Inclusive Employer Champion Solicitations
Are you an economic development organization, chamber of commerce or other business association interested in working with Ramsey County to build a more inclusive economy? Apply to be an Inclusive Employer Champion!
Inclusive Employer Champions will act as liaisons between their member businesses, the county's Workforce Solutions programs and the broader county workforce ecosystem.
Workforce Solutions, the County Attorney’s Office and the Finance department, as part of Procurement Modernization, are partnering on a proof of concept process to solicit and execute grant contract agreements. The learnings from this process will help guide decisions on the new contracting process in the future.
This grant opportunity is closed as of July 6, 2022.
Schedule | |
---|---|
Information Session | June 10, 2022 - 8:30 a.m. |
Questions due | June 13, 2022 - 2 p.m. |
Answers to questions posted | June 15, 2022 |
Applications due | July 6, 2022 - 4 p.m. |
Eligibility
To be eligible to be an Inclusive Employer Champion, you must be:
- Physically located in Ramsey County.
- A commercial club, chamber of commerce, economic development commission, economic development authority or business league including professional organizations and service clubs such as Rotary International, or a nonprofit development corporation.
- Ability to collaborate through the identified key attributes.
About
As an Inclusive Employer Champion, you will:
- Help facilitate relationships.
- Create two-way communication channels.
- Disseminate information.
- Engage members to provide input.
- Convene members to share resources.
- Implement best practices to close gaps.
- Identify shared opportunities.
- Support innovative, inclusive workforce strategies.
Strategy
Through Inclusive Employer Champions, our strategy is to develop a strong network of partners to engage businesses to:
- Foster trust and collaboration within the Ramsey County workforce ecosystem.
- Facilitate workforce development system change.
- Align and strengthen connections to the strategic plans of the Ramsey County board, the Workforce Innovation Board and the Ramsey County Economic Competitiveness and Inclusion Plan as well as deepen employer connections to the Ramsey County workforce ecosystem.
Mutual benefits
Economic development organizations, chambers of commerce and other business associations are strategically positioned to support businesses in achieving their goals. By creating an environment where businesses can grow and prosper, more jobs are created, the regional economy is strengthened and wealth is created for all.
This program will help reach these goals by:
- Increasing awareness and connections to the talent pipeline available through the workforce ecosystem.
- Deepening partnerships that interface with the region’s workforce investments to ensure that Ramsey County is supporting inclusive workplaces.
- Improving employee retention and satisfaction to build a more skilled, sustainable and dedicated workforce, decrease costs and strengthen the regional economy.
Attributes
- Shared vision and goals: Inclusive Employer Champions share the county’s vision of “a vibrant community where all are valued and thrive” and support the four goals of strengthening well-being, cultivating prosperity, enhancing opportunity and modeling accountability.
- Trusted relationships: Inclusive Employer Champions have a history of being leaders and fostering collaboration and engagement within both their member communities and peer organizations. Their member businesses see them as trusted resources.
- Mutually beneficial impacts: Inclusive Employer Champions believe and articulate that there are mutually beneficial impacts for Ramsey County’s workforce ecosystem, the Inclusive Employer Champion itself, and businesses. Inclusive Employer Champions offer value-added services and resources to businesses. Businesses can implement strategies that contribute to a more equitable, sustainable and inclusive workforce. All parties can engage in the co-creation of a successful talent pool pipeline to increase the efficiency of recruiting, hiring and training.
- Community reach: Ramsey County Workforce Solutions intends to engage with business communities in Ramsey County. We look for Inclusive Employer Champions to help us reach our objectives to engage with local businesses and existing or new sector workforce strategies.
- Capacity: Inclusive Employer Champions have the organizational capacity (staff, time, skills, tools and financial resources) to carry out the work tasks and meet the goals of the partnership.
- Communication: Inclusive Employer Champions are proactive in their communication strategies with both Ramsey County’s workforce ecosystem and their member businesses. Inclusive Employer Champions participate in active engagement strategies within their member communities.
- Modeling behaviors: Inclusive Employer Champions implement workforce development best practices within their own organizations. They embed inclusive hiring practices, promote equity and value diversity, measure and engage in continuous improvement, and model best practices to the member businesses in their offices and events.
- Delivered outcomes: Inclusive Employer Champions have a track record within their member communities of meeting agreed upon work deliverables and initiating activities.
Contact Us
Karen Bollinger
Principal Procurement Specialist
651-266-8077
Related Resources
- Addendum 1 (PDF)
- Pre-solicitation meeting slide deck (PDF)
- Inclusive Employer Champion overview
- Inclusive Employer Champion grant agreement template
- Ramsey County strategic priorities
- Workforce Innovation Board strategic plan (PDF)
- Ramsey County economic competitiveness and inclusion plan
- 2021-2024 local plan (PDF)