Abstract
Background: The public health (PH) workforce is currently facing many complex challenges that stand at the root of community health issues (e.g., racism, poverty, mental health). Existing PH workforce development models focus largely on improving individual competency, but individual competency alone cannot address these complex challenges at the individual, organizational, community, and systems levels. Developing the necessary cross-cutting skills (e.g., systems thinking, persuasive communication, problem solving) requires a new approach to training and learning.
Method: The Public Health Learning Agenda for Systems Change (PHLASC) helps public health organizations and their partners use transformative, collective learning as a driver for systems change. By working through multiple learning approaches and learning opportunities focused on a community or systems challenge, PH and community partners can develop a Learning Agenda that will lead to systems change.
Developed by the HRSA-funded Public Health Training Centers and the University of Illinois at Chicago Policy, Practice and Prevention Research Center, the PHLASC calls on workforce development specialists, public health practitioners and their partners to shift their “starting point” for developing learning. Rather than developing learning in response to individual competency gaps, the Learning Agenda begins with defining the challenge standing at the root of the community health issue to be addressed.
Results: During the summer of 2021, 24 organizations of varying size and focus field-tested the Learning Agenda. Results from the pilot study were reviewed by a national Steering Committee who provided recommendations for improvements. These recommendations and examples of the Learning Agenda’s earliest uses will be shared.
Conclusion: This interactive workshop will introduce the PHLASC and tools available to support workforce development specialists and PH professionals. Following a brief presentation of the Learning Framework and concept of the PHLASC, participants will work individually and in small groups to practice using the Learning Agenda Toolkit.
Keywords
workforce development, learning approaches, systems change
The Learning Agenda 2.0: An Approach to Facilitate Systems Change
Background: The public health (PH) workforce is currently facing many complex challenges that stand at the root of community health issues (e.g., racism, poverty, mental health). Existing PH workforce development models focus largely on improving individual competency, but individual competency alone cannot address these complex challenges at the individual, organizational, community, and systems levels. Developing the necessary cross-cutting skills (e.g., systems thinking, persuasive communication, problem solving) requires a new approach to training and learning.
Method: The Public Health Learning Agenda for Systems Change (PHLASC) helps public health organizations and their partners use transformative, collective learning as a driver for systems change. By working through multiple learning approaches and learning opportunities focused on a community or systems challenge, PH and community partners can develop a Learning Agenda that will lead to systems change.
Developed by the HRSA-funded Public Health Training Centers and the University of Illinois at Chicago Policy, Practice and Prevention Research Center, the PHLASC calls on workforce development specialists, public health practitioners and their partners to shift their “starting point” for developing learning. Rather than developing learning in response to individual competency gaps, the Learning Agenda begins with defining the challenge standing at the root of the community health issue to be addressed.
Results: During the summer of 2021, 24 organizations of varying size and focus field-tested the Learning Agenda. Results from the pilot study were reviewed by a national Steering Committee who provided recommendations for improvements. These recommendations and examples of the Learning Agenda’s earliest uses will be shared.
Conclusion: This interactive workshop will introduce the PHLASC and tools available to support workforce development specialists and PH professionals. Following a brief presentation of the Learning Framework and concept of the PHLASC, participants will work individually and in small groups to practice using the Learning Agenda Toolkit.
