Lessons from the Field

Intro

Cities across the country have been employing innovative practices to address the nuanced needs of their municipal workforces. From growing community awareness of public sector careers to improving the workplace experience of municipal employees, cities have seen tangible successes that can be adapted to any local context.

Grow Community Awareness and Public Sector Engagement

1. Introducing the Faces and Opportunities in City Hall in Tampa, FL (pop. 384,959)

The City of Tampa features a “Job of the Week” on social media to inform followers of open positions, including the position title, department, and annual salary range. Sharing this information regularly promotes municipal career opportunities with transparency and consistency. The City also regularly features current staff members to celebrate city workers and their contributions, share the experiences of workers from a variety of departments and roles, and shine a light on what city employees love about their community.

2. Demystifying Civil Service in Albany, NY (pop. 99,224)

The City of Albany hosts monthly Civil Service Workshops at community centers to educate jobseekers about civil service requirements for municipal roles. These workshops define civil service and its purpose, outline the benefits of employment opportunities that include civil service requirements, and help jobseekers understand how to prepare for examinations.

Expand Pathways into Public Service

1. Starting Small and Scaling Municipal Apprenticeships in Charlotte, NC (pop. 874,579)
   The City of Charlotte developed a water and wastewater apprenticeship program to recruit and train workers for critical roles in Charlotte Water. This program offers a structured pathway for a greater diversity of residents to be successful in high-quality water and wastewater careers. After piloting and finding success with this strategy in Charlotte Water, the City has scaled their apprenticeship program across several departments including Charlotte Fire, Charlotte-Douglass International Airport, Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), and Solid Waste Services.
   
   
2. Building Early Career Experience through Youth Apprenticeship in Madison, WI (pop. 269,840)
   The City of Madison has developed a robust Youth Apprenticeship program in partnership with the Madison Metropolitan School District, Madison Area Technical College, and other local and state partners. High school students work with their Youth Apprenticeship coordinator (a staff member within the school) to explore career pathways while gaining professional experience, college credit, and a state-recognized industry certification. The City employs youth apprentices across departments such as Fleet Services and Information Technology (IT). Youth apprentices go on to pursue higher education, further apprenticeship opportunities, or employment (including where they completed their apprenticeship).
   
   
3. Workforce Training at the City College for Municipal Employment in Philadelphia, PA (pop. 1,603,797)
   The City of Philadelphia established the City College for Municipal Employment (CCME) which offers workforce training and structured pathways to municipal careers. The program trains residents who are new to city employment and current city employees who are interested in upskilling to advance in their careers. CCME offers services such as career counseling and tutoring; internships, externships, and job shadowing; career wardrobe support; financial education; legal aid; free tax preparation; and more. This program offers a dedicated training pathway for city departments in need of staff for skilled trades, health care, technology, business and administration, public safety, and STEM roles.
   
   
4. Fair-Chance Hiring in Winston-Salem, NC (pop. 249,545)
   The City of Winston-Salem has expanded opportunities for residents with additional barriers to employment. The City’s Successful Outcomes After Release (SOAR) Program offers a pathway for people who were previously incarcerated to transition into municipal careers. SOAR is a six-month job training program that offers soft and technical skills development to participants with the goal of reducing the chances of recidivism while creating a stronger talent pipeline for municipal jobs. To support participants, trainings are held for city department leadership and other workers on how to create a safe and inclusive environment for justice-impacted employees to be successful in their roles.

Strengthen Recruiting and Hiring

1. Modernizing Human Resources to Strengthen Recruitment in St. Louis, MO (pop. 301,578)

The City of St. Louis, MO took 9-12 months to hire a new employee in 2024. Through a process mapping exercise, the City documented 94, oftentimes fragmented, steps in the hiring process with paper-based workflows and limited accountability measures to prevent duplication or stalling. Over six months, a cross-functional team (including Human Resources, Information Technology, and the Mayor’s Office) modernized and streamlined the hiring process by creating more efficient digital workflows and tracking through the City’s first Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Within months, hiring timelines fell to 2-3 months, job fill rates improved, and the City saw a return on their investment with a savings of more than $250,000.

2. Skills Based Job Descriptions and Minimum Qualifications in Philadelphia, PA (pop. 1,603,797) and Chicago, IL (pop. 2,746,388)

Legislation and policy guidance can legitimize skills-based practices (SBPs) and provide a roadmap for implementation. Executive orders and mandates have played a pivotal role in catalyzing the adoption and scaling of SBPs in state governments. At a city level, in 2024, the Philadelphia’s Mayor, Cherelle Parker, signed an executive order to remove unnecessary degree requirements for many city jobs. The Chicago City Council passed a similar city ordinance in 2025. These top-down directives signal leadership buy-in for a focus on hiring qualified staff based on the skills they can contribute and facilitate SBP implementation and scaling to expand municipal career pathways to a broader diversity of community members.

Improve Workers’ Experiences

1.Creating Consistency in Internal Communication in Little Rock, AR (pop. 202,591)
Through participation in the GROW Municipal Workforce Learning Lab, the City of Little Rock identified the need to further invest in systems and processes to facilitate smooth, consistent communication across city departments and roles. The City brought together representatives from across departments to understand where communication is flowing well and where there are bottlenecks, and to develop a cross-departmental structure to address communication challenges. This team developed an Internal Communication Action Plan with supporting documents that outline what is considered in or outside of the scope of this effort and a RACI chart that clearly outlines roles and responsibilities across the City. A cross-departmental team will be evaluating the City’s different communications platforms, tools, policies, and processes to ensure that all employees receive pertinent, timely, and consistent information to be successful in their roles.

2.A Model of Rural Government Done Right: Seamless Service Delivery, Capable Managers and Supervisors, and A Focus on Learning in Mount Vernon, OH (pop. 16,956)

Through the GROW Municipal Workforce Learning Lab, the City of Mount Vernon identified several ways to improve the employee experience across departments. The City is restarting and strengthening its performance evaluation process so employees receive more consistent feedback and supervisors have clearer tools to support them. Mount Vernon is also starting quarterly supervisor roundtables where managers can talk through common challenges, share ideas, and learn from one another. Additionally, the City is standardizing onboarding and building a more detailed checklist so new employees have the information, tools, and department-specific support they need when they begin their roles.