Though the Anaheim Workforce Development Board has utilized customer service models previously, the Workforce Transformation Corps (WTC) is their first time fully immersing themselves into the principles of human-centered design (HCD). “We have had very little experience or exposure to HCD to date,” explains Marco Lucero, Anaheim’s workforce development manager. Anaheim has identified itself as being in the “alone” stage for all categories of Jobs for the Future’s (JFF) HCD maturity model. Through their participation in WTC, they hope to update policies to support customer-facing resources while further solidifying local partnerships. “This includes…experiencing synergy with new and existing partners,” Lucero says.
James Shirvell Fellow
Marco Lucero Friend
James Shirvell, Anaheim’s WTC fellow, uses his previous experience with partnerships to support workforce participants, noting, “My experiences engaging with a diverse set of stakeholders…has enabled me to understand the needs and challenges of the jobseeker population and catalyze equitable and inclusive access to workforce service.” Shirvell hopes to increase collaboration between partners, leading to more effective outcomes for jobseekers. He brings empathy to this work, noting his previous struggles with unemployment as an experience he leans on to bring compassion into the fellowship. “I hope to become comfortable and confident in using HCD principles and procedures,” he shares. “I’ll use HCD principles as I conduct research to understand the context of the Anaheim jobseeker…I envision using HCD to create an ecosystem of connected and cooperative service providers that support the Anaheim jobseeker.”
For Lucero, the WTC offers an opportunity to rethink Anaheim’s approach to engagement and overall increased satisfaction with their services. “Human-centered means, to me, stepping back,” Lucero states, “Stepping way back from the legalese, jargon, and acronyms that have come to define our program service delivery and stepping into more relatable, empathetic and meaningful ways of talking with and helping people.”
