The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the public workforce system to shutter in-person operations and pivot to operating and providing services virtually. This drastic shift has presented challenges and opportunities for workforce professionals, who have been forced to rethink their work processes, tools, and service delivery infrastructure.

In early April 2020, the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development conducted a survey with 160 workforce professionals in seven states and hosted three virtual roundtables with 31 participants to capture the immediate challenges they are facing during the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis. 

The Heldrich Center is pleased to release Suddenly Virtual: A Practical Guide for Frontline Service Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic, by Liana Volpe, Research Associate at the Heldrich Center. Overall, the survey and roundtable responses can be categorized into two main challenges that workforce professionals are encountering: transitioning to remote teams and operationalizing virtual service delivery. This brief discusses these challenges, and also shares some of the tools and services that workforce professionals are either using or exploring to address the challenges they are facing.