About This Resource
This resource was initially created for REDF’s Employer Engagement Affinity Group, and we are excited to share it more broadly with the field!
Purpose
Employment Social Enterprises (ESEs) play a critical role in connecting participants to quality jobs. To support this work, REDF created the Employer Engagement Maturity Model – a tool designed to help organizations reflect on their current practices, identify opportunities for growth, and strengthen long-term strategies for building and sustaining employer relationships.
Drawing from co-learning sessions, interviews with ESE leaders, and emerging practices from the field, the model offers a structured way to assess progress and plan next steps.
We hope this tool helps ESEs to:
- Self-assess their current level of maturity in employer engagement
- Identify strategies to advance to higher levels of maturity over time
- Strengthen employer partnerships to place participants in right-fit jobs that help them build economic power
The Maturity Model
The model is organized around three core components of employer engagement:
1. Employer Prospecting: Identifying, vetting, and cultivating potential employer partners
2. Employer Partnership Management: Building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships
3. Organizational Infrastructure: Developing the systems, staff, and strategy needed for sustainable engagement
For each component, the resource outlines what strong practice looks like across three stages of maturity – Fundamentals/Early, Foundational, and Growth/Mature. The resource includes:
- A maturity continuum to help organizations benchmark their current practices
- Examples of practices and infrastructure at different levels
- Project ideas to advance maturity
- A detailed appendix with employer engagement components and strategies