About the Bertelsmann Foundation
Employment Cluster Project
Employment Cluster Concept Paper
City of Delft, The Netherlands Project Description
Municipality of Farum, Denmark Project Description
City of Hannover, Germany Project Description
City of Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A. Project Description
City of Québec, Canada Project Description
Cycle of Work
Newsletters (requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader)
UPDATE Newsletter, April 15, 1998
UPDATE Newsletter, June 18, 1998
Frequently Asked Questions
Links To Other Partners' Websites
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About the Bertelsmann Foundation
Founded in 1977, the Bertelsmann Foundation aims to assist in solving current societal problems and to contribute constructively to the development of the democratic social order by promoting innovative and practice-oriented projects. Social policy and business policy considerations played an equal part in the decision to establish the Bertelsmann Foundation. The foundation continues the traditional socio-political, cultural and social commitment of the owner families Bertelsmann and Mohn.
The Bertelsmann Foundation awards the Carl Bertelsmann Prize every year since 1988 for innovative concepts and solutions to socio-political problems worth emulating. The achievements honored by the prize are meant to spawn and promote similarly exemplary initiatives, thereby giving fresh impetus to the public and political debate in the field concerned. The award is named after the founder of the Bertelsmann Company and is endowed with 300,000 Deutschmarks (approximately $160,000) in prize money. Phoenix was selected as the winner of the prize for being the best run city-government in the world in 1993.
In order to elaborate on the results of the 1993 Carl Bertelsmann Prize at the international level the Bertelsmann Foundation created the Cities of Tomorrow: International Network for Better Local Government in April 1995. The objectives of the network are to promote an international exchange of experience among administrative practitioners and experts, to collect successful reform examples from all over the world, to develop different reform strategies and to evaluate them based on the success of their implementation.
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Employment Cluster Project
City of Phoenix Involvement with Bertelsmann Foundation Programs
Since receiving the 1993 Carl Bertelsmann Prize for the Best Managed
City in the World, Phoenix has participated in on-going projects sponsored by the Bertelsmann Foundation as part of the Cities of Tomorrow: International
Network for Better Local Government. This network is comprised of the
ten cities that competed for the 1993 award, plus Mitaka, Japan; and Essen, Hannover, and Müenske, Germany.. The purpose of the
network is to develop and test innovative management techniques that
improve service efficiency or effectiveness or that promote greater
public participation in the decision-making process.
The foundation has just begun its next cycle of work, which will conclude in the fall of 2000. This project involves the network cities and several additional German cities in exploring "Strategic Management,". With the involvement of top management, elected officials, and networks of stakeholders, Strategic Management is the process of managing changing service requirements and developing new management techniques that are transferable to other cities or functions within a city. The project will focus on three areas: Employment, Children and Youth, and Senior Citizens. Phoenix is serving as lead city for the Employment Cluster which also includes the cities of Delft, Farum, Hannover and Québec. Christchurch, New Zealand is also participating in aspects of the cluster's work. These cities will operate workforce development programs to address needs of their communities, while monitoring their process and outcomes.
Phoenix's Job Linkage program will be part of the Employment Cluster casebank. This project is designed to address workforce needs of businesses in a particular neighborhood by preparing residents of that neighborhood for work in those businesses. In this way, businesses that now have a difficult time finding qualified workers will have a direct line to the supply of workers they need. Neighborhood residents who need work will be connected to jobs that are convenient to them. Training will be provided to help those who need to raise their skill level. The project will be designed and monitored with the help of the Morrison Institute of Public Policy at Arizona State University (ASU) and will be guided by a Community Program Planning Team comprised of neighbors, businesses, and neighborhood associations.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the Bertelsmann Foundation?
A: The Bertelsmann Foundation aims to assist in solving current societal problems and to contribute constructively to the development of the democratic social order by promoting innovative and practice-oriented projects.
The foundation awards the Carl Bertelsmann Prize every year since 1988 for innovative concepts and solutions to socio-political problems. The award is named after the founder of the Bertelsmann Company and is endowed with 300,000 Deutschmarks (approximately $160,000) in prize money. (Source: Bertelsmann Foundation Annual Report, 1996-97)
In order to elaborate on the results of the 1993 Carl Bertelsmann Prize at the international level the Bertelsmann Foundation created the Cities of Tomorrow: International Network for Better Local Government in April 1995. The network of cities are: Braintree, Great Britain; Christchurch, New Zealand; Delft, the Netherlands; Essen, Germany; Farum, Denmark; Haemeenlinna, Finland; Hannover, Germany; Mitaka, Japan; Müenster, Germany; Phoenix, USA; Quebec, Canada; Tilburg, The Netherlands.
The objectives of the network are "to promote an international exchange
among practitioners and experts, to collect successful examples of change,
to develop different strategies for change and to evaluate them based on
the success of their implementation."
(Source: Bertelsmann foundation Annual Report, 1996-97).
Q: What is the Bertelsmann Foundation Employment Cluster Project?
A: The foundation's Cities of Tomorrow: International Network for Better Local Government are comprised of the 11 cities that competed for the 1993 Carl Bertelsmann prize. The purpose of the network is to develop and test innovative management techniques that improve service efficiency or effectiveness or that promote greater public participation in the decision-making process.
The foundation has just begun its next cycle of work, which will conclude in the fall of 2000. This project involves the network cities and several additional German cities in exploring methods of Strategic Management or the process of managing changing service requirements with the involvement of top management and elected officials and networks of stakeholders. The project focuses on three areas: Employment, Children and
Youth and Senior Citizens.
These five employment cluster cities will operate workforce development programs to address needs of their communities, while monitoring their process and outcomes. These five projects are intended to suggest new management techniques that can be considered "Strategic Management," those that are applicable to other cities or other functions within a city.
Q: What is the Concept Paper?
A: As the lead city for the five-city Employment Cluster, Phoenix is charged to coordinate and draft the concept paper. It outlines the Cluster Project's framework, significance as a case bank of strategic management, evaluation criteria, cluster communications plan, schedule of work and role of the five cluster cities.
These five cities represent a broad range of economic and employment conditions. "Each city's local project will focus on the challenge of increasing employment in its community while providing input to a larger concept: such as common management themes or practices that are transferable to other cities or to other functions within a city."
Q: What are the Project Descriptions?
A: Each of the five cluster cities have written descriptions of their respective employment projects that are currently being implemented. These projects represent the case bank for the Employment Cluster project.
Q: What cities are participating in the Bertelsmann Foundation Employment Cluster Project?
A: Phoenix is serving as lead city for the Employment Cluster that also includes the cities of Delft, The Netherlands; Farum, Denmark; Hannover, Germany; and Québec, Canada. Christchurch, New Zealand is also participating in aspects of the cluster's work.
Q: How is the City of Phoenix involved in the project?
A: Since receiving the 1993 Carl Bertelsmann Prize for the Best Managed City in the World, Phoenix has participated in ongoing projects sponsored by the Bertelsmann Foundation as part of the International Network for Better Local Government. Phoenix is part of a network of cities sponsoring local projects also known as the "Cities of Tomorrow." Phoenix is serving as lead city for the Employment Cluster. Phoenix's Job Linkage program will contribute to the Employment Cluster casebank. This project will be designed to address workforce needs of businesses in a particular neighborhood by preparing residents of that neighborhood for work in those businesses.
Q: When do the Cities meet and what is the purpose of these meetings?
A: Since the September 14, 1998 meeting in Gütersloh, Germany, the Cities of Tomorrow: International Network for Better Local Government have been meeting periodically in various participating cities according to the schedule outlined in the Cycle of Work, where the Network will present and discuss final results of the Clusters’ projects. There are plenary sessions for the entire network of cities involving overall discussion of issues of strategic management and lessons learned from the implementation of the local cluster projects. Additionally, there are cluster meetings where the cluster cities discuss strategic management issues, approaches, and plans specific to the cluster’s work. The purpose of these meetings is to exchange experiences in implementing the local projects, evaluate how the projects fit with each cluster’s framework and strategic management principles, and contribute to the casebank of strategic management.
In addition to the September meetings, the Network Cities convened in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A., January 11-13, 1999 to present interim results of the local projects and discuss lessons learned with city managers and elected officials from participating cities. The work of the three clusters will culminate in a meeting in Tilburg, The Netherlands in September 2000, where the Network will present and discuss final results of the Clusters’ projects.
Q: Where can I get more information on the project?
A: Contact:
Steven T. Branca, Program Manager
City of Phoenix
Community and Economic Development Department
200 W. Washington St., 20th Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85003 U.S.A.
(602) 262-5036
Fax: (602) 495-5097
E-mail: business@ci.phoenix.az.us
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Links To Other Partners' Web sites
Bertelsmann Foundation
City of Braintree, Great Britain
City of Delft, the Netherlands
Municipality of Farum, Denmark
City of Hannover, Germany
Essen, Germany
Müenster, Germany
City of Québec, Canada
City of Christchurch, New Zealand
City of Hämeenlinna, Finland
City of Mitaka, Japan
Tilburg, The Netherlands
City of Phoenix, Arizona USA
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Internet: business@ci.phoenix.az.us
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