Make Every Dollar Count

By the end of the Sprint, you and your team will be able to:

1. Define evidence of effectiveness aligned to your workforce goals, labor market needs, target populations, and priority outcomes;
2. Develop an evidence framework that reflects agency priorities and goals;
3. Embed evidence expectations into workforce funding and policy documents;
4. Translate evidence frameworks into proposal evaluation criteria and scoring approaches;
5. Communicate evidence expectations effectively to key workforce stakeholders; and
6. Apply evidence throughout the procurement and grant management lifecycle to improve workforce outcomes.

By the end of the Sprint, you and your team will have developed or started developing the following:

1. A problem statement and outcome goals for a live or planned workforce funding or policy decision.
2. A customized evidence framework or evidence criteria.
3. Draft language or standards for the team’s selected funding or policy decision.
4. A decision tool appropriate to the selected decision, such as a grant or RFP scoring rubric, contract-selection or demonstrated-effectiveness review, ETPL eligibility checklist, or framework for implementing an evidence policy.
5. An initial plan for aligning budgets, reporting, performance expectations, and program design with the evidence framework.
6. A communication and training approach for respondents and staff evaluating proposals.
7. A 90-day implementation plan for applying evidence-informed approaches to live or planned workforce decisions.

After participating in the Sprint, you and your team will be better positioned to:

1. Use evidence to make clearer and more consistent workforce development funding, procurement, and provider-selection decisions.
2. Direct workforce development dollars toward programs with evidence of effectiveness, while also building evidence for promising or emerging models.
3. Apply evidence-based practices in future procurement, grantmaking, policy, and performance-management cycles.
4. Improve employment, earnings, retention, advancement, and job quality outcomes for employers and job seekers.

The Sprint is designed for state and local teams working on one of three active or planned workforce funding or policy decisions: 

1. Selecting and funding workforce service or training providers through a grant, RFP, or contract;
2. Establishing or revising ETPL initial or continued eligibility criteria; or 
3. Establishing an agency- or board-wide evidence policy.

Participating organizations may include:

• State workforce agencies and workforce development boards;
• Local workforce agencies, workforce development boards, and One-Stop operators;
• State or local agencies that administer workforce development, education, training, or employment-related grants and contracts, including human services, economic development, transportation, public works, corrections, and education agencies;
• Governor’s, mayor’s, county executive’s, or other executive offices overseeing workforce investments or cross-agency workforce initiatives; and
• Other public sector or cross-agency partnerships responsible for funding, selecting or overseeing workforce programs and training providers.

Participating teams should include staff positioned to shape and implement the selected decision, such as program leaders, procurement or grants staff, policy staff, performance or data staff, and workforce board representatives. Teams may come from a single agency or include cross-sector state, local, and partner organizations working together on a shared workforce decision. Individuals are also welcome to apply for and participate in the Sprint. We encourage teams to include 3-5 individuals and no more than 10. 

Not sure if you qualify? Reach out to [email protected] and we can answer any questions you have.

• Active Participation: A majority of the team (3-5 members) must be able to fully engage in the Sprint. This includes attending all sessions, engaging in group discussions, communicating with Sprint facilitators, and completing assignments.
• Commitment to achieving the goals of the Sprint, both during and after its completion.

The Colorado Workforce Development Council and Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry adopted the following evidence framework as part of RFA’s State and Local Workforce Fellowship:

• Strong Evidence
  Two or more rigorous evaluations support the program model.
• Moderate Evidence
  At least one evaluation report has demonstrated that an intervention or strategy has been tested using a well-designed and well-implemented experimental or quasi-experimental design showing evidence of effectiveness on one or more key workforce outcomes. The evaluations should be conducted by an independent entity external to the organization implementing the intervention.
• Preliminary Evidence
  At least one evaluation report has demonstrated that an intervention or strategy has been tested using a well-designed and well-implemented pre/post-assessment without a comparison group or a post-assessment comparison between intervention and comparison groups showing evidence of effectiveness on one or more key workforce outcomes. The evaluation may be conducted either internally or externally.
• Pre-preliminary Evidence
  There is program performance data for the intervention showing improvements for one or more key workforce outputs or outcomes.

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) chose to use a wider range of tiers in its framework to include applicants with promising practices or the desire to build evidence of effectiveness through their work. TWC allows providers to receive funding for newer programs if they build evidence of effectiveness over the grant or contract period through improved data collection and evaluation.

• High Evidence
  At least two approved rigorous studies must show that the program produces positive and meaningful outcomes, with a high degree of confidence that the outcome is primarily caused by the program.
• Moderate Evidence
  Program must be supported by an approved rigorous evaluation which finds that the program has a positive and meaningful outcome, with a modest degree of confidence that the outcome is primarily caused by the program.
• Performance
  Program must provide historical output and outcome data for at least two years, along with assessments and post-program follow-up to demonstrate effectiveness.
• Experience
  Programs do not perform evaluations of participant success or collect data on the effectiveness of the program. Support for program effectiveness comes from anecdotal success stories or other testimonials.
• New
  Entirely new programs with no evidence of effectiveness or evaluation data. Applicants must explain why the program will achieve positive measurable outcomes and that there is sufficient capacity to collect data and track outcomes.