For Corrie Melton, vice president of talent development for the future of work at the Florida Chamber Foundation, workforce development has never been about simply launching programs. It's about building systems that work.
When she began exploring solutions to talent challenges in Tallahassee, the signals were clear. Employers across industries consistently identified talent as their top priority, yet existing efforts lacked coordination and alignment. Rather than immediately acting, Corrie and her team took a step back to research labor market data, engage employers directly, and evaluate potential frameworks that could bring structure to the work.
That process led her to the TPM framework.
Using data from local workforce partners and the Florida Department of Commerce, Corrie helped quantify the region's workforce challenges, identifying not just the volume of open positions, but the specific roles and industries most in need. Healthcare quickly emerged as a priority, supported by both data and employer input. From there, she worked to align key stakeholders—including economic development organizations, education providers, and workforce agencies—ensuring that TPM would not operate in isolation, but as part of a broader, coordinated strategy.
Corrie's role as a convener became central to her approach.
Rather than relying on formal agreements, she focused on building trust and shared ownership among employers. Through direct outreach and one-on-one conversations, she introduced TPM as a framework grounded in supply chain principles—one that would allow employers to work collaboratively while maintaining data confidentiality through aggregated reporting. Her strategy for identifying employer champions was equally practical: find those who were already feeling the pain most acutely and empower them to lead.
That approach led to the launch of employer collaboratives in both healthcare and technology, each shaped by the needs of its participants.
Corrie facilitated these collaboratives with a focus on clarity and consensus. In healthcare, employers initially identified multiple critical roles but ultimately aligned around certified medical assistants as a shared priority. In technology, the path looked different, with employers navigating a broader range of roles and faster-shifting skill demands, reinforcing her belief that while TPM provides structure, it does not dictate outcomes.
Central to her work is a commitment to data-driven decision-making.
Corrie led demand planning efforts, guiding employers through the process of defining variables, interpreting results, and comparing their projections to broader labor market data. Even with partial participation, the findings were compelling enough to validate employer concerns and drive action. The data not only confirmed workforce shortages—it helped employers prioritize where to focus and what steps to take next.
Using TPM's Strategy 3 approach to gathering data on job requirements, Corrie facilitated conversations that helped employers align on skills, competencies, and credentials. This process often revealed opportunities to expand the talent pool, such as loosening experience requirements or rethinking degree expectations, especially during the constraints of the pandemic.
What stands out most in Corrie's approach is her willingness to adapt in real time.
From navigating incomplete data sets to recalibrating focus areas and improving facilitation methods, she treats TPM as an iterative process rather than a fixed roadmap. That mindset has enabled her to not only launch employer collaboratives but sustain and evolve them.
In her current role, Corrie is bringing that same practitioner mindset to a statewide audience, scaling what works while continuing to refine how employer collaboratives drive results.
For the National Learning Network, Corrie Melton's work offers a clear example of TPM in action—not as theory, but as a disciplined, employer-led process grounded in data, trust, and continuous improvement—the kind of system that works.
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