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2010 workforce information grants
Summary ETA set program year 2010 application, spending and deliverable rules for Workforce Information Grants to States. Seven attachments include state allocations, grant procedures, required work products and examples of partnership models. ETA now lists this year-specific advisory Canceled.
Document
Federal guidance
Agency
U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
Document number
TEGL No. 3-10
Date issued
July 16, 2010
Status
Withdrawn
ETA lists this advisory Canceled as of 2026-10-24; its signed letter prints Expiration Date: Continuing and Rescissions: None. It concerns program year 2010 grants.
Status last verified October 24, 2026
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Accessible letter PDF: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2010/TEGL03-10acc.pdf
CLASSIFICATION
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION WORKFORCE INFORMATION
ADVISORY SYSTEM CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL
DWSS/WORKFORCE INFORMATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Washington, D.C. 20210 DATE
July 16, 2010
ADVISORY: TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO. 3-10
TO: STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES
STATE WORKFORCE ADMINISTRATORS
STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD CHAIRS
AND DIRECTORS
STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS
STATE LABOR COMMISSIONERS
FROM: JANE OATES /s/
Assistant Secretary
SUBJECT: Application Instructions for Program Year (PY) 2010 Workforce
Information Grants to States: Workforce Information (WI) and
Labor Market Information (LMI) Formula Allocations
1. Purpose. To announce the grant application process and to transmit guidance for
the development, management, and delivery of state LMI/WI core and special
information services to state and local workforce investment boards (WIBs), One-
Stop Career Centers, and the job-seeking public.
2. References. The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3501-
3520); 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 93, 96, 97, and 98; Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-87; Section 508 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d); Wagner-Peyser Act Sections 7(a)(3)(D),
7(d), and 15; (29 U.S.C. 49f and 49l-2) Sections 111(d)(8) and 309 of the Workforce
Investment Act (WIA) (Pub. L. 105-220, 29 U.S.C. 2821 (d)(8) and 49 l-2).
RESCISSIONS EXPIRATION DATE
None Continuing
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3. OMB Approval. In conformance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, OMB
reviewed and approved the information collection (OMB Control Number 1205-
0417). This approval expires on May 31, 2011.
Under 5 CFR 1320.5(b), an agency cannot conduct, sponsor, or require a response to
a collection of information unless the collection displays a valid OMB Control
Number. The reason for this information collection is the planning and
management of the workforce information formula grants to states.
4. Background. America’s greatest resource is its workers, and ongoing Workforce
Investment Act resources supplemented by 2009 American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act funding has helped thousands of Americans acquire the skills
that will help them qualify for jobs as the economy recovers. “Good Jobs for
Everyone” is the vision of the Department of Labor (DOL) under Secretary Hilda
Solis. The Secretary defines “good jobs” as those that support families by increasing
incomes and narrowing wage gaps; are safe and secure and give people a voice at
the workplace; are sustainable and innovative; that export products, not paychecks;
and that rebuild and restore a strong middle class.
Workforce programs and activities funded by the Employment and Training
Administration (ETA) support the Secretary’s vision and strategic goal to “prepare
workers for good jobs and ensure fair competition.” Through its designated
functions and services, ETA with state assistance can:
• Increase workers’ income and narrow wage and income inequality;
• Assure skills and knowledge that prepare workers to succeed in a
knowledge-based economy, including in high-growth and emerging
industry sectors like “green” jobs;
• Help workers who are in low-wage jobs or out of the labor market find a
path into middle class jobs; and,
• Help middle-class families remain in the middle class.
To achieve this vision, states must shape policy and service delivery strategy based
on a strong understanding of the current labor market and expected areas of
growth. The need for good comparable workforce data, information, and analysis
has always been high, but the recent recession and the resulting changes in many
state and local economies has significantly increased its importance. State LMI/WI
offices and economic research entities are poised to help states respond as the future
direction of the American economy and workforce needs becomes clear.
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5. Workforce Information Goal and Objectives. The goal for the Workforce
Information Grants to States for 2010 is to support increased employment and
sustainable economic growth and recovery by supporting state and local workforce
system transformational efforts. States, through their LMI/WI/research entities,
must provide sound foundational data, information, and resources to workforce
system staff and job seekers so that these customers can make informed decisions
about the services, training, and career decisions that lead to good jobs. States
should also provide actionable information and sound research to state and local
policy makers to support the development of data-driven policy and program
design. ETA expects state WI grantees to use their PY 2010 workforce information
funding to help inform state, local, and customer decision-making by:
1. Populating the Workforce Information Database (WIDb) with state and
local data;
2. Producing and disseminating industry and occupational employment
projections;
3. Conducting and publishing relevant economic analyses, special workforce
information, and/or economic studies determined to be of benefit to the
governor and state and local WIBs;
4. Posting products, information, and reports on the Internet; and,
5. Partnering and consulting on a continuing basis with workforce
investment boards and other key workforce and economic development
partners and stakeholders.
(See Attachment III of this guidance for more information on expected LMI/WI
grant deliverables for PY 2010.)
State LMI/WI offices and research entities should continue to seek out viable
partnership and customer service opportunities that enable the leveraging of
limited WI program resources. States should know that ETA National Office
LMI/WI staff will make every effort to facilitate, assist, and support linkages
established between the state LMI/WI offices and research entities and ETA
formula-funded programs to develop mutually beneficial partnerships that can help
everyone involved attain needed program outcomes.
6. Partnership Expectations. ETA-funded state workforce information grantees are
required to consult with their strategic partners to increase the scope and utility of
workforce information used to inform sound state and local policies, workforce and
regional economic development strategies, and to enhance the availability and use
of career guidance and resources by workforce system staff and job seekers.
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Therefore, workforce information grantees should actively seek to collaborate and
partner with their state and local workforce investment boards; economic
development agencies; education and training institutions; business groups;
industry associations; and labor organizations in order to fully assure that the
workforce information tools developed and provided with PY 2010 workforce
information grant funding are those that meet identified needs.
7. Funding and Leveraging Resources. ETA provides formula allocated workforce
information grants to states to produce, at a minimum, the core products and
services required by Attachment III of this guidance, and for the development of
other workforce information products and services which, at a state’s discretion, are
required to support the state and local workforce systems.
A total of $32,000,000 is available for PY 2010, minus $176,800 allocated in total to
Guam and the Virgin Islands. ETA will distribute the remaining amount of
$31,823,200 by formula to states and the District of Columbia, with 40 percent
distributed equally to all states and 60 percent distributed based on each state’s
relative share of the civilian labor force for the 12-month period ending September
2009 (see Attachment I for the table of state allocations).
Leveraging Opportunities with ETA Funded Programs
Due to limited Federal resources directly available for LMI/WI production,
analysis, and dissemination, state LMI/WI offices and research entities must
continuously seek out and maintain collaborative relationships with a variety of
program partners. These relationships allow states and partners to leverage other
sources of funding and resources to ensure that data-driven analysis underlies all
workforce investment activities.
Two (2) new attachments have been added to this year’s WI grant guidance to assist
states in identifying possible partners within ETA-funded employment programs
and to provide examples of successful collaboration already under way.
Attachment VI contains a listing of select ETA programs for possible partnership.
LMI/WI activities are allowable and encouraged costs for all these programs.
Attachment VII contains case studies from the Jobs for the Future (JFF) WIN-WIN
partnership paper that illustrate the benefits of intra-state collaborative
relationships.
Leveraging limited financial resources to support workforce information needs is a
key area of emphasis for the PY 2010 Workforce Information Grants. State
LMI/WI/research offices are each positioned to immediately provide most ETA
programs and initiatives with valuable expertise, information, and insights to
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support strategic and tactical decision making. It may be necessary to use some of
the identified programs’ resources to supplement the LMI/WI/research office’s
budget to enable expanded data and information collection and analysis. By
becoming more aware of internal workforce system opportunities for leveraging,
state LMI/WI providers can help ETA and states assure the better use of limited
2010 program funds. State WI grantees can support ETA efforts by:
1. Reviewing the Attachment VI program descriptions to determine
possible needs and avenues of assistance; and the partnership examples
in Attachment VII for successful models to emulate;
2. Keeping and sharing this document and its attachments as a reference to
larger ETA programs and PY 2010 WI program instructions; and also,
3. Registering for electronic ETA alerts (or “e-lerts”) to enhance awareness
through the receipt of timely and actionable notices of upcoming program
assistance needs, and announcements of new internal and external
linkages or other relevant grant or resource leveraging opportunities.
(http://www.dol.gov/dol/email.htm)
8. State Certification of Required Grant Deliverables. States must submit a grant
Statement of Work (SOW) Certification (see Attachment IV) affirming that all five
deliverables required by the grant SOW Guidelines (see Attachment III) will be
accomplished during PY 2010. The certification must be signed by the governor, or
by both the SWA administrator and the chairperson of the State Workforce
Investment Board (SWIB). This annual SOW Certification meets OMB requirements
for assuring that the WI program funds allocated to each state are used to support
the development and production of the deliverables intended.
If circumstances prevent accomplishment of a specific grant deliverable during PY
2010, the state must negotiate a deferral with the ETA Regional Administrator
including attaching as an addendum the reasons for delay and a proposed
completion date. The ETA regional office will document planned grant activities
and grant accomplishments in the state’s grant file and those records will be made
accessible, per 29 CFR, 97.42(e)(1), for examination by ETA or other authorized
Federal representatives.
9. Accountability. ETA will assess and document the effectiveness of grantee
performance through the following approach:
a. ETA Grant Reviews. The ETA regional offices will conduct periodic reviews of
states’ progress towards meeting the PY 2010 certified grant deliverables, the
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degree to which collaboration with the SWIB and other partners exists, and
quarterly reviews of grant expenditures and obligations.
b. Performance Reporting. In 2005, ETA implemented common measures
reporting and revised Wagner-Peyser and WIA program reporting requirements
to include the provision of workforce information services (WIS) and the impact
of those services on participant outcomes. State data on the Entered
Employment Rate, Employment Retention Rate after Six Months, and Earnings
for participants following receipt of workforce information services is
specifically captured for performance reporting purposes.
For PY 2010, ETA will continue to monitor the outcomes achieved by
participants who received workforce information services. State LMI/WI offices
and research entities can benefit from helping their state Wagner-Peyser and
WIA program providers better identify and report workforce information
participant outcomes.
State reporting in this area is very uneven or incomplete. For the period ending
December 31, 2009, seven (7) states reported that zero percent (0%) percent to 10
percent (10%) of their total Wagner-Peyser participants also received workforce
information services. Conversely, another 11 states reported that 75% to 96% of
all Wagner-Peyser participants active for that same period received WIS. The
WIS percentages reported for the remaining states fell between these two
extremes and ranged from 12% to 74%.
It is imperative that state LMI/WI offices and research entities help ensure that
state reported Wagner-Peyser WIS service counts are accurate when submitted
each quarter. Common measures outcomes for participants that receive
LMI/WI services represent the only opportunity for ETA to highlight the
positive impacts on individual workers of annual WI grant funding.
c. Annual Performance Report. Grantees are required to submit an annual
performance report for the workforce information grant (29 CFR 97.40(b)(1)),
signed by both the SWA administrator and the SWIB chairperson, or the
governor, as specified in Attachment V, Section A. The report must include a
description of outcomes compared to certified grant deliverables and, where
appropriate, an explanation as to why a grant deliverable was not accomplished
and what will be done to ensure completion.
States are encouraged to view and use the annual report grant deliverable as an
opportunity to communicate to ETA. The report narrative should highlight
overall program activities and include a summary of the results of the grantee’s
customer consultations regarding state workforce information products and
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services and a summary of activities to be undertaken to add customer value
where needs for improvements are indicated. Expected narrative also should
describe the creation and support of partnerships and collaborations during the
program year along with any resulting tools or resources developed.
Recommendations to ETA for suggested changes and improvements to the
required WI grant deliverables can be included in the report as well.
All state annual reports are reviewed for acceptance and approval by the ETA
regional LMI/WI Federal Project Officers (FPOs). ETA expects the annual
reports to be fully representative of the state’s work, and consist of more than
just a compilation of state workforce information products. Submitted annual
reports should contain a significant level of analysis, interpretation, appropriate
actions, conclusions, and actionable recommendations.
Interested parties may access PY 2008 and prior year WI annual reports at:
http://www.doleta.gov/Programs/2008ReportsAndPlans/eta_default.cfm.
Grantees must electronically submit the WI annual performance report as an
accessible Section 508 compliant .pdf file to the appropriate ETA regional office
90 days following the end of the program year. As stated earlier, ETA will post
the annual performance reports on the ETA Web site for state sharing and
informing the system and public of overall WI grant program performance.
States should be aware that .pdf copies of all documents submitted to ETA for
Web posting must meet the Federal accessibility requirements stated by Section
508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d). (See
www.section508.gov for more information.)
States unable to convert (or unsure of their ability to convert) their annual report
and economic analyses grant deliverables to meet Section 508 .pdf accessibility
standards should instead submit them to ETA in Microsoft (MS) Word or an
equivalent text format. ETA will convert all forwarded state files to meet
Federal accessibility standards prior to public posting.
10. Consultation and Customer Satisfaction Assessment. Section 15 of the Wagner-
Peyser Act , as amended by WIA Section 309 (Pub. L. 105-220, 29 U.S.C. 49), requires
states to consult with customers about the labor market relevance of the information
disseminated through the statewide workforce information system. ETA interprets
customers to include workforce and educational system stakeholders, regional
economic development leadership within the state, and other strategic partners that
foster workforce development. Consultation with the workforce investment system
and other customers and information users provides the basis for formulating
continuous improvement strategies for workforce information.
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ETA is not prescribing an approach or methodology for conducting customer
consultations. Methods can include focus groups, various surveys, crowd sourcing
and online feedback, Webinars, listening sessions, documented consultations,
customer satisfaction assessments, or other methods considered appropriate by the
state.
11. Special Grant Requirements. Funds provided by this award may not be used to
supplant funds obligated from other funding sources for workforce information
activities. All costs incurred under the grant must support the cost objectives
specified in Section 5 of this guidance and must conform to the principles for
"reasonable" and "allocable" costs as specified in OMB Circular A-87.
All data collection activities must conform to the technical standards and
methodologies established by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or document, in the
state’s grant file, a sound business rationale for the use of an alternative
methodology.
In the conduct of LMI/WI information technology (IT) systems and applications,
ETA recognizes that Web-based tools will be needed for service delivery. Any IT
system or application developed with WI grant funds must adhere to industry-
standard, open architecture principles with documentation and software made
available for use by other organizations for Federal government purposes.
12. Publications and Other Information Products. Grantees are required to submit
.pdf copies or links to .pdf copies of required economic analyses, special workforce
information, or economic studies (to meet deliverable 3) to the appropriate regional
office 90 calendar days following the end of the program year. As with the annual
reports, any state economic analyses, special workforce information, or economic
studies submitted to meet WI program deliverable 3 must also meet Section 508
Web posting requirements.
States are encouraged to review the wide range and formats of the annual state
economic analysis reports approved and posted by ETA since PY 2006. These
reports are located at:
http://www.doleta.gov/Programs/2008ReportsAndPlans/eta_default.cfm.
Grantees are also requested to submit .pdf documents or links to .pdf copies of
publications and other products produced with WI grant funding that are
considered to be of special interest to the workforce investment system to the
appropriate regional office.
Examples of products of special interest include industry-specific research and
analysis, state brochures describing the availability and functionality of electronic
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self-service tools, documentation of innovative applications developed for database
access or manipulation, or innovative workforce information services available to
workforce system staff and customers.
13. Grant Expenditure Period. The maximum expenditure period for these funds is
three years under the Wagner-Peyser Annual Funding Agreement. The grant will
cover, at a minimum, the 12-month period from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011, but
may, if negotiated between the state and the ETA regional office, cover a longer
period of time up to the maximum expenditure period ending June 30, 2013.
14. Grant Modifications. The grantee and the ETA regional office may jointly modify
planned expenditures within the state allocation during the grant period of
performance. The regional office has authority to recommend the reallocation of
grant funds to the ETA grant officer when overall grant expenditures and
obligations are substantially below quarterly budgeted forecasts.
15. Financial Management and Reporting. States should forecast actual cash needs by
program year quarter on Standard Form (SF) 424A, Section D, for all quarters
covered by the grant. State workforce agencies will report quarterly expenditures
by direct data entry of the ETA 9130 Financial Cost Report, into the Web-based
Enterprise Business Support System (EBSS). Per 29 CFR 97.41(b)(4) quarterly
financial reports are due 30 days following the end of each quarter. Address any
questions regarding financial management and reporting for PY 2010, or for any
existing prior year fund balances, to the appropriate ETA regional office.
16. Action Requested. Grant applications are due to the regional offices within 45 days
of the date of this guidance. A submission date later than 45 days may be approved
by ETA Regional Administrators. ETA requests that SWA administrators:
a. Immediately transmit these grant application instructions to the appropriate
SWA office(s) and the SWIB.
b. Submit the original and two (2) copies of the PY 2010 grant application package
with a transmittal letter signed by: (1) the governor; or (2) both the SWA
administrator and the chairperson of the state SWIB to the appropriate ETA
regional office.
c. Include in the grant application package:
1. Transmittal Letter
2. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)
3. Budget Plan (SF-424A, Section D only)
4. Statement of Work Certification
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17. Inquiries. Direct questions on the statement of work and grant requirements to the
appropriate ETA regional office. Direct grant and financial management questions
to the regional office or to Gwendolyn Baron-Simms at (202) 693-3309 or to
Thomas Martin, Grant Officer, at (202) 693-2989.
18. Attachments.
I. State Allocations for PY 2010
II. Grant Procedures
III. Statement of Work Guidelines
IV. Statement of Work Certification
V. Annual Performance Report Instructions
VI. Select ETA Programs for Possible Partnership Opportunities
VII. Case Studies from the Jobs for the Future (JFF) WIN-WIN Partnership Paper
Attachment 1 (official PDF): https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2010/TEGL03-10a1.pdf
U. S. Department of Labor Attachment I
Employment and Training Administration
Workforce Information Grants to States
PY 2010 vs PY 2009 Allotments
State PY 2009 PY 2010 Difference % Difference
Total $32,000,000 $32,000,000 $0 0.00%
Alabama 513,199 505,992 (7,207) -1.40%
Alaska 288,558 288,781 223 0.08%
Arizona 626,020 631,779 5,759 0.92%
Arkansas 413,813 412,277 (1,536) -0.37%
California 2,507,217 2,515,778 8,561 0.34%
Colorado 583,382 577,959 (5,423) -0.93%
Connecticut 476,002 475,973 (29) -0.01%
Delaware 299,219 298,498 (721) -0.24%
District of Columbia 285,208 285,170 (38) -0.01%
Florida 1,388,142 1,377,429 (10,713) -0.77%
Georgia 842,605 832,325 (10,280) -1.22%
Hawaii 325,132 324,368 (764) -0.23%
Idaho 338,097 337,134 (963) -0.28%
Illinois 1,070,081 1,056,837 (13,244) -1.24%
Indiana 642,235 637,859 (4,376) -0.68%
Iowa 451,190 450,390 (800) -0.18%
Kansas 427,610 430,687 3,077 0.72%
Kentucky 495,574 498,273 2,699 0.54%
Louisiana 494,844 499,711 4,867 0.98%
Maine 332,053 331,210 (843) -0.25%
Maryland 612,613 608,631 (3,982) -0.65%
Massachusetts 662,375 665,387 3,012 0.45%
Michigan 855,176 840,933 (14,243) -1.67%
Minnesota 606,203 606,706 503 0.08%
Mississippi 407,221 404,978 (2,243) -0.55%
Missouri 615,454 613,786 (1,668) -0.27%
Montana 306,660 306,340 (320) -0.10%
Nebraska 366,425 365,970 (455) -0.12%
Nevada 414,616 416,502 1,886 0.45%
New Hampshire 335,737 335,493 (244) -0.07%
New Jersey 796,139 800,638 4,499 0.57%
New Mexico 361,891 362,201 310 0.09%
New York 1,420,420 1,439,096 18,676 1.31%
North Carolina 805,049 803,030 (2,019) -0.25%
North Dakota 290,398 289,915 (483) -0.17%
Ohio 982,778 974,547 (8,231) -0.84%
Oklahoma 459,625 461,686 2,061 0.45%
Oregon 484,917 487,891 2,974 0.61%
Pennsylvania 1,027,599 1,032,188 4,589 0.45%
Puerto Rico 412,752 408,794 (3,958) -0.96%
Rhode Island 315,475 314,349 (1,126) -0.36%
South Carolina 508,829 512,460 3,631 0.71%
South Dakota 299,586 299,507 (79) -0.03%
Tennessee 621,026 616,563 (4,463) -0.72%
Texas 1,680,566 1,704,900 24,334 1.45%
Utah 415,279 414,068 (1,211) -0.29%
Vermont 288,282 288,734 452 0.16%
Virginia 748,577 753,436 4,859 0.65%
Washington 671,927 679,171 7,244 1.08%
West Virginia 344,271 342,209 (2,062) -0.60%
Wisconsin 624,534 624,061 (473) -0.08%
Wyoming 280,619 280,600 (19) -0.01%
State Total 31,823,200 31,823,200 0 0.00%
Guam 92,899 92,899 0 0.00%
Virgin Islands 83,901 83,901 0 0.00%
Outlying Areas Total 176,800 176,800 0 0.00%
Attachment 2 (official PDF): https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2010/TEGL03-10a2.pdf
Attachment II
Grant Procedures
A. Grant Agreement. The Wagner-Peyser Annual Funding Agreement covers the
Wagner-Peyser Base Grant and the Workforce Information Grants to States for Fiscal
Year 2010/PY 2010. The Annual Funding Agreement includes Assurances and
Certifications that apply to all grants covered by the Agreement. Therefore, grantees
do not need to submit separate Assurances and Certifications with the Workforce
Information Grants to States application.
B. Grant Application. The state grant applications must be developed in accordance
with Attachments I through V. The grant application must include a transmittal
letter signed by both the designated SWA administrator and the designated
representative of the State Workforce Investment Board, or the governor, a signed
Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424), Budget (SF-424A, Section D only) for all
quarters covered by the state plan; and a grant Statement of Work Certification.
ETA requests that states submit the original and two copies of the complete grant
package to the appropriate ETA Regional Administrator within 45 days of the date of
this guidance.
C. Grant Approval. Regional Administrators are responsible for final approval of the
grant and will issue an approval letter, with a copy of the approved grant package, to
the state and a copy of the approval letter and approved grant package to the grant
officer. The grant officer will issue a Notice of Obligation (NOO) after receipt of the
approved grant application from the Regional Administrator.
D. Grant Modifications. The grantee and ETA regional office may jointly modify
forecasted quarterly expenditures, within the state allocation, during the grant
period of performance. The regional office has authority to recommend funding
adjustments to the grant officer when overall grant expenditures are substantially
below quarterly budgeted forecasts in the approved SF- 424A.
Attachment 3 (official PDF): https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2010/TEGL03-10a3.pdf
Attachment III
Statement of Work Deliverables
Workforce Information Grants to States funds shall be used to produce deliverables one
through five specified in this Attachment. The deliverables include the population and
maintenance of the Workforce Information Database (WIDb), the production of industry
and occupational employment projections, and other workforce information and
economic products and services required to support ETA national needs and those of
state, regional, and local workforce development systems.
Grantees are required to produce all five deliverables with PY 2010 funding. Except for
deliverables one and two (WIDb maintenance and enhancements; and Industry and
Occupational Employment Projections), which are expected to be standard and
comparable across states, states are allowed flexibility in developing the remaining three
required deliverables. This flexibility enables states to determine the relative priority of
the product or service, the content and form of the deliverable, and the level of
investment in each deliverable that best meets state and local needs.
States are required to consult with the SWIBs, local workforce investment boards
(LWIBs), economic development agencies, education and other involved organizations
in order to receive significant stakeholder input into the development of these flexible
grant deliverables.
ETA acknowledges and supports states using funds provided by this grant to produce
other information products and services, such as workforce information training for
state and local workforce system staff and the production of occupational and career
guidance resources that support the workforce system and job seekers, and documented
as customer demand. Grant funds may also be used to address state staff training needs
required to build or enhance staff capacity.
1) Populate the Workforce Information Database (WIDb) with state and local data.
The WIDb provides states with a common structure for storing information in a
single database in each state. The database is intended to serve as the cornerstone for
information delivery, workforce research, and product development for information
that is standard and comparable across all states. The database, once populated,
brings together critical workforce information from many sources to promote better
analysis and more sophisticated interpretation. Using the same version of the
database in all states is important and necessary for comparative analysis purposes
and for ease of maintenance. Additionally, state submitted WIDb data also support
ETA’s CareerOneStop (COS) Web site.
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Therefore, states are required to implement and maintain the most current version of
the WIDb and populate all tables designated as core tables in accordance with
guidelines issued by the Analyst Resource Center (ARC).
Database content must be updated timely in order to be as current as the state’s most
recent publications and data releases. Information and technical support will be
provided on the ARC Web site at: http://www.workforceinfodb.org/. The listing of
the current core data elements, i.e. those elements that must be populated by all
states, and associated tables may be found at the same Internet address. States are
required to populate the database with the license.dbf and licauth.dbf licensing files.
Licensing data must be updated every two years. States are required to submit
licensing data through the National Crosswalk Service Center (NCSC) for inclusion
on http://www.CareerInfoNet.org. The licensed occupations information is located
on America’s Career InfoNet (ACINet) site, and has been recoded from the
Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) taxonomy to the Occupational
Information Network (O*NET)/Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
taxonomy. The NCSC will assist states in recoding their files from OES to
O*NET/SOC for submittal to ACINet, if necessary. States may access information
and support through the NCSC Web site at http://www.xwalkcenter.org/ or by
calling (515) 242-5034.
Training, support material, and information updates will be provided through the
ARC technical Web site along with links to related sites, and electronic newsletters to
help states realize the full potential of the WIDb and related resources. It is
important that all states take advantage of the resources and training opportunities
provided. States may use grant funds for any costs required to populate, maintain,
and update the database including accessing needed staff training. States are
expected to avail themselves of ARC training and support and to use WI grant
program funds to do so.
2) Produce and disseminate industry and occupational employment projections.
States must continue producing and disseminating state and sub-state industry and
occupational employment projections, using the methodology, software tools, and
guidelines developed by the Projections Workgroup and the Projections Managing
Partnership. In the case where a state uses another methodology, state officials must
document the methodology and indicate the reason for using alternative methods.
The primary activity for PY 2010 will be the production of statewide short-term and
sub-state long-term occupational projections. Sub-state long-term projections must
be developed for the 2008 to 2018 period, and statewide short-term projections for
the 2010 to 2012 period. An inability to produce area and local projections must be
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documented in the Statement of Work Certification and in the state’s grant file.
States must also populate the WIDb with the statewide 2010 to 2012 short-term
projections and the sub-state 2008 to 2018 long-term projections data, and submit the
long-term data for public dissemination following procedures established by the
Projections Workgroup and the Projections Managing Partnership. The Workgroup
will provide states specific instructions for data submission.
State grantees are encouraged to utilize annual workforce information grant funding
to access and participate in needed training opportunities offered by the Projections
Workgroup and the Projections Managing Partnership. ETA expects states to avail
themselves of any needed training and support provided by the Projections
Workgroup and the Projections Managing Partnership and to use WI grant program
funds to do so.
3) Conduct and publish relevant economic analyses, special workforce information,
and/or economic studies determined to be of benefit to the governor and state and
local WIBs.
Based on customer (i.e. stakeholder and partner) consultations identifying needs,
states must use WI grant funding to develop, publish, and submit economic analyses
and special studies capable of informing the workforce and economic development
policy and investment determinations to be made by the governor and state or local
WIBs. These analyses may also support the LMI/WI and economic development
needs of other system stakeholders such as state and local economic and workforce
development organizations, education and training institutions, community colleges
and other state-identified partners, as documented and appropriate.
All information sources used in the analyses and studies by states must be clearly
referenced and footnoted. ETA continues to encourage state LMI offices and
economic research entities to expand the scope and depth of each developed analysis
by including information from external, credible sources of workforce, labor market,
and economic information where relevant and based on needs identified through WI
customer consultations and assessments.
Grantees are required to submit .pdf copies or links to .pdf copies of required
economic analyses, any special workforce information, or special economic studies to
the appropriate regional office 90 calendar days following the end of the program
year.
Grantees are also requested to submit .pdf documents or links to .pdf copies of
publications and other products produced with WI grant funds that are considered
to be of special interest to the workforce investment system to the appropriate
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regional office. Examples of products of special interest include industry-specific
research and analysis, state brochures describing the availability and functionality of
electronic self-service tools, documentation of innovative applications developed for
database access or manipulation, or innovative workforce information services
available to workforce system staff and customers.
4) Post products, information, and reports on the Internet.
States are required to post grant produced products, reports, including those
developed for deliverable three (3), and other workforce information on the Web or
disseminate the information through other electronic media to facilitate use by the
workforce and economic development systems, other partners and stakeholders, and
the general public. WI grant funds may be used for developing, maintaining,
improving, and hosting Internet Web sites and other electronic delivery systems in
support of this deliverable.
5) Partner and consult on a continuing basis with workforce investment boards and
other key workforce and economic development partners and stakeholders.
The PY 2010 workforce information grant guidelines require grantee consultation
with the SWA, SWIB, LWIBs, economic and workforce development organizations,
education and training institutions, community colleges and other appropriate state-
identified strategic partners and stakeholders to increase the scope and utility of
workforce information to inform workforce and economic development vision,
priorities, strategies and enhance career guidance resources and tools.
ETA expects workforce information grantees to continue as catalysts that establish
and maintain strategic partnerships that work to jointly identify and address job
seeker needs as well those of state and local workforce system staff users and other
state-identified stakeholders.
Grantees are expected to collaborate with as many stakeholders as possible including
economic development agencies, education and training institutions, industry
associations, business and labor groups, and those state-identified to gather and
analyze a wide variety of workforce and economic data to inform good decision-
making by job seekers and workforce staff, track and interpret economic conditions,
benchmark competitiveness, and measure outcomes. Partners, stakeholders and the
needs identified through consultations must be documented in the grant file.
Attachment 4 (official PDF): https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2010/TEGL03-10a4.pdf
Attachment IV
Statement of Work Certification
State Workforce Information Grants
The State of ________________________ certifies that it will accomplish grant
deliverables one through five specified in Attachment III of the Workforce Information
Grants to States Application Instructions for Program Year 2010.* Per 29 CFR, Part
97.42(e)(1), file documentation of grant activities and accomplishments will be available
for examination by ETA or other authorized Federal representatives.
______________________________
Governor
______________________________
Date
Or
_____________________________ ____________________________
SWA Administrator SWIB Chair
_____________________________ ____________________________
Date Date
* If circumstances prevent the accomplishment of a specific grant deliverable(s) during
PY 2010, a deferral must be negotiated with the Regional Administrator, and the
reasons for delay and a negotiated completion date noted as an addendum to this
Statement of Work Certification.
Attachment 5 (official PDF): https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2010/TEGL03-10a5.pdf
Attachment V
Annual Performance Report
States are required to submit an annual performance report, signed by the governor or both
the State Workforce Administrator (SWA) and the State Workforce Investment Board (SWIB)
which concisely summarizes accomplishments and the results of customer consultations
about existing and needed workforce information products and services. The report is
intended to serve as an accountability, management, and analysis tool for states and ETA,
and as a source for promising practices and exemplary products.
A. Accomplishments. For each required deliverable, provide a concise summary of:
• The outcomes achieved and an analysis that explains the cause of any significant
variance from the Grant Certification. Describe any actions required to accomplish
the required deliverables.
• The extent to which activities have conformed to the deliverables schedule, including
an explanation for the cause of any significant variance from the schedule.
• Actual aggregate expenditures and an explanation for any significant variance from
estimated aggregate expenditures.
B. Customer Consultations. Provide a concise summary of:
• The methods used for consulting with customers, and customize requirements.
• Activities to be undertaken to add customer value to the deliverables, where needs
for improvement are identified based on customer feedback.
C. Partnerships and Collaborations. Describe state activities to leverage WI funding:
• Communicate about new and established partnerships, activities, and linkages.
• Highlight the tools and resources created through or supported by state and local
partnership activities or collaborations during the program year.
D. Recommendations for Improvements or Changes to the Deliverables.
These may be based on one or more of the following:
• Recommendations based on accomplishments.
• Recommendations based on consultations with customers.
Attachment 6 (official PDF): https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2010/TEGL03-10a6.pdf
Attachment VI
Select ETA Programs for Possible Partnership Opportunities
ETA programs benefit from specialized LMI/WI support and training. State LMI shops
and economic research entities can help workforce programs attain program goals
through information-based decision making (to supplement WI grant allocations) by:
• Identifying regional assets, strengths, opportunities, and weaknesses;
• Developing workforce information on worker supply and employer demand;
• Supporting worker profiling through locally-captured worker demographics;
and/or
• Developing information which can be used to develop state and local layoff
aversion strategies.
States are encouraged to anticipate possible state and sub-state workforce system
information needs for ETA programs and applicable initiatives, and to pursue
opportunities for partnership and collaboration.
Below are specific examples of usual and non-extraordinary LMI/WI data and
information services that could be offered to assist ETA workforce programs:
1. Short- and long-term industry projections and analyses;
2. Short- and long-term occupational projections and analyses;
3. Supply and demand analysis;
4. Skills gap analysis;
5. Skills transferability analysis;
6. Labor shed analysis;
7. Local level impact analysis;
8. Staffing pattern analysis;
9. Worker characteristics (education, industry, occupation, length of employment,
wage earned, and residence);
10. Industry locations;
11. Wages and benefits;
12. Mass layoff analyses; and/or
13. Local level unemployment analyses;
Examples of ETA-funded programs and initiatives are provided below.
Workforce Investment Act Formula Grants
• Adult Employment and Training
http://www.doleta.gov/programs/
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• Dislocated Worker Employment and Training
http://www.doleta.gov/programs/
• Youth
http://www.doleta.gov/youth%5Fservices/
• Employment Service
http://www.doleta.gov/programs/
Other Federally-funded workforce investment programs
• Registered Apprenticeship
http://www.doleta.gov/oa/
• Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)
http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/2002act_index.cfm
• Job Corps
http://www.jobcorps.gov/home.aspx
• Senior Community Service Employment Program
http://www.doleta.gov/seniors/
• National Farmworkers Program
http://www.doleta.gov/MSFW/
• Indian and Native American Program
http://www.doleta.gov/DINAP/
• National Emergency Grants
http://www.doleta.gov/neg/
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Competitive Grants
• Energy Training Partnership Grants. Focused on dislocated and incumbent
workers, grantees deliver training that leads to employment and careers in the
energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors described in Section
171(e)(1)(B)(ii) of WIA. Grantees also utilize partnerships to design and
distribute training approaches that lead to portable industry credentials and
employment, including registered apprenticeship. For a list of grantees, see
http://www.doleta.gov/grants/awards/SGA-DFA-PY-08-18-Awardees.cfm.
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• Green Capacity Building Grants. The purpose of the Green Capacity Building
Grants is to build the capacity of current DOL grantees to prepare targeted
populations for employment in the energy efficiency and renewable energy
sectors. Key activities include equipment acquisition, staff professional
development, curriculum development and/or adaptation, partnership
development, and where necessary, additional staff hiring. For a list of grantees,
see http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/eta20091439.htm.
• Pathways out of Poverty Grants. The Pathways out of Poverty Grants provide
training and placement services to individuals seeking pathways out of poverty
and into employment in the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors.
Targeted populations include low-income and under-skilled workers,
unemployed youth and adults, high school dropouts, and other underserved
populations, with priority given to areas of high poverty. For a list of grantees,
see http://www.doleta.gov/grants/awards/SGA-DFA-PY-08-19-
Awardees.cfm.
• State Sector Training Grants. This grant award is to provide training and job
placement activities aligned with a workforce sector strategy that will target the
energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors. Developed strategies reflect
state energy policies and how they impact the work of the local workforce
investment system and One-Stop Career Centers to prepare workers for the
energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors. For a list of grantees, see
http://www.doleta.gov/grants/awards/SGA-DFA-PY-08-20-Awardees.cfm.
• Health Care and High Growth Training Grants. The grants allow community
colleges, community-based organizations, state workforce agencies and other
public entities to deliver training that leads to employment in a range of health
care fields and other growing industries. For a list of grantees, see
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/eta20100177.htm.
• National Emergency Grants (NEGs) for On-the-Job (OJT) Training. Limited to
serving dislocated workers, the purpose of this National Emergency Grant is to
expand OJT activities for hard-to-serve populations with the greatest barriers to
reemployment. To be awarded by June 30, 2010, ETA NEG OJT funding will be
made available to states to provide workers with the opportunity to return to the
workplace and earn wages that support themselves and their families while
adding new skills; learning new technologies, production or service procedures;
and, acquiring the experience needed to meet new occupational or industry
requirements. For more information, visit
http://www.doleta.gov/layoff/Job_Training.cfm.
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Other Competitive Grant Initiatives
• Community Based Job Training Grants
http://www.doleta.gov/business/Community-BasedJobTrainingGrants.cfm
• High Growth Job Training Initiative
http://www.doleta.gov/BRG/JobTrainInitiative/
• YouthBuild
http://www.doleta.gov/youth_services/youthbuild.cfm
• Reemployment for Ex-Offenders Program
http://www.doleta.gov/RExO/eta_default.cfm
Attachment 7 (official PDF): https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2010/TEGL03-10a7.pdf
Attachment VII
– Oregon and Florida Case Studies from the Jobs for the Future (JFF)
WIN-WIN Partnership Paper –
(URL – http://winwin.workforce3one.org)
“Innovations in Labor Market Intelligence:
Meeting the New Requirements of
Regional Workforce and Economic Development”
*********************
The Oregon Employment Department
Regional Outreach for Labor Market Intelligence
(pages 6 – 18)
Over many decades, and particularly since 1997, the Oregon Employment Department
has made significant investments in regional services that make labor market intelligence
more accessible and relevant to local users. While the investments are consistent with
Oregon’s long history of supporting quality information and analysis to support
decision-making, the state legislature bolstered this support in 1998 when it re-allocated
employment service funding to create a system of workforce analysts to be out-stationed
across 15 regions of the state. These analysts are charged with focusing sixty percent of
their time on direct services to businesses in their regions, and the remaining time to
workforce, education, and economic development stakeholders. Since implementing the
regional system and developing the website www.QualityInfo.org, Oregon's Research
Division has won more than a dozen national and state awards for its work on making
quality data accessible locally.
Purpose and Goals
The State of Oregon passed legislation in 1997 authorizing the Oregon Employment
Department to create a system of workforce analysts that directly support businesses,
workforce agencies, educational institutions, and others located in all regions across the
state. The law’s intent was to make the state’s labor market and economic data more
relevant and more accessible to these local and regional stakeholders. The legislation,
which was implemented in 1998, allowed the Department to add a team of 13 business-
focused workforce analysts to the existing group of eight regional economists. Regional
economists are experts at creating labor market intelligence that builds on in-depth local
knowledge; workforce analysts assist employers, planners, and other workforce
development partners with their labor market information needs.1 According to
Graham Slater, administrator for research at the Department, two core purposes drive
the program: quality information and customer service.
1
http://www.qualityinfo.org/.
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Regional LMI “Because Economic
Development for Central
Regional Research Services
Oregon and the Employment
After passage of the 1997 legislation, the Oregon Department have similar
Employment Department re-allocated funding geographic charters, we’re able
formerly budgeted for about twenty employment to share information to create a
service worker positions that had been vacant, and fuller picture of the dynamics
used that funding to create the new the workforce of Central Oregon’s economy.”
analyst positions, adding them to the long-existing, – Roger Lee
out-stationed regional economists. Today, the Department has deployed eight regional
economists and 13 workforce analysts across local regions, positioning them inside one-
stop centers and linking them closely with workforce investment boards (WIBs) at the
local level.
The eight regional economists are considered “the go-to people” for generating regional
data that is relevant to local stakeholders; estimating employment and economic trends;
and writing articles, analyses, and other publications. These Oregon Employment
Department employees are seen as experts on employment and workforce issues for the
region, and are the resource most used for giving major economic and labor market
presentations to business and civic groups, education institutions, and the public.
About half of the regional economists’ time is spent developing data and analysis for
their regions of Oregon. In addition to standard statistical analysis, the economists
gather local intelligence by participating in relevant meetings of the local chambers of
commerce and WIBs, by meeting with economic and workforce leaders, and by reading
local newspapers to spot major labor market events and trends. Much of their time is
also devoted to providing regular updates to those organizations and responding to
requests for intelligence from board members and executive staff. They produce
monthly employment reports, ten-year employment projections, and a host of
specialized reports on individual industries and special issues in the labor market.
Businesses and workforce groups frequently turn to their regional economists for special
presentations on the economy, as well as for handling media contacts. One Research
Division customer reports that she refers almost all media
“When I have a tough inquiries about labor trends to her regional economist
question about the economy
because the economist has an in depth knowledge about
from the local media, I can
take it to Jan [workforce
how the data are generated and is adept at explaining the
analyst] and Carolyn nuances of the data that can have political ramifications if
[regional economist]. They’re misinterpreted.
eager to explain what’s
The state’s 13 workforce analysts are located at One-Stop
behind the data, and I really
appreciate that.” centers throughout Oregon, often with the regional
– Laurel Werhane economists, and directly assist employers, employer
associations, planners, and other workforce development partners in meeting their labor
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market information needs. Their role is to make LMI more accessible, and help
businesses understand and use the data.
Upon request, the analysts help employers conduct customized research, most often in
the areas of wages, occupations, and workplace strategies, frequently using the web and
other information technologies.2 Regional economic development leaders regularly use
the workforce analysts in their business attraction and retention efforts, requesting
research on the skills supply, wage levels, and other issues relevant to businesses
considering locating in the region, and involving the analysts in meetings with
prospective employers. One economic development leader reports that she now
includes her local workforce analyst in most initial meetings with business recruitment
prospects and for almost every recruitment finalist meeting, so that the analyst can
address any last minute labor market and skills supply questions that arise.
The Department drives the workforce analysts to be “Annette calls me – a one
relevant to local businesses and workforce partners person business – to offer me
through the set of performance standards by which information. She wants me to
they are evaluated. Department managers consider know what’s available because
the analysts’ primary job to be providing services to she knows I’ll use it.”
employers. As such, the analysts are expected to – Brian Cole
devote 60 percent of their time to serving businesses. This includes regular one-on-one
meetings with businesses, as well as work with such business groups as manufacturers
associations, the regional Society for Human Resource Management, and local chambers
of commerce. The other 40 percent of their time is to be split between services to
workforce intermediaries, educational institutions, and economic developers; media
interviews; and building their general knowledge of workforce and economic trends.
This standard of practice often is challenging for workforce analysts because the non-
business stakeholders find their participation in board and staff meetings invaluable, and
make frequent requests for specialized information. To encourage the analysts to focus
first on employers’ needs, the Department has developed performance goals and
measures that reward analyst visits to businesses and ensure that special research
requests are well considered. For example, the Department worked out new
performance goals in 2006 requiring each analyst to meet with the top 75 businesses in
his or her region during the year.
An additional feature of Oregon’s regional service approach is in its requirements for
hiring analysts and economists. When recruiting staff for these positions, the state made
the ability to communicate with stakeholders about labor market data a priority. “We
hire for great communication skills,” as Slater, the Division’s administrator, shared about
the state’s approach. The state also tries to hire staff who understood client needs
2
http://www.qualityinfo.org/.
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as much as data. In the initial hiring for the new positions, the state hired five staff who
had previously served as employment service (ES) workers. They did this in part
because of the ES workers’ in-depth experience and understanding of the workforce
system. Though these workers’ initial analytic
experience was less than other candidates, the Division “We hire for great
invested substantially in their economics training to communication skills.” –
prepare them for the positions. Satisfaction with the Graham Slater
workforce analysts in the regions interviewed was “Our person in La Grande is
almost uniformly, and enthusiastically positive. phenomenal. She’s a ‘gem’ who
loves her job. And she ‘gets’
Close Contact with Decision Makers the difference between data and
One essential benefit from out-stationing workforce information.” – Brian Cole
analysts and regional economists has been the Research Division’s improved capacity to
understand intimately the information needs of decision makers at the regional and local
level. The analysts’ and economists’ constant participation in industry association,
chamber of commerce, business recruitment, workforce investment board, community
college, and other decision making meetings has given each a first-hand understanding
of the issues facing these leaders. The continual contact and discussion with these
leaders helps the analysts and economists learn, and then develop and improve, the type
of information the leaders most value for making informed decisions. The proximity
also helps the researchers sharpen the ways in which they offer the information.
Through such frequent contact, analysts and economists have been able to develop
rapidly information and tools that respond to the pressing questions of stakeholders and
their preferences for how to access that information. For example, the Research Division
developed additional tools to search the applicant resume banks in Oregon’s on-line job
matching service, iMatch Skills, to create skills inventories of workers who are currently
looking for work in their regions. These allow economic development recruiting staff to
answer an urgent question often asked by businesses considering re-location to the area:
“Does your area have the kinds of skilled workers we need?”
When the 2008 economic downturn began and more layoffs started to occur, analysts
turned the question around and began asking: “Do the businesses we’re targeting need
the kinds of skilled workers we have in this region?” To address the needs of laid off
workers in particular, the Division’s analysts and economists have been using the same
iMatch Skills data to help economic developers target companies likely to seek the
region’s available skills.
One challenge that can arise from such close relationships with decision makers is that
the relationships might interfere with providing unbiased information and objective
counsel. Though analysts and economists are sought after to participate in many
stakeholder board and staff meetings, they are barred from voting membership in any
organizations where they provide market information. Maintaining the perception of
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objectivity among its customers, as well as the reality, also helps the Division steer clear
of any political battles that could jeopardize its effectiveness.
Research Support on the Web
“We especially appreciate that
Close contact with businesses and other local the website reflects the
stakeholders has taught the Division’s regional knowledge of the regional
economists and analysts as much about the preferred economists” – Roger Lee
delivery systems for market intelligence as it has
about preferred content. One outcome of this learning has been the continuous
improvement of the Division’s Internet-based LMI tools.
www.QualityInfo.org is Oregon’s labor market information system website, which
reflects the Employment Department’s emphasis on information for decision making, as
well as its priority on serving regional economies. The home page headlines a regional
map, splitting the state into 15 regions, and linking customers immediately to overviews
of each region, the region’s economy in comparison to that of the state, jobs and careers
in the region, and publications and services available for the specific region. The home
page also provides entry points based on the types of customer likely to use the site.
These link employers, job seekers, education institutions, and workforce professionals to
a series of tools that feedback has shown to be in demand for each customer group.
These features are becoming more widespread among LMI shops, but Oregon appears to
remain on a leading edge because of the continuous feedback afforded by the individuals
out-stationed in the regions. In Oregon, the LMI website was developed early on, not by
IT specialists in consultation with LMI workers, but rather by LMI workers who became
enthusiasts for web development and were supported by the Division to develop their
web skills and ultimately begin full time work on the website.
While local businesses typically were able to find answers to their questions on the
state’s website, analysts began hearing complaints that these answers were dispersed in
many different parts of the site, so the businesses often needed to rely on analysts to
direct them. In response, a group of analysts themselves designed the site’s “Business
Information Center,” which organizes the most frequently requested information into a
format tailored to business. It also allows businesses to create their own custom reports
about industries, economic trends, population, recruiting and training resources, and
other business resources by county. The Division’s regional economists and workforce
analysts continually suggest improvements based on what they hear from their close
contacts with businesses and other stakeholders.
The state also has honed its reports and distribution methods to match customer needs
and push outreach to regions. Gary Gipson, the systems development manager for the
Research Division, uses a list-serve to distribute monthly summaries of the latest articles,
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projections, and reports available on the website. Business Information Center
Some of the WIB directors report that it is so well The Business Information Center provides
oriented to business that they forward this email to information tailored to the needs of your
their “VIP list of employers and economic business… Select options from the menu
development colleagues,” and encourage the below to create your own custom report:
colleagues to join the Division’s list-serve directly. County Overview
• Geography
The state continues to push the envelope of Internet • Economic Background
outreach by experimenting with other web tools as Industry Information
well. It recently began pioneering the first known • Employment, Wages, and Businesses
“state LMI blog” to make data more accessible, and • Local Business Contacts
just joined Twitter to gauge whether this tool will • Sales Data
increase the convenience and use of up-to-date labor
Economic Trends
market intelligence. Though the state now has begun
• Employment & Economic News
marketing the blog tool, both its blog and Twitter
• Recent Business Activity
applications are in developmental stages.
• Current Employment by Industry
Nevertheless, they reflect the Division’s outreach
orientation, as Slater puts • Unemployment Trends
“To engage young business it: “To engage young • Industry Employment Projections
owners and young HR
business owners and • Consumer Price Index
managers, we need to Population and Income
young human resources
communicate the research in
managers, we need to • Population
their way.” – Graham Slater
communicate the research • Per Capita Income
in their way.” • Median Household Income
Recruiting and Training Resources
Environment • Wages by Occupation
Since the 1990s, the State of Oregon often has gained • Staffing Patterns
recognition for investing in quality data collection and • Staffing and Training Resources
analysis. The establishment of the Oregon Progress • Job Description Writer
Board in 1989 reflected the state legislature’s value on • Benefit and Compensation Trends
data-based decision making and benchmarking to spur Other Business Resources
improvement and monitor the state's 20-year strategic • Local Business Assistance
vision, Oregon Shines. Though the Progress Board lost • Business and Industry Associations
state funding due to the budget crisis in 2009, the • Business Financing Resources
state’s strong data collection and analysis extends • Tax Credits and Information
beyond employment and economic data to • Legal Resources
transportation, education, environment, and a wide
variety of related intelligence. Establishment of the http://www.qualityinfo.org/olmisj/BIC
Progress Board also reflects the state government’s relatively proactive role in the state’s
development over the past several administrations.
This data- and analysis-friendly environment supported the Oregon Employment
Department and state legislature’s decision to create the workforce analyst positions in
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1997. Despite the initial political challenges of re-allocating funding from other
employment service positions, the Division has maintained and grown support for its
regional operations over the decade. This appears to be due to broad-based support
from business and other community stakeholders who have benefited from the LMI
services and who communicate that to their elected officials. It is noteworthy that
because of the individuals out-stationed in the regions and their close relationships with
local leaders, state legislators from all reaches of the state have a familiarity with the
Research Division’s staff and the staff’s benefits to their constituents.
Oregon’s economic situation also has contributed to its “In some areas we have the
emphasis on regional services. In the 1980s, Oregon deepest unemployment in the
leaders began efforts to diversify the state’s traditionally U.S. ... but our population
resource-based economy (timber, fishing, agriculture) continues to grow. When
people come to Oregon, they
toward a more mixed manufacturing and marketing
stay.” – Jonathan Schlueter
economy, emphasizing its growing high technology
industries in the Portland region. This shift to new industries generally did not occur in
the rural areas of Oregon. So, when the 1990’s rapid growth collapsed, most of the state
was again confronted with high unemployment. The state lost about 43,000 payroll jobs
from 2000 through 2003, particularly among advanced manufacturing firms around
Portland. The state rebounded from 2004 to 2007 through growth in construction and
services, with 21,000 jobs added in the construction industry alone. However, that
growth again collapsed with the mortgage and housing market in 2007, and Oregon fell
into a deepening recession in 2008 that continued into 2009.
This economic environment has influenced the Research Division in two ways. The first
stems from state leaders’ concern that most of Oregon’s recent economic successes have
been concentrated in the Portland region, while other regions continued to face decline.
This highlighted the need for stronger support to economic and workforce leaders in the
farther regions of the state. The second influence stems from the need for more proactive
action – and use of more relevant and accurate data – to solve persistent problems of
unemployment. Both influences bolstered the argument for regional services that
encourage the use and relevance of the Research Division’s information.
Funding
The Oregon Employment Department has devoted substantial resources to the
Workforce and Economic Research Division. The Division’s two-year budget is
approximately $11 million, and derives from both state and federal funding, along with a
relatively smaller portion from fee for service research. Federal sources include the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Department of Labor Employment Training
Administration, the Workforce Information Grant, and the Wagner Peyser Act. From the
state level, Oregon applies a portion of its Supplemental Employment Department
Administration Fund (SEDAF), which is separate and distinct from the state’s general
fund and is collected by the state secretary of the treasury through the Unemployment
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Insurance system. This overall budget funds 65 staff for the Division, of which eight are
regional economists and 13 are workforce analysts.
Slater reports that repeated reductions in federal funding would have made the program
very difficult to maintain, were it not for the additional state SEDAF funding for labor
market information services. Though the state legislature acted to fund the workforce
analyst positions in 1997, Division staff have not taken that funding for granted and have
worked to maintain community support.
“We’ve been given relatively The Division raised approximately $350,000 in its most
generous resources, so we justrecent budget from fees for special studies, surveys, and
didn’t want to blow it.” other customized research. Its customers have included
– Graham Slater employer groups as well as education, WIB, university, and
economic development stakeholders. The service fees are generally minima, and cover
costs for specific, customized projects, but they are significant primarily to ensure that
the Division focuses on research projects that are a priority to customers and partners.
Partners
Oregon’s regional outreach strategy and staff have made the Research Division a close
partner with local decision makers on a broad scale. The Division’s extensive direct
work with businesses is supported by work with economic developers, workforce
agencies, and education institutions. As noted earlier, the regional economists and
workforce analysts consistently are included in a variety of board and executive decision
making meetings because of the quality of their information and their responsiveness to
the decision makers’ information needs.
A prominent feature of the Oregon LMI shop is its in-person business services and
partnerships with business recruitment and retention organizations. The groundwork
for business partnering appears to stem from the systematic interview contacts that the
analysts conduct with local businesses. In meeting the workforce analysts’ performance
goal of spending 60 percent of their time with businesses, one analyst’s schedule for the
past year documented over 80 trips to local businesses and workforce organizations, not
counting those inside her most immediate county.
Building on the workforce analysts’ knowledge and experience with individual
businesses, the Research Division is in a strong position to provide mutual assistance to
its economic development partners. As the director of one business recruitment and
expansion organization put it in a letter of support for the Division, the two
organizations collaborate on several levels, and “that process can be iterative, where each
organization shares its knowledge and perspective for a better end product.” In many
regions, the workforce analysts participate with multiple economic development boards
and are highly involved in business recruitment meetings.
-9-
The regional teams’ close relationship with business, “Graham [Slater]'s positive
economic, and workforce organizations also has helped attitude, willing spirit,
grow and maintain statewide support for the regional collaborative approach, and
outreach work. The direct benefit to businesses locally has inspirational work ethic are the
led those businesses to advocate for maintaining the basis of his success.”
Division’s resources. At least one large employer, who – National Association of
State Workforce Agencies
also served as a regional WIB chair, went to the state
legislature to advocate for continued Division funding, with the message that “as a
business, I need this.” The Division’s relationships and first-hand experience (usually on
a first-name basis) with businesses and business growth organizations help to maintain
its steady support from legislators across the state; the business and business growth
organizations keep the legislators very aware of the Division’s benefit to the legislators’
constituents. While legislators in other states tend to know very little about their LMI
shop, some in Oregon are reported to know regional LMI staff on a first-name basis.
Public sector partnerships are also strong, though they have not always been without
challenges. When the Department advocated for reallocating funding from about 20
employment service worker positions to create the workforce analyst positions, the
Employment Service group was understandably concerned. While this led to some
tension between the divisions in the early years, the Research Division worked to show
its value to the Employment Service office, which eventually “came to be one of the
Division’s biggest fans.” This shift is in large part the result of information services the
Division provides to the employment service managers, which help the managers then
succeed by providing value to their customers.
Another important public sector partnership stems from the regional economists’ and
“We Consider Jan [workforce analysts’ location in the local one-stop centers serving the
analyst] and Carolyn regions in which they work. The partnership is symbiotic
[regional economist] and the because their location in the one-stop centers keeps the
central office to be economists and analysts in frequent contact with a variety
“our research department.”
of labor market stakeholders – including job seekers,
– Laurel Werhane
businesses, training organizations, sector associations, and
government officials – while making them easily (sometimes too easily) accessible to
workforce system staff. Analysts in the regions interviewed attend weekly center staff
meetings as a valued resource, and the regional economists often fill functions that
resemble such staff functions as conducting research and making presentations to the
media. When describing these staff, one-stop operators tend to refer to the Research
Division workers as “our researchers,” rather than the state’s.
The Research Division’s primary education partners are the community colleges, though
the Division would like to have a broader role with education institutions in the regions
(see “‘Future Plans”). Among community colleges, Division staff work with both state
administrators and individual colleges to provide general labor market information and
- 10 -
specialized research requested by the colleges. The analysts and economists collaborate
both to inform program changes at the colleges themselves and in meetings with other
stakeholders concerned with regional workforce and economic development needs. The
partnership with community colleges in the Central Oregon region, for example, is
extended through the analyst’s and college staff’s participation in the Business Resource
Network, a group of the region’s front-line workers for the community college, economic
development, vocational rehabilitation, and other Title 1-B partners who work regularly
with employers and share what they are hearing about the economic environment.3
Results
According to Department staff and economic development partners, the first result of
this regional outreach strategy is the increased use of labor market data for decision
making among businesses in Oregon. The Department
“We’re infinitely more
engaged as a result. If not for and these partners believe that larger numbers of
the regional offices, there’s no businesses are aware of the information provided and have
way legislators from 400 miles made better decisions as a result of the regional
away would know us. Because economists’ and workforce analysts’ work and the use of
of those offices, we can make a the data on the www.QualityInfo.org website.
meaningful contribution in all
communities.”– Graham Though the impact on local decision making is difficult to
Slater quantify, interviewees shared multiple examples that
flowed from local engagement. For example, a workforce analyst’s meeting with an
economic development manager in one region led to a manufacturing skills survey based
on the manager’s experience with manufacturing employers. When the survey results
were reported to county commissioners, the presentation mobilized local elected officials
and training institutions alike. Though the very rural region suffered high
unemployment, the survey revealed a large number of manufacturers experiencing a
shortage of skilled workers. The region’s community college created one completely
new training program as a result, and adapted another to help fill the gap. In this case as
elsewhere, the link between the research and the behavior change stemmed from both in-
person connections to conceive of research relevant to that community and to in-person
presentations with local elected officials to spur action.
Economic development groups also cite accessible data as a factor in many private and
public investment decisions in their regions. The Portland region’s Westside Economic
Alliance notes that the workforce analysts’ data, particularly the data identifying the
area’s rapid growth in college-educated 25 to 35 year olds
and its large number of engineers looking for work, “The three workforce analysts
contributed to recent expansion or new investments of over in our region are indispensable
to me.”
a billion dollars in the region from such companies as
– Jonathan Schlueter
Kaiser Permanente, Intel, Genentec, and Solar World.
3
Title 1-B refers to the title of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 covering services to adult and dislocated
workers.
- 11 -
They also note that data about the population growth and employment growth in the
Portland region led local elected officials to invest another one billion dollars in the
purchase and expansion of the Scoggins Dam, which feeds agriculture, recreation, and
residential needs in the area.4
Another result from locating the economists and analysts in the regions has been the
impact on data quality for Oregon’s local regions. Because the analysts and economists
are in such close contact with businesses, they are able to provide intelligence forecasts
that are not possible simply by extending statistical trend lines. Monthly employment
estimates for small counties, for example, frequently include first-hand knowledge
provided by the relevant workforce analyst or regional economist, that a mill is laying off
30 people or that another employer is expanding in the area. In a county of 3,000 people,
such information has a large impact on planning.
“Oregon’s green industry Some local leaders also see an impact on fundraising as a
sector is growing – and itresult of the research provided by the Division. The largest
hasn’t been by accident. State
and most recent example is the award of a $1.25 million
policies have encouraged this
growth … Now, with even
grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to strengthen the
state’s ability to analyze and distribute labor market
more data, we will be able to
information about green jobs to a variety of customers,
continue to attract companies
that create green jobs by including businesses, job seekers, and workforce and
ensuring that we have a training providers.4 The grant benefits several regions
workforce ready to go to directly because of the way that the Division gathered
work.” – Governor Ted regional partners to ask for their input on the grant – a step
Kulongoski that was enhanced by the Division’s strong, ongoing
relationship with these regional partners. The Central Oregon Workforce Coordinating
Council, for example, will use $170,000 of the grant to train staff and conduct green jobs
profiling, and the community action organization NeighborImpact, and local community
colleges will expand their weatherization training programs as a result of the grant.
Challenges
While the regional outreach services of the Division of Workforce and Economic
Research have met with wide success, they have not been without challenges. The start-
up of the program saw two challenges in particular. The reallocation of funding from
other divisions to fund the workforce analyst positions created some conflict. Some of
the lingering issues from that conflict were overcome by personal efforts to rebuild
damaged relationships. They were also overcome by efforts to demonstrate the value of
the program to all of the divisions involved. A smaller fraction of the conflict was only
healed by time and attrition among some of those involved.
4
http://www.employment.oregon.gov/EMPLOY/COMM/news/lmi_grant_11-20-09.shtml.
- 12 -
The second set of difficulties in the start-up phase is common to most program
innovations. The fact that such a program had few if any models to emulate meant that,
as one staff person put it, “the first couple of years were a little messy.” When the 13
analysts were hired in one day, for example, none on the team had ever implemented a
decentralized effort of this magnitude before. Combined with the geographic distances,
this decentralization created training challenges for those stationed far from Salem.
The Division needed an extended time to develop a vision for the new services, as well.
Though managers and staff knew their charge was to engage business, they did not have
an agreed upon definition of what that meant for the new regional staff. As a result, it
took some time to develop some standards of performance for the analysts spread across
the state.
Though management of the decentralized staff has been successful, the primary ongoing
challenge remains developing effective management systems for the employer
engagement mission. While the regional economists’ performance can be tied clearly to
reports and delivery dates, appropriate deliverables have been less clear for analysts.
Four years ago, one approach was to identify the top 75 businesses in the region, and
require the analysts to reach all of them by the end of the year. In the last year, the
workforce analysts collectively developed a set of core deliverables, including contacts
with new businesses, total business requests filled, and number of presentations.
Slater’s research of other states showed that these challenges are worth battling. All state
officials that had once had individuals out-stationed in the regions regretted eliminating
them.
Future Plans
Customers of the Workforce and Economic Research Division report that the state’s
regional research strategy is functioning well and meeting their needs, and major
structural changes are not currently planned. In the longer term, however, Slater would
recommend at least two major improvements to his Division:
First, though the Division finds the current number of regional economists to be
sufficient, Slater previously submitted budget proposals to add three to four workforce
analysts to the staff in order to dedicate one analyst for each region while keeping four
for the Portland region. The Division sees additional analysts as necessary for Portland
because of the high concentration of Oregon’s businesses in that region and the analysts’
key role with businesses.
Second, the longer-term change that Slater envisions is to create a third group of research
staff focused on providing labor market intelligence to education institutions in Oregon.
Slater envisions this staff working with education customers specifically on occupational
skills and training requirements. The researchers also would participate in educational
- 13 -
institutions’ career fairs, community college planning meetings, and other events that
could use skills and occupational information.
In the shorter term, two smaller, new activities are emerging in the form of research and
products for Oregon’s green jobs economy and the use of technology to give Oregon’s
regional leaders more access to data. The recent $1.25 million grant from the U.S.
Department of Labor to strengthen Oregon’s collection, analysis, and distribution of
labor market information about green jobs will address the first of these activities. The
Division’s experiments with providing intelligence through social media such as Twitter
and a daily LMI blog will address the second.
Observations
A number of observations and insights can be gleaned from the interviewees for this case
study:
1. The investment in staff dedicated to helping regional leaders apply labor market
data has paid off in the wider use of data, customer satisfaction, and broad
support for the program.
2. Success in garnering broad support (local stakeholders and state legislators) was
enhanced by a disciplined focus on providing value to businesses.
3. Given the value of personal service, the quality of staff “makes or breaks the
program,” as one customer put it. So selection of staff with excellent
communication and customer service skills, as well as analytical skills, is critical.
4. Maintaining a regional system of out-stationed staff requires a leader who has
passion for customer service and selects and supports field staff to extend that
enthusiasm. It also requires strategic management approaches to support and
guide performance in decentralized offices.
5. Frequent training, systems to encourage peer support, and clear performance
guidelines are key management tools to replace the benefits sacrificed from
location in a central office. Clear performance guidelines also allow flexibility and
effectiveness at meeting the mission of providing value to businesses.
6. Analysts’ and economists’ frequent and meaningful engagement with local
decision makers helps them enhance the relevance of intelligence to decision
making. The relationships developed from interaction also encourage creative
collaboration to solve local problems.
7. Direct community interaction and knowledge provides more accurate and reliable
data and the capacity to forecast local trends.
8. Out-stationed staff need to have strong links to local economic and labor market
intermediaries. In Oregon, the staff is located in one-stop centers and establishes
relationships with the WIBs.
9. High quality, customer friendly, web-based information tools and out-stationed
staff are mutually strengthening. Together they allow for more flexible,
customized service to distant regions, as well as metropolitan hubs.
- 14 -
Contact: Interviewees:
Graham Slater Lynne Boussi, Senior Project Manager, Business and
Administrator Industry Recruitment, Portland Economic
Workforce and Economic Development Commission
Research Division Brian Cole, President, Orbis Group, Inc.
Oregon Employment Department Roger Lee, Executive Director, Economic Development
875 Union Street, NE for Central Oregon
Salem, Oregon 97311 Mark Miller, Manager, Analysis, Workforce, and
(503) 947-1212 Economic Research, Oregon Employment Department
(503) 947-1210 Jonathan Schlueter, Executive Director, Westside
[email protected] Economic Alliance
Graham Slater, Administrator, Workforce and Economic
Research Division, Oregon Employment Department
Laurel Werhane, Business and Employment Services
Manager, WorkSource Central Oregon Employment
Department
*********
Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation
Viewing Workforce Investment Boards as Valued Customers
(pages 37 – 44)
The Agency for Workforce Innovation is Florida’s lead state workforce agency, and
directly administers the state’s workforce development programs, including the labor
market information (LMI) program housed in the Labor Market Statistics (LMS) Center.
LMS operates as a service provider, and as such, structures its activities to meet the
needs of its customers. LMS’ primary customers are Florida’s 24 workforce investment
boards (WIBs), but they are not the sole entities relying on LMS’ services. LMS is tasked
with providing information to “the state’s workforce partners and the general public.”
Workforce partners include – in addition to the 24 WIBs – the governor and state
legislature; the Agency for Workforce Innovation itself and Workforce Florida, Inc. (the
state workforce board); all levels of the education system, K-12 through college and
university, teachers, staff, and career counselors; the state’s 67 economic development
agencies and chambers of commerce; and the media. This keeps the 70 person LMS
office busy until late at night.
Purpose and Goals
Labor Market Statistics' mission is to produce, analyze, and deliver timely and reliable
labor statistics to improve economic decision-making. Rebecca Rust, LMS director and
chief economist, noted that LMS couldn’t just produce data; it had to make sure that the
data were used. Employment data, Rust said, are the state’s most important economic
indicators, and during this recession, the WIBs need these indicators more than ever.
- 15 -
“The LMS staff are a Many of LMS’ customers recognize the importance of its
phenomenal team.” – Andra activities. According to Mason Jackson, Workforce One
Cornelius president and CEO, LMI is a WIB’s lifeblood . . . it is at the
core of what we need to know . . . what the jobs are . . . where the jobs are. Richard
Williams, Chipola Regional Workforce Development Board executive director, said that
LMS is a resource; you know the data are accurate, you know that they are good.
Customized LMI Initiatives
LMS is completely customer-focused. All of the office’s “We have changed the office’s
staff has been trained in customer service and is values. We no longer say: “we
instructed not to be “the program of no.” Staff is directed don’t have that,’ “we’re not
to meet the requests of all customers, in all cases. If a funded for that,’ or ‘that’s not
my job.’” – Rebecca Rust
customer asks for data that aren’t available, staff works
with the customer to determine the purpose of the data; in many cases staff can find
other data that will address the need. Sometimes staff can provide data that are good
proxies for what is requested, such as the characteristics of individuals on
unemployment insurance in place of the characteristics of the unemployed. If requests
require additional resources, then a fee for service can be charged.
According to Rust, LMS staff and WIBs speak different languages. LMS staff lives in a
statistical world, while WIBs live in a service world. LMS staff needs to learn to speak
the WIBs’ language. Rust requires staff to manage and then exceed expectations. It is
better, she feels, to under promise and then over deliver. Staff is instructed not to
respond initially to customers by saying “the data are on the website.” Staff is to find the
information customers need and then tell them where it is on the website for future
reference. Staff is to acknowledge requests the same day they come in, tell customers
what information they will receive and when, and then check back to make sure the
information met the customers’ needs.
LMS’ customers tell stories that show the success of this
“They find out what we need, and
then get it to us.” – Mason customer-focused mindset. Kimberly Moore,
Jackson WORKFORCE plus chief executive officer, was pleased
with the labor supply information she received when her WIB was working with a
company thinking of locating in the area. Jackson noted that he received commuter
information he asked for within two hours. Williams received information he requested
about companies in his region. When it was provided – also within two hours – staff
apologized for the delay.
LMS provides the standard LMI statistics: employment and unemployment by
industry, wages by industry and occupation. It disseminates its LMI on the Internet,
and in newsletters and publications. It produces occupational profiles, local profiles,
career comics for youth, and career posters that show career opportunities by level of
education.
- 16 -
Both Jackson and Mary Lou Brunell, Workforce Florida board member, mentioned how
much they value the pocket cards that LMS provides them. For the WIBs, the cards
contain information on “hot jobs” and who is hiring. For the state board, they contain
unemployment rates by region, employment by industry, and information on changes
and trends. Andra Cornelius, a Workforce Florida vice president, praised LMS’ white
papers, which contain graphs, charts, and comparisons to other states, executive
summaries and supporting documentation, all understandable to a lay audience.
LMS also trains its customers to access and use the LMI products it provides. When it
buys new software, it provides customers with training on how to use it. Rust admitted,
though, that there is never enough time for training.
LMS takes everything it does to a higher level. LMS makes data that are not timely more
current, supplying updated wage data on a quarterly basis, and producing annual
projections for occupations in demand (instead of every other year) for 24 regions and
the state as a whole. LMS also adds extra economic indicators – other than workforce –
to its reports, such as foreclosures and housing starts.
LMS conducts labor supply studies for WIBs when they are recruiting businesses. It uses
GIS to map where potential workers are when businesses are trying to decide where to
locate. It helps WIBs make decisions on where to locate their one-stop centers based on
where the WIBs’ customers are.
LMS has built its reputation on its responsiveness. It provided a list of growing small
businesses when the governor convened a small business forum. It helped Williams
analyze a survey on high school graduation that his WIB had conducted, and then
offered suggestions on how to conduct a better survey in the future.
Sometimes LMS is not able to meet a WIB’s needs with existing data. In those cases, LMS
will conduct a survey for the WIB as a fee-for-service activity that covers costs. LMS
designs the survey and uses a vendor for telephone data collection. Results are delivered
in three weeks; the finished brochure takes somewhat longer. All LMS surveys are
scientific, based on probability samples with response rates over 80 percent.
LMS conducted a survey of growing companies to determine why they were not using
particular one-stop centers. It conducted numerous vacancy surveys to determine
companies’ current employment needs and future hiring expectations. The vacancy
surveys were in such demand that they became part of LMS’ standard package of
services. This year Workforce Florida is funding vacancy surveys for the 24 regions
using stimulus funds.
LMS does one thing that perhaps no other state does: it shares its confidential
unemployment compensation employer database with the WIBs. Florida has
- 17 -
“LMS’ surveys are better pricedreceived a legal opinion Labor Market Statistics
and more valid than those we that since the WIBs use include a variety of labor
could get from the private sector.”
public funds and carry out market, economic, and
– Mason Jackson a public mission, they are demographic data such as:
legitimate users of the data. This enables the WIBs to • Employment and Wages –
current employment,
conduct their own surveys if they want. They also can
projections, and wages by
use the database to analyze employers using the one-stop industry and occupation,
centers, produce lists of companies by industry, and occupational profiles, and
develop information on the impact of natural disasters in career information.
their regions. Sharing this database helps the WIBs train • Labor Force –
and place workers, indirectly assisting the unemployment labor force, employment,
compensation program. unemployment, and
unemployment rates.
LMS produces “What we value from LMS is not • Economic Indicators -
publications and its ‘standard package’ of data and Florida Price Level Index,
PowerPoint information. What we value is Consumer Price Index,
presentations for the that LMS’ product is whatever income, and unemployment
we ask for.” – Richard Williams claims data.
WIBs’ use. Once
developed, the WIBs can put their names on them as if • Population - age, race,
gender, income, veteran's
they were their own documents. Cornelius noted that
status, and education
LMS provides her with data she can imbed in the information.
presentations she develops. Data from LMS are provided
via reports, publications, CDs,
Every month, LMS produces a regional press release for brochures, posters, and the
each WIB. WIBs add their own quotes, insert information Internet.
on their activities, and issue the press releases themselves.
This enables the WIBs to “own” their data and be the ones their local media contact for
further information. To prepare the WIBs for any questions they might receive, LMS
conducts a one-hour conference call with the WIBs on each press release morning, and
supplies them with FAQs (and answers) on what the media might ask.
According to Jackson, “owning the data” cements his position as the “go to guy” for
workforce information in the eyes of the chamber of commerce, economic development,
and community-based organizations serving hard to serve populations.
LMS stays connected with the WIBs. It attends their quarterly workforce association
meetings, speaking about new activities and services and learning about their needs.
LMS staff supports WIBs’ strategic planning and board retreats, making presentations
when asked.
“LMS provides information, not LMS also supports Workforce Florida’s LMI needs,
data. It is quality driven, supplying information to the board, as well as to its
meticulous about accuracy.” – committees and task forces. LMS staff meets with
Stephen M. Urquhart Workforce Florida staff regularly, and communicates by
- 18 -
phone and e-mail practically every day. Stephen M. Urquhart, another Workforce
Florida vice president, said that he takes issues raised by the board to Rust. Using a
consultative approach, with her operating from a data perspective and him from a policy
one, they will develop goals and ways to measure them.
LMS is very good at what it does. The state conducts customer service evaluations
annually, and LMS gets high marks on responsiveness. It has been voted “workforce
champion” by the WIBs. Rust is asked to train LMI directors in other states how to
provide Florida’s form of customer-focused LMI to their WIBs. LMS’ biggest problem
stems from its success: LMS is no longer a “best kept secret,” and it has an
“overwhelming” workload.
“LMS is the ‘star unit’ of the
Environment state.” – Kimberly Moore
While Florida provided LMI before, LMS, as it functions now, was created around 2000,
when both federal and state legislation pushed Florida’s Department of Labor to
reorganize. After the federal government passed the Workforce Investment Act in 1998,
the Florida state legislature shut down the state Department of Labor, and privatized
both workforce development and the state’s workforce board. Everyone working for the
state’s Department of Labor was required to turn in their resignations, and the state’s
WIB directors had a voice in which state staff should be retained for the new workforce
agency.
“LMS treats us like we are the Rust was told that she needed to “act private.” The state
boss.” – Mason Jackson now worked for the local areas, and LMS needed to
satisfy them as its primary customers. Rust went on the road, visiting all 24 WIBs
personally, and making the case that LMS could provide more timely and accurate data
than they could get through any other source. Initially, some WIBs were hesitant; private
vendors had told them that they could provide more timely and localized data. But over
the years, LMS has proven to be the ultimate and trusted source.
With the current recession, LMS is needed more than “When there were lots of jobs and
ever. With unemployment rates at over 11 percent, few job seekers, we had to ‘put
Urquhart noted, the state has to be aggressive matching ribbons on companies.’ Now that
people up to the few jobs that are out there. LMS, he said, there are few jobs and lots of job
seekers, we have to ‘put ribbons
gives workforce professionals and those looking for work
on people.’”– Richard Williams
“competitive insight.”
Funding
LMS operates on over $7 million per year, with most funds coming from the U.S.
Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics and Employment and Training
Administration (ETA), along with some funds from the Workforce Investment and
Wagner-Peyser Acts. LMS also has money from the fees it charges for special customer-
requested surveys, usually $30,000 to $40,000 per survey. This year, Workforce Florida
provided LMS an additional $1.8 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment
- 19 -
Act (stimulus funds), and ETA awarded it a $1.25 million Green Jobs Improvement
Grant.
“If LMS activities are vital to LMS also applies for grant funding. According to
Florida’s economic recovery, we Cornelius, if LMS had not received the ETA green jobs
will use Workforce Florida improvement grant, Workforce Florida itself would have
funds.” – Andra Cornelius provided LMS with the funds needed to conduct a green
jobs survey. Some LMS customers also seek funding for the LMS office. Moore
indicated that she likes to write in a role for LMS when her WIB applies for grants.
Partners
LMS’ customers are also its partners. LMS works with its “Because the Chipola Regional
customers in a consultative fashion, jointly talking Workforce Development Board is
through their data needs and developing solutions to a small, rural WIB, LMS staff
meet them. William mentioned that whenever he sees spend more time with us,
conducting more analyses of our
something in his data that he doesn’t understand, he
data and explaining what the data
phones LMS and staff explains it. Conversely, if LMS mean.”– Richard Williams
staff sees something in his region’s data that it doesn’t
understand, staff will phone him, and they will talk it through together to figure out
what is happening (e.g. a new company has opened in the region). The fact that
Williams receives these phone calls from LMS demonstrates to him that the office
actually looks at the data; it doesn’t just send data without analyzing them.
A “partners council” – composed of Workforce Florida board staff, WIB executive
directors, and economic development and chamber of commerce representatives – meets
on the afternoon before each Workforce Florida board meeting. This is one of the key
forums the WIBs use to communicate their needs and concerns to the Florida Agency for
Workforce Innovation, including LMS staff.
Results
LMS helps the WIBs do a better job and provide better services. Williams noted that his
WIB board uses LMS data to make decisions and set policy. All three WIB executive
directors interviewed said they use LMS data to target their training. LMS produces
each region’s demand occupation list, based on occupational openings, wage levels, and
potential for growth. WIBs then use these lists in determining the training programs for
which they will issue individual training accounts.
Data are crucial in shaping the core and intensive services the WIBs provide, enabling
case managers to guide job seekers into jobs with good prospects. Moore noted that LMS
data help her WIB provide reemployment services and transition dislocated workers into
new careers. The data also affect the work of the WIBs’ job developers and their
approach to employers.
- 20 -
“LMS data make our services LMS’ practice of providing the WIBs with press releases
more efficient. We waste less time
they issue as their own make the WIBs the “go to”
trying to figure out where the jobs
organizations in their regions that media call with
are and who is hiring.” – Mason questions about the local economy. According to Jackson,
Jackson
releasing the regional LMI establishes the WIB’s position
as the source for intelligence on workforce development. The business community sees
the WIB as the local expert; employers call the WIB for information on wages.
LMS has an impact on policy and programming at the state level as well. According to
Urquhart, the data produced by the office direct state workforce development
investments, guiding money to activities with the greatest potential payoff. Brunell
noted that LMS data are used to determine funding distributions for special projects.
Data shape state RFPs, setting the criteria used for reviewing proposals and awarding
grants.
LMS data can have an impact even beyond the state level. Because of the data LMS
provides, the state is able to craft fact-based arguments and make the case for waivers or
changes of national policies.
Future Plans
LMS has a number of new projects it is bringing on line. As mentioned earlier, the office
is planning to conduct a green jobs study, surveying 60,000 employers and giving each of
the 24 WIBs valid data they can use as a baseline on green activity in their regions.
LMS is continuing to conduct job vacancy surveys for the “Most of LMI is retrospective. It
regions. It is adding an outreach question to its protocol, is like trying to drive a car while
asking whether the employers would like to be contacted looking out the rear window.
by a WIB for help with any workforce issues they face. This only works if the road ahead
is exactly like the road behind.
LMS is also looking at ways to address the limited data
Vacancy surveys give us a view
available for small, rural WIBs that are not a standard of employers’ future hiring
data reporting area, experimenting with methodologies expectations.” – Mason Jackson
for forecasting forward.
“LMS is analyzing the current The state is trying to get out ahead of the planned closing
skills and transferable skills of of the space shuttle program. LMS is conducting a job
those working on the shuttle, vacancy survey to determine what other jobs might
creating cross walks and trying to become available in Brevard County. A key piece of this
determine how we can hold on to
project involves determining the skills shuttle-impacted
our talent.” – Stephen M.
Urquhart employees have that would be transferable to other jobs.
For this, LMS will begin working with TORQ™, the
“TORQ™ provides a rigorous Transferable Occupation Relationship Quotient, an
skills assessment to determine analytical tool developed by Workforce Associates, Inc.
which skills are transferable.” – LMS also will start using TORQ™ to construct career
Andra Cornelius ladders for the state.
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Perhaps the most exciting thing LMS is doing is purchasing licenses for and working
with The Conference Board’s Help Wanted OnLine data series.5 This data series is
creating by “spidering” through both national electronic job boards and niche market
electronic job boards to develop a non-duplicative list of all job openings advertised on
the web. LMS is able to use this data to create real time, actionable information on job
demand in the state.
LMS is already using the data series to understand the demand for nursing in the state.
State data show that there is a demand for nurses in the state, yet individuals graduating
from nursing schools are not always able to find jobs. LMS is using the OnLine data
series to determine exactly where the openings are, providing this information both in
tables and on maps. Brunell would like to see LMS go even further and attach unique
identifiers (e.g. social security numbers) to individuals graduating from schools and
mapping their locations as well.
LMS plans to train the WIBs to use the OnLine data series to find actual job openings in
which to place job seekers. Jackson was an initial user of the OnLine data series, when it
was being tried out in the state. Using the series, he said, let him know exactly what
companies were hiring for what occupations. Job development no longer required cold
calling. Job developers appeared more knowledgeable when they phoned employers as
a result of having access to the job advertisements in the OnLine data series.
Jackson is partnering with the economic development agencies in his region, learning
which industries they are targeting so that he can develop a workforce that matches.
Now that LMS is doing such a good job determining labor demand – including
employers’ future hiring plans – Jackson suggested that LMS focus more of its studies on
labor supply.
Observations
A number of observations and insights can be gleaned from the interviewees for this case
study:
1. A key factor in LMS’ success is customer service. LMI offices need to recognize
that the WIBs are their customers and they need to meet the WIBs’ needs. All LMI
staff needs intensive training in customer service. Customer requests need to be
answered quickly.
2. Good customer service requires bridging the language gap. People in the office
who can learn to “talk WIB” should be made the first point of contact for the WIBs
and other customers who call with LMI requests.
3. A second key success factor is the strong relationship the LMS office has formed
with the WIBs and all of its other customers. States that want to model this need
5
More information on the Help Wanted OnLine data series can be gained from the case study “The Conference
Board: Supporting Workforce Development.”
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to begin their effort by visiting each of its WIBs, as Rust did, and making a “killer
presentation.” If the LMI director is not suited for this, another staff person can be
in charge of outreach. If the number of WIBs to visit is too large, the task can be
divided among multiple staff people.
4. States that build a customer-focused LMI office “LMS works too hard. Not
should expect an increase in the demand for LMI everything requires a fire drill.” –
services. Maintaining good customer service will Stephen M. Urquhart
require that the LMI office find ways to increase its efficiency, and also may
require that the state devote more resources to the LMI office.
5. The LMS office thinks and acts like a consultant or “I don’t see the LMS office as part
a business partner, not as a bureaucracy. This new of government.” – Richard
mindset needs to be supported by the state Williams
government; the LMI office needs to be given the freedom to make decisions
independently and act on them quickly.
6. The quality of the data provided by the state is important. Customers want real-
time data and reports that are comprehensible to lay people.
7. LMI offices should love their most aggressive WIBs. It is these WIBs that get the
LMS office to push the envelope and try something new. The result can be better
LMI for all of the state’s customers.
8. Training front-line staff in the WIBs is critical. WIB staff needs to be taught how
vital LMI is and how to use it to improve WIB services.
9. Success requires a collaborative process. LMS receives feedback from WIBs and
other customers in order to improve its services. It collaborates with industry in
order to conduct surveys. LMI offices cannot operate effectively in ivory towers.
Contact: Interviewees:
Rebecca Rust Mary Lou Brunell, Workforce Florida, Inc.
Director and Chief Economist (board member)
Labor Market Statistics Center Andra Cornelius, Workforce Florida, Inc. (staff)
Florida Agency for Workforce Mason Jackson, Workforce One
Innovation Kimberly Moore, WORKFORCE plus
MSC G‐020 Rebecca Rust, Florida Agency for Workforce
107 E. Madison Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399‐4111 Innovation
(850) 245‐7205 or (866) 537‐3615 Stephen M. Urquhart, Workforce Florida, Inc. (staff)
[email protected] Richard Williams, Chipola Regional Workforce
Development Board, Inc.
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