This is the second interim report of an evaluation of the 26 Generation II and III Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grants, each of which was for $5 million. The WIRED Initiative involved three rounds (or “generations”) of ETA grants that were intended to stimulate transformational change in the economies and workforce programs in regional areas within states (and sometimes crossing state borders). Using WIRED funds, conveners and partners in grant-defined “regions” were charged with identifying a regional identity, creating a vision for regional workforce skill development and industry growth, and implementing specific strategies to achieve those visions. Important related objectives for WIRED projects were: the creation of strong collaborative networks among project partners and the transformation of the public workforce and education systems.

This second report presents data on all Generation II and III WIRED grantees and covers three broad areas: a) WIRED partners’ backgrounds, organizational roles, and perceptions about collaboration and progress under their grant, b) the strength of social networks and the level of awareness of WIRED activities across regions, and c) labor force and economic characteristics in each region individually and as compared to the U.S. as a whole. The evaluators collected data on organizational roles and social networks through a survey of individuals identified as stakeholders in WIRED regional activities. Information on workforce and economic conditions in each region were developed from existing economic, labor force, demographic and education data. Because of lags in the availability of the data, the information was limited to a period roughly representative of the initial or early-stage implementation of the WIRED grants.