US Department of Labor awards more than $12 million for 13 states to build workforce databases

Grants to improve analysis of workforce program impacts

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced $12.2 million to 13 states through the Workforce Data Quality Initiative. These funds will enable states to build or expand longitudinal databases of workforce data that also link to education data. States will use these longitudinal databases to conduct research and analysis aimed at pinpointing the effectiveness of employment and training programs to better inform workforce system customers.

"These grants are an important part of the administration's efforts to increase the availability and use of high-quality data," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "By developing and improving databases, states will help those seeking training make better informed decisions, all while more clearly demonstrating the link between employment and education in the long-term success of workers."

States will achieve multiple goals during the three-year grant period. Among these are developing or improving state workforce longitudinal data systems with individual-level information; enabling workforce data to be matched with education data to create longitudinal data systems; improving the quality and breadth of the data in the workforce data systems; using longitudinal data to provide useful information about program operations; analyzing the performance of education and training programs; and providing user-friendly information to consumers to help them select the training and education programs that best suit their needs.

Funding will be used by 11 states to expand and improve linkages between education and employment in existing longitudinal databases. These include Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Two additional states, Louisiana and Minnesota, will develop and implement new systems.

This grant opportunity stems from the administration's focus on access to high-quality data and is a sister initiative to the U.S. Department of Education's Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems project that is designed build longitudinal education databases.

To view more information on the Workforce Data Quality Initiative grantees, visit http://www.doleta.gov/pdf/WDQI_abstracts_draft_2.pdf.

Editor's Note: A complete list of grantees and award amounts follows this release.

Workforce Data Quality Initiative Grant Awards