In this episode, we’re joined by two true change makers: Dr. Olivia Cook Howell, founder of OVA Consulting Firm and project manager for Good Jobs Birmingham, and Sarah Wilson, former Deputy Director of the City of Birmingham’s Department of Innovation & Economic Opportunity. Together, they take us inside the Birmingham Region Health Partnership, a bold healthcare workforce training initiative powered by a $10.8 million Good Jobs grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce. This conversation pulls back the curtain on how cities, partnerships, and forward-thinking leaders can build sustainable talent pipelines in the face of a workforce crisis that’s been brewing for decades. If you want to understand what’s actually working, and how these ideas could shape the future of healthcare in your community, be sure to listen.

Insight: Workforce strategies that last are built to evolve

Workforce initiatives rarely fall short because of a lack of effort or intention. More often, they struggle because they are built around assumptions that no longer reflect the realities of the communities and workers they are meant to serve.

As Sarah Wilson, former deputy director of the City of Birmingham’s Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity, shared on TalentWise, progress depends on the ability to pivot early and often. “Just because there’s a traditional way of doing things doesn’t mean it’s the way we need to do things now.”

This kind of adaptability is increasingly critical as economic conditions, workforce needs, and community expectations continue to shift. The most effective workforce strategies are designed to learn, adjust, and respond over time rather than remain fixed in place.

This insight comes from our conversation with Sarah Wilson and Dr. Olivia Cook Howell on Season 2 of TalentWise, where they discuss what it takes to build flexible, adaptable workforce strategies that can endure change.