Grant Recipient Summaries
Florida
Grantee: Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation Award
Amount: $1,000,000
Proposed Activities: The Workforce Data Quality Initiative will be used to further expand Florida's comprehensive longitudinal database through the integration of additional data elements. The Florida Education and Training Placement Program was established through legislation and piloted in 1985. FETPIP contains workforce, public and private education, and training program provider information. Florida state law mandates that all workforce and education entities utilize the system. Florida has agreements with various state agencies which provide for a more robust array of data. Florida tracks a wide range of data in addition to Unemployment Insurance, Wagner-Peyser, Trade Adjustment Assistance, and Dislocated Workers data. This includes education, food stamp and public assistance, incarceration and community release, federal employee, U.S. Postal Service employee, and out of state employment data. Grant funding will allow for the creation of two new web portals: "New Expanded Supply and Demand Model" and "Green Training Opportunities in Florida." In addition, funding will allow further data integration with Florida's Department of Education.
Contact:
Ms. Rebecca Rust, Process Manager
Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation
Caldwell Building MSC #G-020
107 East Madison Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Rebecca.rust@flaawi.com
850-245-7257
Iowa
Grantee: Iowa Workforce Development
Award Amount: $1,000,000
Proposed Activities: The Workforce Data Quality Initiative will be utilized by the Iowa Workforce Development Department to work in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Educations State Longitudinal Data System. Grant monies will allow Iowa to further expand the Return on Investment project with a broader scope of partners. In addition to agencies within the state of Iowa, a multi-state data sharing agreement has been established with Illinois, Nebraska, and South Dakota. These partnerships allow the state to provide a starter set of data with thirty separate data elements collecting not only workforce data, but also information from twenty-two other agencies. These linkages will provide a rich data set for research analysis.
Contact:
Dr. Jude Igbokwe, Division Administrator
Labor Market Information Director
Iowa Department of Workforce Development
1000 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50319
jude.igbokwe@iwd.iowa.gov
515-281-5193
Louisiana
Grantee: Louisiana Workforce CommissionAward Amount: $999,863
Grantee: Louisiana Workforce Commission
Proposed Activities:
Louisiana will utilize the PY2010 Workforce Data Quality Initiative as a means of improving public services through creation of the states first longitudinal database for workforce data. Grant funding will enhance and improve the states ability to plan, monitor and further research various services within the workforce and educational systems. Data sets will contain information from several programs including: Workforce Investment Act; Wagner-Peyser; Trade Adjustment Assistance; and Louisiana Job Employment Training. In addition to workforce programs, data from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Federal Employee Data Exchange System will also be linked. Merging this information with education data will provide first time access to more comprehensive programmatic data. The Louisiana Workforce Commission will rely on its longstanding partnership with Louisiana State University to create, maintain, and ensure security for this project.
Contact:
Ms. Raj Jindal, Director, IT Division
Louisiana Workforce Commission
1001 North 23rd Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
rjindal@lwc.la.gov
225-342-3222
Maine
Grantee: Maine Department of LaborAward Amount: $1,000,000
Proposed Activities
The Maine Department of Labor will improve upon a partially developed workforce longitudinal data system. In conjunction with the Maine Department of Education, the statewide longitudinal database system will be expanded. The Maine Department of Education has collected three years of educational data at this point in time, and has created a link to workforce data. In addition, a consortium of partnerships has been forged with various entities allowing a vast array of linkages to be created. In addition to workforce and educational data, the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Economic and Community Development, and Maine State Planning Office will also contribute data elements for linkages. The project will create more comprehensive data which will then be utilized by policy makers as tool to make effective decisions on economic development.
Contact:Laura Boyett
Acting Commissioner
Maine Department of Labor
45 Commerce Drive
Augusta, ME 04333
Laura.L.Boyett@Maine.gov
207-621-5156
Maryland
Grantee: State of Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and RegulationAward Amount: $1,000,000
Proposed Activities
The Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning will utilize the Workforce Data Quality Initiative in partnership with the University of Baltimores Jacob France Institute as a means of achieving four target objectives: expanding and extending current systems which have been in progress; improving existing linkages with the educational system; completing and distributing extensive longitudinal data; and developing user-friendly platforms as a means of generating performance data on both educational and workforce programs.
Contact:Ms. Paulette Francois, Department of Labor,
Licensing and Regulation
State of Maryland
1100 North Eutaw Street, Room 616
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-767-3011
Massachussetts
Award Amount: $1,000,000Grantee: Massachusetts Department of Workforce Development
Proposed Activities
Massachusetts will establish a new longitudinal database consisting of data elements from unemployment and workforce programs operating under the administration of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The Massachusetts One-Stop Employment System currently tracks participant and service activities for a number of employment and social service programs. These data sets will allow for the creation of a comprehensive longitudinal database containing both workforce and educational program data. Data collected from this initiative will be used to analyze the effectiveness of current initiatives, evaluate funding patterns, and strengthen state workforce programs.
Contact:
Ms. Marilyn Boyle, DCS Director of MIS
Massachusetts Department of Workforce Development
Division of Career Services
19 Staniford Street
Boston, MA 02114
mboyle@detma.org
617-626-5721
Minnesota
Grantee: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
Award Amount: $1,000,000
Proposed Activities
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development will utilize funding as a means of creating a longitudinal database with the collaboration of several partners including but not limited to: the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, Minnesota Department of Education, and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Data from the Unemployment Insurance, WIA Title I, Trade Adjustment Assistance, and Wagner-Peyser programs will be linked to post-secondary education, Adult Basic Education, and Minnesota Family Investment program data. In addition, the database will allow for performance evaluation of both education and employment programs.
Dr. Steven C. Hine, Research Director
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
332 Minnesota Street, Suite E200
St. Paul, MN 55101
Steve.hine@state.mn.us
651-259-7396
Missouri
Grantee: Missouri Department of Economic DevelopmentAward Amount: $890,000
Proposed Activities
The State of Missouri will create a longitudinal database which links the various employment service programs currently offered in the state. Grant monies from the Workforce Data Quality Initiative will allow Missouri to establish a comprehensive tracking system for individuals as they navigate various workforce programs. This tracking system will provide the data elements which will comprise the longitudinal database. Missouris Division of Workforce Development in the Department of Economic Development will construct a system which establishes links between educational data, workforce outcome measures, social service support, adult training programs, and job search support. Data will be used to determine program efficiency and participant experiences.
Contact:
Ms. Julie Gibson, Director
Missouri Department of Economic Development
Division of Workforce Development
421 E. Dunklin
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Julie.gibson@ded.mo.gov
573-751-3349
North Dakota
Grantee: Job Service North DakotaAward Amount: $1,000,000
Proposed Activities:
North Dakota will utilize the Workforce Data Quality Initiative to focus on three critical objectives: Creating a data warehouse and upgrading current reporting technologies; improving the quality of workforce data and expanding the capacity to link education and workforce data; and demonstrating the value of producing more extensive research. Grant funding will allow North Dakota to improve upon the partial system the state currently has in place. Once linkages between programs have been established, the state will utilize the database to create four research reports: an evaluation of workforce program outcomes; an analysis of the effectiveness of education and training programs used by UI claimants; an analysis of current job seekers compared to current economic opportunities; and comparative studies of employment outcomes among high school dropouts and graduates.
Contact:
Mr. Kevin Marchus, Director, Planning and Support Area
Jobs Service North Dakota
1000 East Divide Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58506
kemarchus@nd.gov
701-328-3045
Ohio
Grantee: Ohio Department of Job and Family ServicesAward Amount: $1,000,000
Proposed Activities:
Ohio has maintained a longitudinal database, managed by both the Department of Education and the Board of Regents for the last ten years. The Workforce Data Quality Initiative will allow the two programs to merge into one comprehensive system. This enhanced linkage will provide the state with the ability to construct higher quality measures for workforce and education data. It will also allow for a better understanding of the impact of state and federal programs, and the facilitation of comprehensive workforce and education research.
Ohio will use this information as a means of understanding shortcomings in workforce and educational systems which have lead to a lagging economy and shortage of skilled workers. Partnerships with other agencies, including the Ohio Department of Mental Health and the Department of Public Safety, as well as with the educational system, will enhance the quality of the data collected.
Contact:
Dr. Keith Ewald, Bureau Chief
Ohio Department Jobs & Family
30 East Broad Street, 32nd Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Keith.ewald@jfs.ohio.gov
614-466-9820
South Carolina
Grantee: South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce
Award Amount: $289,417
Proposed Activities
South Carolina will utilize Workforce Data Quality Initiative funding to accomplish the following four goals: Establish a longitudinal database with linkages between Wagner-Peyser, Trade Adjustment Assistance, Workforce Investment Act, and Unemployment Insurance; create a linkage with existing educational data at the South Carolina Office of Research and Statistics, containing information from the Departments of Education, Social Services, and Vocational Rehabilitation; create more sophisticated interface which allow users to more efficiently access and manipulate data; utilize research and data to advise policy makers and constituents on the effectiveness of current programming.
South Carolina is also working in a multi-state consortium (including North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee) to gather requirements for a new Unemployment Insurance system. The new system will provide better system efficiency, further maximizing the benefits of the longitudinal database.
Contact:
Ms. Courtney Anne Nowak
Manager, Performance and Reporting Unit
Department of Employment and Workforce
1550 Gadsden Street
Columbia, SC 29201
cnowak@dew.sc.gov
803-737-2670
Texas
Award Amount: $997,014
Grantee: Texas Workforce Commission
Proposed Activities
Through a new partnership with the University of Texas at Austins Ray Marshall Center, the state of Texas will utilize Workforce Data Quality Initiative grant funding to expand and improve upon an already existing longitudinal database. Texas will pilot testing processes for linkages between educational and workforce data; provide access to linked data as a means to create an enhanced automated follow-up evaluation system, which has been mandated by Texas Senate Bill 281; and address barriers which exist between the education and workforce data systems. Texas will then utilize this data to analyze programs and outcomes as a means of providing continuous program improvement.
Contact:
Mr. Doug Ridge
Director of Employer Initiatives
Texas Workforce Commission
101 E. 15th Street
Austin, TX 78778
Doug.ridge@twc.state.tx.us
512-463-1473
Virginia
Grantee: Virginia Community College SystemAward Amount: $1,000,000
Proposed Activities
Virginia will establish the first longitudinal database containing workforce and education data linkages in the state. The Virginia Community College Systems Workforce Development Services division manages Title I WIA funding and coordinates system-wide functions for the states twenty-three community colleges. The unique combination of workforce and educational data currently managed in one location will contribute to the quality of the new database. Partnering with universities will also provide additional subject matter expertise. Additional partnerships with the Department of Correctional Education, Virginia Department for the Aging, and the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired will create data on a variety of populations being serviced through the states workforce and education programs.
Contact: Ms. Wendy Kang
Director of Research and Evaluation
Virginia Community College System
101 N. 14th Street
Richmond, VA 23219
wkang@vccs.edu
804-819-4781
