Every Extension professional faces resource constraints. With federal, state, and local funding under increasing pressure, the challenge is only growing. External partnerships offer a practical solution for professionals looking to supplement resources and do more with less. Yet, effective external partnerships don’t happen by chance. They depend on the right conditions for success. NCHEMS had the privilege of observing those conditions in practice by providing supplemental Labor Market Information (LMI) data and support to several ongoing Extension projects as an external partner.
As explored in the FORWARD Curriculum, LMI is critical for Extension professionals working with their communities to develop workforce pathways that reduce poverty and alleviate worker shortages. However, some Extension systems face constraints accessing LMI and/or have staff stretched too thin to meaningfully engage with the data to inform programming or the community. Extension professionals’ expertise and trusting relationships, when paired with an external partner’s resources, can amplify and accelerate Extension’s work.
NCHEMS spent the past couple of years studying Extension’s functions. We developed and refined a framework that describes how Extension functions as a Connected Convener, in Teaching and Learning, and in Applied Analysis. Through that work, we partnered with experienced Extension leaders and practitioners across multiple states to support the use of LMI data in a variety of Extension projects. We gained valuable insights into Extension’s Applied Analysis function, the resources available in each state, and how LMI analysis is applied both internally to drive programming and externally to support stakeholders and communities. In addition to discovering ways to use LMI data, our experience has taught us effective methods for collaborating with Extension systems. We have gained valuable insights into the factors that foster successful partnerships between Extension and external collaborators, which can enhance existing capacity.
Three excellent examples from our partnership with the Colorado State University, the University of Maine, and the University of Arkansas Extension illustrate what effective external partnerships can look like in practice.
The Colorado State University Extension (CSU Extension) partnership illustrates an approach to program development that is anchored in community voice and supported by an external partner expanding LMI analytical capacity. CSU Extension conducted listening sessions in rural Colorado that revealed clear community preferences for workforce training: short-term, postsecondary programs with in-person support that allow rural Coloradans to improve their job prospects while remaining in their communities. With those preferences defined, NCHEMS supported CSU Extension by identifying in-demand occupations that matched community criteria. That analysis gave CSU Extension a targeted, evidence-based starting point for program development grounded in both community voice and labor market reality. Without community voice anchoring the work, workforce training programs developed solely on LMI would carry a greater risk of underutilization.
The University of Maine Extension (UMaine Extension) serves a predominantly rural state. One way the UMaine Extension successfully delivers its services despite geographic and resource limitations is through strategic partnerships. For example, in one workforce development initiative, UMaine Extension leveraged three partnerships to accomplish its goal. UMaine Extension partnered with a research team from the University of Florida Center for Public Issues Education to conduct a statewide needs assessment in Maine. The needs assessment surfaced an opportunity for UMaine Extension to support the financial well-being of small businesses. They collaborated with the business school within their land-grant institution to develop micro-badges that support small business owners in building their financial skills. UMaine Extension also partnered with NCHEMS for LMI analysis for their ongoing marketing efforts and program development. Through our work with UMaine Extension, we learned that in states with identified constraints in access to LMI resources, there are opportunities for external partners to support Extension’s work, and Extension professionals can lean into their strengths as effective networkers to foster partnerships that increase impact.
NCHEMS also learned that not all Extension systems face the same resource constraints in LMI data and analysis. In fact, some states have access to extensive LMI resources and are doing excellent work using that data to inform workforce development trainings and the work of external stakeholders. However, even in these states, external partners can add value, especially partners with experience working across multiple Extension systems. The University of Arkansas Division of Agricultural Extension, one such well-resourced Extension system, is where NCHEMS added value by conducting a requested workflow review to help the Arkansas Extension Center for Rural Resilience and Workforce Development better understand strengths and opportunities for improvement. By working with Extension systems, NCHEMS was well-positioned to serve as an independent voice and share LMI best practices that other systems were employing to address similar challenges, thereby further improving their use of LMI data.
Through these and other partnerships, NCHEMS identified the following conditions for successful collaboration between Extension systems and external partners on workforce development initiatives in rural spaces:
Partnerships built on a strong needs assessment, matched to address capacity gaps, and supported by an independent partner with cross-system knowledge can meaningfully expand Extension’s reach, deepen its analysis, and accelerate the work that strengthens communities. If you’re an Extension professional exploring ways to expand your analytical capacity, or an organization interested in partnering with Extension on workforce development, we’d welcome the conversation.
Read about our work with other Cooperative Extension site and what we learned over the past two years.
Serving Rural America Through Land-Grant Colleges & Universities