In May‐June 2013, the National Association Association for Workforce Development (NAWDP) reached out to the workforce development field to determine the specific impact that current sequestrations were having at the local level. The 139 respondents also provided written comments that currently are being analyzed by NAWDP and provide additional insight.

While 29% of the respondents indicated little direct changes as a result of sequesters, most indicated significant impacts. Particularly troubling is the significant reduction in services and training to job seekers, which comes at a time when policymakers are calling for an increased investment in training and employers are indicating a difficult time finding skilled talent.

Impacts studied include:

• Layoffs, furloughs, and reduction in professional development
• Training and core services
• Closures and reduction of hours at one-stop centers

The survey results may be viewed online directly from NAWDP.

A new report from the national Benchmarking Project offers an unprecedented opportunity to examine the results of community-based organizations’ (CBOs) efforts to help jobseekers find and keep employment.

The Benchmarking Project launched in 2004 to understand what “good” performance looks like for different types of workforce development programs. The aggregate data from 332 programs in 200 organizations – mostly CBOs – represent the largest collection of outcomes information to date for programs serving America’s disadvantaged job seekers.

The report, “Apples to Apples: Making Data Work for Community-Based Workforce Development Programs”, presents themes from analysis of the data and offers meaningful comparison groups for programs with different characteristics. While the data does not “prove” the effectiveness of any one approach, it can help funders, providers and other stakeholders set more realistic expectations for performance and make better-informed decisions about program design. The report also provides recommendations for how workforce funders can better support the use of data to improve results.

Public/Private Ventures (P/PV) launched The Benchmarking Project with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to create resources for performance improvement that could be used by workforce providers and funders. With P/PV’s closing in 2012, The Benchmarking Project entered into partnership with Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW).

CSW believes the Benchmarking work is an essential part of strengthening local and national capacity to respond to existing and emerging workforce needs. We hope you will find this information useful in your work.

The Atlanta Federal Reserve recently showcased key components of successful workforce programs and how to improve existing programs.  The Fed shared these insights through a 15-minute podcast (and online transcript) from an interview conducted by Jen Giovannitti at the Richmond Fed and Dr. Elizabeth Weigensberg, a senior research at the University of Chicago.  Titled, Metrics for Success:  Critical Elements for Workforce Development Programs, the podcast and transcript may be accessed online from the Atlanta Fed.

The interview opens with an overview on the current landscape of workforce programs and how the workforce system responded to economic challenges nationally. Weigensberg shared her approach in the scope of working with the greater Chicagoland workforce programs, specifically the CWICstats, Chicagoland Workforce Information Collaborative.

The successful programs in the study had commonalities.  Each began with thorough assessment and intake, according to Weigensberg.  The comprehensive service approach included financial counseling and financial educational resources to complement the training services. Weigensberg cited flexibility as a key factor in the diverse needs of individuals and the changing demands of employers.  The final category covered external relationships, both at the community level and with employers.  Weigensberg shared that each program had strong engagement with policy and advocacy at all levels.  She stressed the importance of data and outcomes management as well.

DOL’s Employment and Training Administration announced Tuesday the launch of Workforce System Strategies, an array of technical assistance resources designed to make it easier for workforce system professionals to quickly find information that supports positive customer outcomes. Published through Workforce3one, the repository is a highly-searchable tool populated with a growing number of experimental studies, implementation evaluations, and peer-informed how-to guides. Outcomes to the workforce system include

• Help job seekers and employer customers achieve better outcomes
• Identify preliminary evidence that may be useful in program design
• Be at the forefront of the workforce system

The announcement came through official channels of Training and Employment Notice (TEN) 10-12.  For more information about Workforce System Strategies, visit http://strategies.workforce3one.org (see especially the “News” and “About” tabs). Questions, comments, or nominations may be submitted by using the “Help” tab on the Web site to contact project staff, or by contacting the appropriate Regional Office.  Missouri’s Regional Office for DOL is Region 5 in Chicago.