficiency in the English language.

Conceptualization of Agile Leadership Characteristics and Outcomes from NASA Agile Teams as a Path to the Development of an Agile Leadership Theory

The purpose of this study was to develop an agile leadership theory, which involved the identification of leadership characteristics and outcomes from agile teams as they incorporated agile principles to increase value to their customers. Although outputs of agile teams and how job satisfaction of employees affect customer satisfaction are well known, existing research does not fully cover the outcomes that agile teams generate. This makes it hard for risk-averse organizations to adopt agile transformations and efficiently equip their employees with agile leadership skills. A general inductive approach with strategies from constructivist grounded theory was used to collect and analyse data. Participants for this study were selected from agile teams at National Aeronautics and Space Administration using theoretical sampling and performing a constant comparative analysis driven by the data, aiming to draw out recurring patterns and most notable categories. Those resulted in four agile leadership characteristics and four outcomes from agile teams, and a proposed agile leadership model emerged as a path to developing a theory. Organizations can use these findings to support workforce development planning and measure their agile transformation efforts.

Two decades of health workforce development planning: What do we learn/miss

No abstract.

A Study to Explore the Perception of Companies to Invest on Training of their Employees in India

This research intends to investigate how Indian-based businesses view their investment in staff training. Investing in staff development has become crucial for organisations to stay competitive and react to changing industry trends in today's dynamic business environment. However, investing in training programmes requires large financial outlays, and the choice is impacted by a number of internal and external variables. This study was carried out using a mixed-methods technique. The quantitative phase includes a survey that was given out to a broad sample of businesses from all sizes and sectors in different parts of India. The survey's questionnaire was designed to evaluate organisations' present training practises, training budget allocations, perceived advantages, and challenges in offering complete staff development possibilities. Key stakeholders were interviewed in-depth throughout the qualitative phase, including HR managers, trainers, and senior executives from particular organisations. These interviews provide insightful information on how decisions are made, how to overcome obstacles, and how long-term business plans for workforce development. The study's findings provide insight into how businesses view investing in employee training as an investment in human capital. The study identifies the variables that affect how much money is allocated to training initiatives, including perceived ROI, strategic objective alignment, legal requirements, and the competitive advantages that come from having a skilled and knowledgeable workforce. The study also investigates how the fast evolving technology environment affects business training practises. It also explores how government programmes and policies affect whether or not money is spent on employee training. This discovery has important ramifications for both academics and business. It adds to the body of knowledge in the academic fields of organisational behaviour, human resource management, and strategic management by giving a thorough grasp of the factors that influence training investment decisions.

What Are Public Health Agencies Planning for Workforce Development? A Content Analysis of Workforce Development Plans of Accredited Public Health Departments.

Recruiting and retaining public health employees and ensuring they have the skills necessary to respond are vital for meeting public health needs. As the first study examining health department (HD) workforce development plans (WDPs), this study presents gaps and strategies identified in WDPs across 201 accredited HDs (168 initial/33 reaccreditation plans). This cross-sectional study employed qualitative review and content analysis of WDPs submitted to the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) between March 2016 and November 2021. Eight overarching workforce themes were examined: planning/coordination, leadership, organizational culture, workplace supports/retention, recruitment, planning for departmental training, delivery of departmental training, and partnership/engagement. Within each theme, related subthemes were identified. Coders indicated whether the WDP (1) identified the subtheme as a gap; (2) stated an intent to address the subtheme; and/or (3) identified a strategy for addressing the subtheme. The most common gaps identified included prepare workforce for community engagement/partnership (34.3%, n = 69), followed by resource/fund training (24.9%, n = 50). The subtheme that had the most instances of an identified strategy to address it was assess training needs (84.1%, n = 169), followed by foster quality improvement (QI) culture/provide QI training (63.2%, n = 127). While both of these strategies were common among the majority of HDs, those subthemes were rarely identified as a gap. Secondary findings indicate that increase recruitment diversity/recruit from a more diverse applicant pool was rarely identified as a gap (6.0%, n = 12) and rarely had an identified strategy for addressing the subtheme (9.0%, n = 18). While HDs recognized many workforce gaps, HDs did not always propose a strategy for addressing them within the WDP. Conversely, some WDPs proposed strategies for subthemes that did not reflect recognized gaps. Such discrepancies between identified gaps and strategies in WDPs may suggest areas where HDs could use additional support and guidance.

Competence development as a means of HR management in the field of social work.

Professional competences in social services are becoming the subject of interdisciplinary cooperation and require a multidisciplinary approach. The research aimed to identify which professional competences are required by social service managers, to determine which variables influence the expansion of social work competences and to categorize the professional competences. Expansion of social work competences is influenced by many factors according to specific characteristics of the organization. The results were obtained through a questionnaire survey of managers (n = 247) and employees (n = 219). All organizations providing social services in the Czech Republic, according to the Register of Social Service Providers of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, were contacted. The results were used for formulating a competency model for social services. The relationship between the selected variables and the expansion of social work competences was tested using a dependency test (χ2). The significant level of value was chosen as α = 0.05. The strength of dependence was calculated using a Cramer's V measurement within 0 ≤ V ≤ 1. The result of the measurement was to test the validity of the hypothesis (hypothesis testing), and the result of the test was related back to the theory (verification). Factor analysis enabled the relationships between the latent variables to be uncovered and allowed two groups to be formed within the professional competences. Results showed a relationship between the expansion of competences through continuing education, the evaluation of personal development and motivation plans, and the establishment of a set of professional competences for each job. The results suggest that achieving a particular competency should be part of a workforce development plan. Factor analysis revealed two groups of professional competences. The first group includes competences such as socio-legal counseling, analytical, methodological, and conceptual activities in the social field, and social counseling and social rehabilitation. The second group includes competences such as professional activities in facilities providing social prevention services, social diagnostics, and identifying the needs of the population and the region.

Let's Co-create a Sustainable Nurse Educator Workforce Development Plan.

Let's Co-create a Sustainable Nurse Educator Workforce Development Plan.

Building a Longitudinal Workforce Plan for Nursing

This article describes a health system’s work to implement a 10-year nursing workforce development plan based on the work of the state’s nursing workforce center. Key goals included improving nursing workforce diversity, advancing the education and certification of nurses, and building nursing leadership. Results were achieved through structural and operational standards, targeted financial incentives, and professional development strategies, including the design of a nurse residency program and optimization of academic relationships. Workforce development is a complex and multifaceted process that only succeeds with patience, resolve, and long-term organizational commitment. It also requires the support and full collaboration of state and regional workforce development efforts.

Developing Complex, Cross-Cutting Skills in the Public Health Workforce: Using a Crosswalk Analysis to Map Public Health Competencies to Strategic Skills for the Governmental Public Health Workforce.

In recent years, many public health organizations have used 2 frameworks for workforce development planning and action: the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies) and the Strategic Skills for the Governmental Public Health Workforce (Strategic Skills). A third framework is also available for organizations emphasizing population health: the Competencies for Population Health Professionals (Population Health Competencies). This crosswalk analysis-conducted by the Public Health Foundation with input from the Region 2 Public Health Training Center and the de Beaumont Foundation-harmonizes these 3 schemas by systematically mapping the 2014 version of the Core Competencies and the 2019 Population Health Competencies with the 2017 version of the Strategic Skills to produce a comprehensive matrix depicting their relationships. When developing training and curricula, health department personnel and academic faculty can use the results to identify competencies public health professionals may wish to master to build the Strategic Skills. Organizations can also replicate the analytic methodology to align the Core Competencies with other sets of strategic priorities.

Developing a specialist children\u2019s nursing workforce in sub-Saharan Africa: a descriptive programme evaluation

BackgroundAchieving Universal Health Coverage in low and lower-middle income countries requires an estimated additional five and a quarter million nurses. Despite an increasing focus on specialist nursing workforce development, the specialist children’s workforce in most African countries falls well below recommended densities. The Child Nursing Practice Development Initiative was established with the aim of building the children’s nursing workforce in Southern and Eastern Africa, and Ghana. The purpose of this evaluation was to enable scrutiny of programme activities conducted between 2008 and 2018 to inform programme review and where possible to identify wider lessons of potential interest in relation to specialist nursing workforce strengthening initiatives.MethodsThe study took the form of a descriptive programme evaluation. Data analysed included quantitative programme data and contextual information from documentary sources. Anonymised programme data covering student enrolments between January 2008 and December 2018 were analysed. Findings were member-checked for accuracy.ResultsThe programme recorded 348 enrolments in 11 years, with 75% of students coming from South Africa and 25% from other sub-Saharan African countries. With a course completion rate of 94, 99% of known alumni were still working in Africa at the end of 2018. Most graduates were located at top-tier (specialist) public hospital facilities. Nine percent of known alumni were found to be working in education, with 54% of graduates at centres that offer or plan to offer children’s nursing education.ConclusionThe programme has made a quantifiable, positive and sustained contribution to the capacity of the specialist clinical and educational children’s nursing workforce in nine African countries. Data suggest there may be promising approaches within programme design and delivery in relation to very high course completion rates and the retention of graduates in service which merit further consideration. Outputs from this single programme are however modest when compared to the scale of need. Greater clarity around the vision and role of specialist children’s nurses and costed plans for workforce development are needed for investment in specialist children’s nursing education to realise its potential in relation to achievement of Universal Health Coverage.

Transforming the pharmaceutical workforce in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a call for action.

Planning and development of the pharmaceutical workforce is fundamental to achieving universal health coverage and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) has recognized the importance of constructing mechanisms for transforming the global workforce. FIP has launched a developmental road map in order to support and facilitate global, regional and national transformations of pharmaceutical education and the workforce. Literature on the pharmaceutical workforce in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region is limited but what there is reports persistent workforce challenges. This necessitates stronger engagement across all countries of the Region to develop workable and sustainable strategic plans for workforce and educational development by adopting and adapting approaches to national transformation needs and the FIP roadmap. Countries have an opportunity to engage with FIP in collaborative programmes to implement the FIP roadmap locally, and provide proof of concept and a leadership model for other WHO regions.

Optimizing impact through the Tiered Doctor of Nursing Practice Project Model.

Colleges of Nursing (CONs) and health care organizations (HCOs) are increasingly embracing academic-practice partnerships (AcaPP). An HCO's workforce development plan prompted an AcaPP agreement with a CON for the purpose of increasing the number of doctor of nursing practice (DNP) advanced practice nurses in the HCO. Over a period of 6 years, 4 consecutive cohorts of approximately 100 HCO baccalaureate prepared nurses were enrolled in the CON DNP program. The AcaPP environment facilitates large-scale DNP projects among successive cohorts of students. The purpose of this article is to describe the innovative Tiered DNP Project Model, defined as the process by which current students build on and expand select DNP projects implemented by students in initial cohorts. The tiered approach to the DNP project is facilitated by an advising model that occurs in the context of mutually agreed-upon goals and compatible with the HCO strategic plan and CON DNP program objectives. In the Tiered DNP Project Model, select studies are chosen for continuation by DNP students in subsequent cohorts based on nursing leadership guidance of alignment with HCO strategic goals. The model has resulted in driving improvements in HCO patient and systems outcomes, promoted practice scholarship, and contributed to the quality of the CON DNP program.

Pursuing Public Health Accreditation: A Focus on HOW.

Balancing competing imperatives of conserving scarce resources while improving organizational performance and community health, many local health departments (LHDs) have decided to pursue national, voluntary public health accreditation as a guide to improvement, but how to do so in the most efficient way possible remains a question for many. This study employed a participatory action research approach in which LHD directors and accreditation coordinators from 7 accredited and 3 late-stage accreditation ready Kentucky LHD jurisdictions participated. Participants organized a set of accreditation deliverables into a chronological sequencing of each site's accreditation readiness process, which was then coded by researchers to identify similarities and differences. All participating jurisdictions had all-hazards emergency operations plans and public health emergency operations plans while none had workforce development plans, quality improvement plans, or performance management plans before launching accreditation readiness activities. Also identified were the number of accreditation deliverables attempted, simultaneously, by each site and the importance of specific deliverables having a singular focus. Sequences of work on specific deliverables by the majority of participants included completing work on the quality improvement plan immediately, followed by the performance management plan, the Community Health Assessment before the Community Health Improvement Plan, and a strategic plan, followed by a workforce development plan. Factors influencing accreditation readiness processes, elements for sustaining processes, and lessons learned throughout the pursuit of accreditation were also provided by participants. Recognizing the impact of staff availability, staff skill sets, training, and available financial resources on the pursuit of accreditation, participants determined that aggregating lessons learned into a flowchart highlighting the interconnectedness of accreditation deliverables could produce a road map for LHDs. Accreditation deliverables could be attempted in a logical, efficient order particularly valuable to small LHDs with limited resources and yet adaptable for those jurisdictions able to devote more resources to the process.

Improving Utility Succession and Workforce Development Planning

Key TakeawaysBeginning in late 2018, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's Engineering Services Group reassessed its programs to help address high turnover resulting from retirements.Engineering Services’ 2019 plan includes skills‐based and diversity‐enhancing programs to provide on‐the‐job training opportunities and augment professional development.Though roughly 25% of Engineering Services staff will likely be replaced over the next five years, the implementation of programs to attract, retain, and provide ongoing training for employees will help ensure a diverse and flexible workforce.

Creating Customized Workforce Development Plans for Medium-to-Large Public Health Departments.

The objectives of our study were to (1) illustrate a public health workforce assessment process in a medium-sized city or county health department and (2) demonstrate the insights gained by moving from the use of aggregate department-level and competency domain-level training needs results to more granular division-level and skills-level results when creating a workforce development plan. We used a 130-question needs assessment to guide the creation of a workforce development plan for the Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD) in Nebraska and its 7 divisions. Using SurveyMonkey, we administered the survey to 128 (of the 129) LLCHD public health staff members in June 2015. Using a Likert scale, respondents indicated (1) the importance of the skill to their work and (2) their capacity to carry out 57 skills in 8 domains of the core competencies for public health professionals. We identified training needs as those for which the percentage of respondents who perceived moderate-to-high importance was at least 15 percentage points higher than the percentage of respondents who perceived moderate-to-high capacity. LLCHD as a department had training needs in only 2 competency domains: financial planning and management (importance-capacity difference, 15 percentage points) and policy development and program planning (importance-capacity difference, 19 percentage points). The Health Promotion and Outreach division had training needs in all 8 domains (importance-capacity difference range, 15-45 percentage points). Of the 57 skills, 41 were identified by at least 1 of the LLCHD divisions as having training needs. In 24 instances, a division did not qualify as having training needs in the overall domain yet did have training needs for specific skills within a domain. When performing public health workforce assessments, medium-to-large public health departments can obtain detailed workforce training needs results that pertain to individual skills and that are tailored to each of their divisions. These results may help customize and improve workforce development plans, ensuring that the workforce has the necessary skills to do its job.

Create a Sustainable Utility Through Workforce Development and Succession Planning

Facing a wave of imminent retirements, Cobb County‐Marietta Water Authority (CCMWA) sought help with attracting and retaining well‐trained, engaged employees. The result was a plan that supports the Georgia utility's goal to be an employer of choice and maintains its stability and sustainability.

Is there a golden recipe? A scoping review of public health workforce development

This study intended to design a suitable and comprehensive approach for a public health workforce development plan with the ultimate goal of meeting the health objectives in different European Region countries. We performed a scoping review, including an accurate and exhaustive country-specific hand-search process, mapping the key concepts and practices used in public health workforce development based on the available evidence worldwide. We identified nine comparative measures, based on common features from a scoping literature review, for the assessment of public health workforce development plans available in selected countries. This list of nine comparative measures includes: (i) Alignment between the 10 Essential Public Health Operations (EPHOs) or core public health functions and organizational resources and public health priority areas; (ii) Regulations and Norms; (iii) Capacity Assessment; (iv) Datasets and Databases; (v) Workforce Development Strategies, Planning and Management; (vi) Education, Training, Core Competencies and Models; (vii) Licensing, Accreditation and Credentialing; (viii) Forecasting Strategies for Enumerating and Quotas and (ix) Ethical and Professional Codes of Conduct. These measures are essential to develop, sustain and modernize the public health workforce effectively. We propose a well-balanced set of measures for countries aiming to improve or develop their public health workforce based on instruments that are successfully used and applied in a wide range of countries with different public health systems. However, the implementation should be tailored and adopted according to the specific country context and available recourses.

Strategies and Tools for Public Health Workforce Training Needs Assessments in Diverse and Changing Population Health Contexts.

A key component of the improvement of public health infrastructure in the United States revolves around public health workforce development and training. Workforce challenges faced by the public health system have long been recognized, but there are additional challenges facing any region-wide or cross-jurisdictional effort to accurately assess priority workforce training needs and develop training resources to address those needs. These challenges include structural variability of public health organizations; diverse population health contexts; capturing both topic-specific skill sets and foundational competencies among public health workers; and reaching/representing the target population despite suspicion, disinterest, and/or assessment "fatigue" among employees asked to participate in workforce development surveys. The purpose of this article is to describe the challenges, strategies to meet those challenges, and lessons learned conducting public health workforce training needs assessments by academic and practice partners of the Region 2 Public Health Training Center (R2/PHTC). The R2/PHTC is hosted by the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and serves New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands within its jurisdiction. Strategies for responding to diverse organizational structures and population health contexts across the region; defining training priorities that address both foundational competencies for public health professionals and content-specific training to address local public health needs; reaching/representing target populations of public health workers; and analysis and report writing to encourage rapid response to identified needs and comprehensive workforce development planning are discussed. Lessons learned are likely instructive to other workforce training needs assessments in complex and ever-changing public health environments.