Strategic Plan for Stark and Tuscarawas Counties in Ohio

The Challenge

In the summer of 2023, the Stark Tuscarawas Workforce Development Board (STWDB) embarked on a strategic planning exercise aimed at crafting a robust and all-encompassing three-year strategic plan.

The strategic plan and its development process aimed to help the organization fulfill its mission of helping local businesses meet workforce demands while effectively coordinating services for job seekers with various entities in the region. STWDB also sought to optimize its role as a workforce system partner in Stark and Tuscarawas counties.

The Solution

STWDB retained Camoin Associates to facilitate its strategic planning process and produce a final report summarizing recommendations to guide the organization’s activities through 2026.

Camoin Associates completed a thorough evaluation of STWDB’s current functions and operations, complemented by a review of its existing mission and vision statements to bring clarity and reaffirm the organization’s purpose. An analysis of the landscape in which STWDB operates was also conducted, encompassing federal and state regulations governing local workforce development boards, national best practices and trends in workforce development, and the unique realities of the local context.

The Impact

To gather critical input into STWDB’s role in the local workforce area, Camoin Associates engaged 54 individuals, including STWDB staff, local elected officials, board members, community leaders, the region’s Business Resource Network, customers, and other stakeholders. The process created an opportunity for workforce system partners to come together in the same room, share updates on their challenges and activities, and ideate on the workforce board’s role as a convenor.

The strategic planning process yielded a series of internal and external actions for STWDB to enhance its workforce service delivery, with strategies around board governance, organizational management, branding/marketing, industry engagement, job seeker awareness, and partner engagement.

Services Provided:

• Organizational planning
• Strategic planning
• Workforce development