Workforce Development Framework

The OhioKAN workforce development framework is a comprehensive and integrated strategy for supporting personnel. The framework consists of five primary components:

• Initial training
• Coaching and supervision
• Job aids and practice guides
• Learning communities
• Ongoing training and professional development

The OhioKAN workforce development framework utilizes a variety of learning methods consistent with adult learning theory and incorporates key findings of implementation science including, but not limited to, stage-based implementation, just-in-time training, experiential learning, and individualized coaching. The modular design ensures that it is adaptable to changing workforce needs and hiring dynamics. For example, the OhioKAN workforce development framework includes initial trainings repeated monthly during the installation and initial implementation phase when many staff are on-boarded at the same time. However, the curriculum may be adapted during the full implementation and maintenance phases to support one on one and small group initial training when hiring is intermittent. Due to the geographically dispersed nature of this statewide program, all initial training is designed to be delivered virtually through video meetings.

The initial training is aligned to the position description for each role as well as overarching expectations about team culture, diversity and inclusion, and best practices for communicating with internal and external stakeholders. This set of trainer-facilitated, coach-guided, and self-guided training content is designed to be completed within the first 90 days of employment and functions as an entry point to the suite of complementary ongoing professional development opportunities. Each component in the framework is designed to be used in conjunction with one another. For example, coaching and supervision may include the use of job aids or practice guides. Similarly, learning communities may be leveraged to offer access to ongoing training and professional development opportunities across the state.

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Figure 6. A high level visual of the training structure and content for the initial training.

Initial Training
The initial training is designed to complement organizational onboarding. OhioKAN’s installation phase includes hiring groups of 5-20 staff at a time for each of two cohorts. Staff attend a sequence of initial trainings with a group of peers, many of whom have been hired for the same position. To facilitate relationship building and support coaching and supervision, their supervisors are also invited to attend the training. As part of initial training for supervisors, they must attend the training sequence of the roles directly reporting to them at least once so that they fully understand what practice expectation are communicated to their direct reports during training.

Initial training consists of general sessions common to all positions and role-specific sessions tailored to the initial skills and knowledge needed to be successful in each specific position. All staff who are responsible for answering family calls on the OhioKAN phone line must attend the navigator training sequence.

During the installation and initial implementation stages of the OhioKAN program, trainings reflect the staged rollout of services so that staff get the information they need when they need it. Early cycles of training delivery include usability testing and mechanisms for continuous quality improvement. The training material may be refined and improved after each delivery based on feedback from the facilitator and participants. To facilitate this iterative development, Chapin Hall debriefs with the OhioKAN Trainer regularly to review training feedback and identify action steps. While these trainings are designed to be delivered to a group of staff in similar roles during installation of the intervention, the materials are easily adapted for use in groups where staff hold different positions, or for one-on-one delivery as the program moves from the early stages of implementation to full implementation.

Ongoing Training & Professional Development
To build on the knowledge and skills acquired in the Initial Training, OhioKAN staff are provided with ongoing trainings and professional development activities appropriate to their role and professional goals. Some trainings are designed so that staff can move individually through a set of resources at their own pace, other trainings are facilitated by the OhioKAN Trainer or external partners, and some offer a hybrid model with assigned reading accompanied by a discussion with staff in similar roles. The latter can be modified from a group discussion during Installation to a paired peer discussion as the program moves into Full Implementation. The list of trainings and ongoing professional development opportunities in this section is not exhaustive. It is a starting point for the Installation Phase and will be updated throughout the Initial Implementation and Full Implementation phases of the program or as new trainings become available.

Ongoing Training & Professional Development includes any training opportunities offered after initial onboarding and aligned with professional goals or Key Performance Indicators. Much of the ongoing training and professional development coordinated by OhioKAN are offered in the context of learning communities and required for all staff in given role or cohort. Learning Communities will be explained in further detail in the following section, and can include external group training opportunities, peer-led discussions on a particular topic, and monthly cohort-based Learning Collaboratives, which are facilitated by OhioKAN staff or partners to further explore elements of practice and CQI. In addition to learning communities, individual staff may propose individual professional development relevant to their specific needs and request program funds to attend conferences, executive education courses offered by local universities, and other trainings in their field including those that offer education credits to maintain relevant professional licensures.

Coaching & Supervision
The use of “coaching” in this section should not be confused with the staff role of OhioKAN Coaches. Coaching is support provided at every level of the program to help staff meet fidelity, improve practice, and achieve a high level of performance. While the OhioKAN Coaches certainly do this, this description of coaching and the OhioKAN Coaching framework applies to every role on the team in regard to supervision relationships. OhioKAN’s approach to supervision is characterized as a parallel process of reflective supervision at every level.

Job Aids & Practice Guides
As listed above in the resource column, a set of job aids and practice guides are available for coaching and reference. These will be included in the Program CQI Cycle to ensure the content remains useful and current. Regional directors, coaches, and navigators all have role specific practice profiles specifying desired practice. Due to the administrative nature of the role of regional coordinators, they have a technical skills checklist rather than a practice profile. In addition to the resources provided through training, staff providing navigation services have a set of job aids available for their first 90 days of answering calls so that they are able to build confidence and work efficiently as they learn SACWIS. After 90 days of answering the phone, staff providing navigation services are expected to be proficient in documenting directly in the SACWIS system without the support of the initial job aids.

Learning Collaboratives
In keeping with OhioKAN’s commitment to continuous learning and growth, learning communities offer staff the opportunity to both direct their own learning through staff-organized opportunities and to participate in structured program- or cohort-wide education. Examples of learning communities include:

• Study groups to learn larger concepts like implementation science
• Staff-led discussion groups around inclusion, diversity, equity, and access
• Coach-led learning within regions
• Team-building conversations between regional directors and leadership
• Cohort-wide monthly Learning Collaboratives for continuous quality improvement and ongoing training (see the Learning Collaborative Framework for further specificity)