Welcome to our interactive webinar on the foundations of High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP). In this session, we will review the history and foundational principles of high road partnerships, explore a high road theory of change, and discuss demand side and supply side strategies to balance power and make system change.
Keywords/Tags: [high road partnerships, HRTP, theory of change, demand side strategies, supply side strategies, system change]
In this webinar, we have expanded our community of practice to include not only existing funded high road training partnership initiative programs, but also individuals and state agencies who are developing high road partnerships and incorporating high road principles into their work.
During this HRTP 101 session, we will provide a conceptual overview of the framework and principles behind high road partnerships. We will examine the history and foundational principles, explore the building blocks for a high road theory of change, and delve into the demand side and supply side strategies that contribute to balancing power and creating system change.
We encourage you to actively participate in this webinar by asking questions and seeking clarification. As we cover a lot of conceptual material, we will pause from time to time to address questions from the chat and provide further insights.
To provide some context, economists, workforce development practitioners, and worker advocates have been distinguishing between high road and low road strategies in job creation, economic systems, and competitive strategies for over 25 years[^1^]. High road strategies prioritize cooperative labor relations, rapid productivity growth, innovation, higher wages, and state-supported social protection, leading to equitable shared prosperity for workers, communities, and businesses[^1^].
The AFL-CIO’s Working for America Institute highlighted 14 high road partnerships back in 2000, spanning various industries such as healthcare, hospitality, transportation, manufacturing, and construction[^2^]. These partnerships aimed to build an economy based on skills, innovation, opportunity, sustainability, and equitably shared prosperity, contrasting them with low road practices that lower living and working standards and weaken communities[^2^].
In 2017, the California Workforce Development Board launched the High Roads Initiative, focusing on fostering partnerships between industries, employers, labor, and workers to advance a just economy with a specific focus on equity, climate resilience, and job quality[^3^]. This initiative represents a concentrated investment in the foundations and development of high road work across sectors, with California leading the way in incorporating these principles and practices into regional approaches[^3^].
The essential elements of a high road framework identified through this initiative include worker management leadership, intentional partnership, worker voice, and industry-led solutions[^3^]. These partnerships are industry-led, requiring a deep understanding of job functions, industry dynamics, workplace context, and community impact. Additionally, intentional partnership is vital for sustained attention, trust-building, conflict resolution, problem-solving, and crafting solutions that benefit all stakeholders[^3^].
Join us as we delve into these foundational principles and explore how high road partnerships can create positive change in markets by balancing power, improving job quality, and promoting sustainable communities.
[Watch the video](https://youtube.com/video)
Sources:
[^1^]: Source 1 Title – [Source 1](https://source1.com)
[^2^]: Source 2 Title – [Source 2](https://source2.com)
[^3^]: Source 3 Title – [Source 3](https://source3.com)
An interactive webinar on the foundations of High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP). We review the history and foundational principles of high road partnerships, explore a high road theory of change, and discuss demand side and supply side strategies to balance power and make system change.
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