Reach & recruit more public workforce talent in 5 steps

Recent guidance on allowable outreach activities opens opportunities to reach more public workforce program participants faster. We’ve curated useful tools to help you reimagine your outreach efforts and expand your impact.

VIEW THE GUIDE
what's in this guide
Start
With Strategy
Understand Allowable Activities
Justify
Your Costs
Get Smart With Planning Resources
Bring In
A Fresh Perspective

Start with strategy.

Effective public workforce outreach starts with strategy – and the best strategies connect your programs to the needs of untapped workforce talent. A structured approach to developing your outreach plan will ensure your investment reaches the right people at the right time.

A Friday team member places stickies on a wall.
Storytelling Audit

Consider the strength of your organization's storytelling
efforts.

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Communications Audit
Audience Persona Worksheet

Clarify the challenges,
needs, and strengths of your audiences.

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Deficit-to-Asset Practice

Rewrite your brand's statements to be more asset-framed.

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Understand what outreach activities are allowed.

WIOA outreach funds are intended to promote Federally-funded activities, services, and programs, not solely the organization’s name recognition or image.

Advertising

Advertising is an allowable cost, and appropriate for outreach for grant activities, services, and programs. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • print
  • email
  • digital (website improvements and display ads)
  • radio
  • social media
  • out-of-home (billboards, but signage, etc.)
  • text apps
  • QR codes
Public Relations

Some allowable public relations activities include attendance at, facilitation of, collaboration with, or participation in:

  • job/career/community fairs
  • rapid response events
  • one-stop satellite centers/mobile one-stops
  • community access points
  • high school/college career day
  • podcasts and other interviews

Justify your costs.

To determine if an advertising or PR cost is allowable, it must be considered necessary & reasonable.

Questions to help you determine necessity include:

Is this cost necessary for the performance of the grant?

Will this cost assist the organization in achieving its grant’s outcomes and goals?

Questions to help you determine reasonability include:

Would you have used your own funds to purchase such items?

Do internal controls (MOU/IFA, policies, subrecipient agreements, contracts, etc.) exist that designate/describe outreach activities and/or limits?

Get smart with planning resources.

Workforce GPS

Social Media Webinar

“Yes, WIOA Can! Post, Like, Follow, Share! Using Social Media as an Outreach and Marketing Tool”

View Webinar
The Harvard Project on Workforce

New! The Workforce Almanac

Mapping the workforce development sector across the US.

learn more
Employment & Training Administration

TEGL 3-23

Training & Employment Guidance Letter No. 3-23

view letter
Workforce GPS

Outreach & Marketing Webinar

“Outreach and Marketing for the Public Workforce Development System: Exploring the Possibilities!”

view webinar

Take the next step with a WIOA consultant.

From strategy development to campaign execution, Friday supports eligible training provider outreach every step of the way.
Web Design & Accessibility

Design a website your audiences actually enjoy while meeting federal accessibility standards.

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Email Operations & Asset Development

Collect potential participants’ email addresses for future outreach. Create engaging (and easy-to-repurpose) visuals.

Social Media Strategy & Content Development

Develop a sustainable social outreach plan and content to promote your programs.

Communications
Strategy Development

Reach more qualified program participants and keep them engaged from discovery to program enrollment.

get free wioa outreach support
Friday team around conference table.

Nice words from nice people.

Inc. Best In Business Award 2023
I was worried that developing messaging was going to be challenging -- word-smithing has always been a struggle for us. Working with Friday was a really collaborative process, and our staff felt very involved. I’m looking forward to reusing what we've created.

Meghan Baer

Director Of Development,
UChicago Network for College Success

The communications plan was amazing. It was everything we talked about. We were able to secure an investment from donors to engage a communications and marketing consultant.

Louis Ponick

Director of Donor Relations,
San Joaquin Community Foundation