State and Local Workforce Fellowship

Fellowship Success Stories

• California
  • San Diego Workforce Partnership released two evidence-based RFPs for youth jobs services which also leverage job quality and equity metrics. They have also released a contract to provide county-wide WIOA Youth services through a career center model, plus four additional contracts to provide services to specific populations that have increased need.
  • Los Angeles developed a Future of Workforce Development Initiative Strategic Toolkit.
• Colorado
  • The Colorado Workforce Development Council developed evidence of effectiveness definitions (p 25) and required local areas to provide an evidence inventory in their local workforce plans. They then incorporated additional evidence and data components to procurements, supporting applicants to increase accessibility and competitiveness, and scaling this approach across state grantmaking. They also incorporated data tracking to job quality efforts based around their  statewide Job Quality Framework.
• District of Columbia’s
  • The D.C. Department of Employment Services developed performance-based contracting and evaluation guidance.
• Ohio
  • The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services supported Central Ohio in piloting two outcomes-based contracts with the intent of spreading the contracting strategy across the state.
  • The Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio released an outcomes-based WIOA and TANF youth contract requiring evidence-based best practices for funding eligibility and using a pay-for-performance model. 
  • To increase statewide awareness, Fellows presented information on outcome-based contracting to the local workforce development areas and youth providers in early 2021.
  • Fellows maintained an ongoing partnership with the Ohio Office of Workforce Development policy team to insert outcomes-based language into the current state policies pertaining to the procurement of one-stop operators, providers of career services, and youth program providers.
• Pennsylvania
  • The Pennsylvania Workforce Development Board defined evidence of effectiveness for the workforce system and conducted a field survey to learn how to support local areas in building evidence. The Governor’s Office developed a grant template leveraging these definitions.
  • Partner4Work, our Pittsburg Fellow, issued a performance-based RFP for training programs leading to industry-recognized credentials and employment.
• Tennessee
  • The Memphis Workforce Investment Network used WIOA funds to award an outcomes-based contract for transitional jobs services to the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), which offers an evidence-based model for reentry employment. 
    • They also used job quality data as part of the award process on another WIOA contract, incentivizing the marketplace to see job quality as a competitive advantage.
• Texas
  • The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) defined and prioritized evidence for the first time.
  • TWC also awarded an evidence- and performance-based grant for a Building and Construction Trades program focused on serving Opportunity Youth. They then scaled this approach through $5.5 million in Texas Talent Connection awards and is applying the framework to new grants on a rolling basis. Following their lead, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is adopting the same evidence-driven strategy through the upcoming award of $3 million in Perkins funding to community colleges.
• Virginia
  • The Governor’s Office of Virginia developed and launched a workforce data trust, connecting data across six agencies, a referral portal offering a single point of entry to all workforce customers, and performance dashboards to inform both the public and workforce officials.
  • Northern Virginia’s SkillSource re-launched their WIOA Youth Pay-for-Performance project focused on better-serving youth who have interacted with the foster care or juvenile justice systems. They also gained DOL approval for their use of WIOA Pay-for-Performance, the first in the nation. Additionally, SkillSource was awarded a TANF Pay-for-Performance contract by the Virginia Department of Social Services which links payment to critical workforce outcomes.

Fellows Share Their Experience

“We’ve taken the first step in changing the way we put out and contract millions of dollars!”

“For workforce programs to remain meaningful, we need to make some big strides in use of evidence and how we tell the story to the public. This is a great way to do it.” 

“It’s been great meeting everyone and hearing about the work they are doing! Definitely a great source of inspiration — we data nerds are not alone!”

“It’s really helped to move the needle on evidence and evaluation in our state and our local areas. Not always without pushback, but we’re getting there.”