Within the workforce development field, there is a growing consensus that programs to improve worker advancement can be most effective when they are focused on targeted industry clustered and when they can align multiple, formerly fragmented, funding, training, social support and economic development programs into a cohesive system. 

Industry partnerships, bringing together employers, training providers, and representatives of the workforce within a particular targeted industry, have become an increasingly widespread mechanism for reaching these objectives.

This project is designed to support the development of strategic industry partnerships in San Mateo County, by providing an analysis of the changing workforce dynamics in the region.  

The region has been particularly shaped by high levels of immigration and significant increase in long-distance commute patterns, both into and out of the county.  We are analyzing these population and workforce changes in order to help understand how they affect opportunities for disadvantaged workers in targeted industry clusters in the county.  The goals are:

• to identify changes in the demographic and geographic characteristics of the workforce in San Mateo County that affect employment opportunities for disadvantaged workers

• to identify particular communities of workers within San Mateo that should be targeted for outreach efforts related to building partnership in strategic industry clusters.