Today’s Morning Buzz is by Dr. Bill Brantley, President and Chief Learning Officer of BAS2A (consultancy) in Louisville, Ky. Connect will Bill on LinkedIn.
- What I’m reading: “Who Is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service” by Michael Lewis
- What I’m watching: Binging “Only Murders in the Building”
- What I’m working on: Creating a course on using AI in product management
State and local government leaders in the U.S. face a growing skills gap between urban and rural areas. With digital transformation speeding up, building a skilled workforce is crucial. However, not all communities have equal access to resources like training infrastructure, broadband, and workforce development pipelines.
Urban areas benefit from nearby higher education, faster internet, and a larger pool of skilled talent. Rural areas face challenges in recruiting, training, and retaining public sector talent due to systemic limitations. To ensure equitable service and governance nationwide, addressing these disparities is crucial.
The Digital Divide: More Than Just Broadband
The “digital divide” often refers to internet access. Broadband coverage remains a significant issue, with over 22% of rural Americans lacking high-speed internet, compared to just 1.5% in urban areas (FCC). This gap impacts tele-health, online education, and public servants’ access to professional development and virtual collaboration platforms in rural areas.
The disparity extends beyond mere connectivity; it encompasses digital literacy as well. Urban employees often have greater exposure to emerging technologies, increased opportunities for re-skilling, and more rapid adoption of tools such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, and cloud-based platforms. Conversely, rural staff may face challenges not only in accessing these technologies, but also in gaining the confidence, training, and support necessary to adopt new systems effectively.
Modern public service relies heavily on digital competency. Tasks such as managing community data, overseeing planning applications, or responding to public health issues require tech-savvy skills. If rural governments cannot provide local training, they may experience delays in service delivery, citizen engagement, and crisis response.
Workforce Pipelines: Uneven from the Start
In many rural areas, the public sector is a major employer. However, attracting new talent is challenging due to limited local training programs and distant colleges or vocational schools. Additionally, younger generations often overlook public sector careers, unaware of opportunities within their communities.
Urban centers, conversely, benefit from robust public-private partnerships and extensive internship programs. These coordinated talent pipelines efficiently channel graduates into municipal, county, or state agencies, thereby fostering continuity, driving innovation, and facilitating workforce planning.
Smaller jurisdictions frequently depend on aging workforces that possess extensive institutional knowledge, but have limited successors. Without proper planning and skills transfer strategies, essential knowledge may be lost when experienced employees retire.
Training Infrastructure: Missing in Action
Professional development opportunities in rural areas are often limited by geography and cost. Attending conferences or in-person trainings can be expensive and time-consuming. Additionally, connectivity issues or lack of digital literacy can make participation in virtual options challenging.
Regional councils or associations sometimes provide shared training programs for rural governments, but these programs are often inconsistent. Consequently, frontline employees in rural departments may lack meaningful training for years.
A lack of development hampers service quality and harms morale and retention. Employees seek growth and support to adapt to change. Without it, burnout, turnover, and skill stagnation occur.
A New Path Forward
We need to invest in closing the urban-rural skills gap. The tools are available; we must use them strategically. With proper planning and coordination, every public servant can access the training, tools, and support needed to serve their communities effectively.
Federal funding from the American Rescue Plan and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act presents a unique chance to invest in human capital. These funds should enhance both physical infrastructure and the digital and professional frameworks supporting government services.
The encouraging news is that innovation does not necessitate starting from the ground up. We can develop regional training ecosystems that share resources, coordinate learning opportunities, and customize programs to meet local requirements. Here’s how:
- Expand Remote and Hybrid Learning Programs
To address geographical and transportation challenges, public agencies should develop training programs that are accessible at any time and from any location. Hybrid learning merges the convenience of online education with the interpersonal advantages of occasional face-to-face interaction.
Implementation steps:
- Collaborate with educational platforms (such as Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, OpenLearn) to offer flexible online courses in essential skills including digital literacy, budgeting, project management, and customer service.
- Create virtual “learning cohorts” to foster a sense of community and accountability among rural learners.
- Provide “training on demand” options consisting of asynchronous content, complemented by live Q&A and coaching sessions.
Recommendation: Utilize mobile-first content to ensure accessibility on smartphones and tablets, particularly in regions with limited desktop access.
- Encourage Regional Consortia to Share Training Resources
Instead of each small jurisdiction developing its own L&D infrastructure, regional consortia can combine funding, staff, and expertise. This collaborative approach enhances quality and scale.
Implementation steps:
- Collaborate with Councils of Governments (COGs), state municipal leagues, or regional planning commissions to establish unified training schedules and resource libraries.
- Jointly fund regional academies that offer onboarding, supervisory training, and programs for emerging skills.
- Designate a training coordinator to manage collective vendor contracts and oversee participation across jurisdictions.
Recommendation: Rotate hosting duties to ensure engagement from all members and distribute travel requirements for occasional in-person events.
- Use Federal and State Grants Strategically
Billions of dollars in federal recovery and infrastructure funds are available, but often remain unused for workforce development. It is imperative that government leaders prioritize grant writing and management capacities to secure and sustain these funds.
Implementation steps:
- Identify specific positions or departments to target, such as public health nurses, building inspectors, or planning/zoning staff.
- Apply for funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), or Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
- Collaborate with universities or nonprofit organizations to co-author grants, oversee reporting requirements, and provide training content.
Recommendation: Designate a dedicated grant coordinator or establish a cross-agency grants team to ensure rural jurisdictions meet deadlines and capitalize on available funding opportunities.
- Partner with Local Educational Institutions
Community colleges, land-grant universities, cooperative extension programs, and workforce boards can collaborate effectively for training delivery. These institutions often serve rural areas and understand local labor market needs.
Implementation Steps:
- Co-create curriculum with local colleges tailored to public sector competencies (e.g., public finance, emergency management, ethics, GIS).
- Offer dual enrollment for high school students to explore public service careers.
- Develop customized certificate programs in collaboration with agency leaders.
Recommendation: Establish “train-the-trainer” pathways so local faculty or staff can deliver courses without relying on external trainers.
- Create Local Government Training Hubs
Regional training hubs serve as central institutions for workforce development. These hubs offer space, technology, and coordination support for in-person, virtual, and hybrid learning.
Implementation steps:
- Re-purpose underutilized public buildings (e.g., libraries, community centers, National Guard armories) into multi-use learning centers.
- Equip them with broadband, video conferencing tools, and accessible workstations.
- Schedule regular professional development sessions, simulations, and cross-agency workshops.
Recommendation: Establish rotating hubs to serve neighboring counties and reduce travel times for participants.
- Build a Rural Public Sector Apprenticeship Pipeline
Young people in rural areas often overlook government careers for higher education or private sector jobs. Apprenticeships offer a “learn while you earn” path that builds loyalty and fills crucial roles.
Implementation steps:
- Partner with schools and career programs to provide internships or pre-apprenticeships in departments like public works, IT, emergency services, or HR.
- Develop apprenticeship tracks for hard-to-fill roles, such as building inspectors, water treatment operators, and GIS technicians.
- Collaborate with the U.S. Department of Labor to register apprenticeships and secure funding.
Recommendation: Use storytelling and social media to highlight apprentice success stories and the impact of public service in rural communities.
- Leverage Free and Open Learning Platforms
Many government, nonprofit, and academic resources offer free training for rural workforce development.
Implementation steps:
- Create a digital portal or newsletter with top resources from:
- FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute
- The Open University’s OpenLearn platform
- National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO)
- Harvard’s online case libraries
- Appoint L&D champions in each department to promote use and report outcomes.
Recommendation: Use badges, certificates, and stipends to encourage participation and skill acquisition.
The urban-rural divide in public sector workforce development can be addressed through strategic planning, collaborative partnerships, and inclusive approaches. By implementing effective strategies, tailoring solutions to specific needs, and investing in long-term development, it is possible to develop a resilient, digitally skilled, and prepared public workforce across all areas.