DEED presents the Imagine Group with a Minnesota Job Skills Partnership grant to create diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) training and curriculum

In recent weeks we’ve been sharing about our agency’s commitments to racial equity. We’ve written about how we reformed programs to remove systemic barriers; increased our engagement and outreach; and directed dollars to targeted communities. In this fourth installment in our Racial Equity Commitments series, we share our central philosophy of agency leadership: make equity everyone’s job.

At DEED, every team sets its own goals focused on making systemic changes to our work focused on equity. That’s because we know the kind of change this moment demands won’t happen if just one team is focused on more equitable outcomes – equity is everyone’s job.

The system we use at DEED to set goals and track progress is called OKRs, which stands for Objectives and Key Results. The Objectives describe our goals, and the Key Results are definable outcomes against which we measure our success on a 0-1 scale – and each division uses this system for its Equity OKRs each year. Each team at DEED sets an equity OKR, which we track quarterly using this system.

To support our team at DEED in personal development as well as working on Equity OKRs, we’ve brought in national and local leaders – from the McKnight Foundation, the NAACP, Ashoka, the YMCA, the Federal Reserve, and others – to share their experiences and thoughts on spearheading systemic change to eliminate racial and other disparities in society. These insights helped us further shape our planning process and set OKRs focused on reducing these disparities.

You can see each of our equity goals on a new hub we launched to house DEED’s yearly planning documents and scorecards.

Our equity work in action

On my team, DEED’s Office of Business Development, we have participated in learning and development opportunities around systemic change and racial disparities, and we developed an equity goal that we are accountable to, and that aligns with the goals of other DEED programs. Our equity-focused objective in 2022 is to ensure every single business we work with is aware of DEED's partner resources to build a workforce that is more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

The Business Development Office at DEED leads programs and initiatives that promote economic growth in Minnesota. We offer solutions to help businesses relocate, consolidate, expand or open a new facility here in Minnesota with the ultimate goal of increasing capital investment and generating quality jobs in the state. Simultaneously, we conduct marketing and outreach efforts to position the state as a top business location choice. The staff in our office work in collaboration with other leaders at DEED and across the state to promote our state and DEED’s programs and services.

Together we have already made changes to prioritize equity in our grantmaking tied to workforce development and training through the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP). The updated Request for Proposals criteria call out a preference given to organizations whose training programs serve people from economically disadvantaged communities, people of color, or those who are victims of economic dislocation, and to businesses located in rural areas.

Additionally, MJSP strongly encourages and prioritizes proposals that include training related to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. MJSP has added a section for business partners to describe the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives they are currently using to recruit and retain people from underrepresented groups. The application also gives the business an opportunity to request a consultation with a DEED Workforce Strategy Consultant and learn more about the Inclusive Workforce Employer program.

Grantee spotlight

One recent example of this work in action was a MJSP grant awarded to the Imagine Group last month. The Imagine Group will use its MJSP grant to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) training and curriculum in conjunction with Anoka-Ramsey Community College. The various employee training modules and activities developed through this specific funding for Imagine will focus on raising awareness, increasing workplace diversity, and demonstrating how Imagine can support career paths for staff from underrepresented communities. At DEED, we applaud the Imagine Group for addressing its labor needs using an equity lens – Imagine’s massive workforce diversification effort will increase recruitment, retention, and advancement of people of color and other protected classes.

Driving long-term progress in racial equity in Minnesota’s economy requires new thinking, and a belief that everyone has work to contribute to making systemic change. Our Office of Business Development is committed to doing our part and grateful to all of our DEED colleagues whose leadership and partnership help us achieve our goals. Working together, DEED is focused on meeting this moment to drive racial equity and build an inclusive economy for all.