Co-Production in Practice: Alignment of Participant and Staff Perspectives in Workforce Development

• In Event: Harnessing Evidence to Advance Equity in Career Pathways

Abstract

Workforce training programs are vital for promoting worker mobility and addressing labor shortages in essential industries. Health care, with its rising demand for skilled workers driven by demographic and societal changes, is of particular policy interest. Yet, wages remain highly stratified, and advancement pathways are often limited for entry-level workers.

Traditional workforce models rely on top-down approaches, assuming that training alone ensures stable employment. However, low-income individuals often face barriers such as financial instability, limited social capital, and systemic inequities that hinder long-term mobility. Participant-led design—rooted in co-production—ensures that program structures, curricula, and supports reflect participants’ lived experiences and goals. Employment coaching further sustains outcomes through individualized guidance, goal setting, and advocacy that help participants navigate career pathways. Co-production emphasizes that effective training emerges not only from expert input but also from participant collaboration, fostering mutual respect and learner empowerment.

This study analyzes data from Health Professions Opportunity Grants (HPOG) programs funded by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to explore low-income participants’ perspectives on both relational (e.g., staff interactions) and structural (e.g., program design) dimensions of healthcare training. We conducted a sentiment analysis of 153 participant interviews to assess whether positive sentiments related more to staff, program design, or other factors, followed by a thematic analysis of how participants described these experiences. Findings advance understanding of how co-production principles can strengthen healthcare workforce programs and offer evidence for designing more inclusive, participant-informed approaches to workforce training.

Authors

• Stephanie Walsh, Rutgers University - New Brunswick
  Presenting Author

• Andrea Hetling, Rutgers University - New Brunswick
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Victoria Coty, Rutgers University - New Brunswick
  Non-Presenting Co-Author