Workforce Development Projects

In partnership with ECONorthwest, PPI conducted the Oregon Talent Assessment for the state Higher Education Coordinating Commission. The Oregon Talent Assessment provided an opportunity for business and industry to identify in-demand jobs and skills to focus public and private investment in workforce and talent development in the state. The Talent Assessment also investigated the existing collaboration between industry and talent development suppliers, and provided context for developing the state’s education and training attainment goal for adult Oregonians.

For the Westchester and Putnam County Labor Market Analysis and Workforce Development Strategy, PPI facilitated development of a system-wide strategy for workforce development. In partnership with Futureworks, PPI team members conducted research on workforce development supply and capacity in the region, and led a workshop of cross-sector policymakers and program providers to define a vision for an effective workforce system. The process resulted in clear articulation of collective goals for workforce development services and outcomes for Westchester and Putnam Counties.

Hire Up is a collaborative effort of EmployIndy to align Central Indiana’s education and workforce development resources with the talent needs of the region’s key wealth driving sectors and emerging economies. Hire Up contracted with Program and Policy Insight (PPI) to investigate the projected capacity of existing programs to meet identified demand for technically skilled workers within key sectors in the region. Through extant data review and key stakeholder interviews, PPI collected projected participation and completion data, provided a catalogue of existing STEM, technical, and workforce development efforts, assessed the utility of existing program data, and provided summary observations and recommendations for next steps in the effort.

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions (NFWS) is a national initiative to advance the careers of low-wage workers using a model of substantial employer engagement. Since 2007, the initiative has assisted regional funding collaboratives in more than 30 communities across the country to develop a pipeline of skilled workers, meet the needs of employers and promote improvements to business practices and public policies. PPI served as the national evaluation contractor through 2017 and was responsible for the development the evaluation framework, implementation of an outcomes data collection system, collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, and presentation and communication of evaluation findings.

The State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity received Workforce Innovation Funding from the U.S. Department of Labor to implement the Accelerated Training for Illinois Manufacturing (ATIM) program. ATIM distributed funds to Illinois Local Workforce Industry Associations to develop collaborative programs that provided training to individuals for jobs in the manufacturing industry while helping manufacturers address the skills gap. Under subcontract to Social Policy Research Associates, PPI contributed to the experimental evaluation of the ATIM through coordination of random assignment implementation for selected sites, and contribution to the process study of the initiative.

In partnership with FutureWorks, PPI assisted the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation to develop a framework for a Business Champion for Talent Development recognition and technical assistance model. The goal of the program is to strengthen and facilitate greater business engagement in talent development across the talent development spectrum of K-12 education, post-secondary education, and incumbent worker training. The program will identify key levers of talent development, develop self-assessment tools for employers to measure their level of engagement, and link results to targeted technical assistance, including reference materials, expert consultation, communities of learning, and periodic workshops and convenings on engagement strategies.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program provided grants to facilitate opportunities for education and training to TANF recipients and other low-income individuals for high-demand, well-paying occupations in the health care. This project provided responsive technical assistance individualized for HPOG grantees . Technical assistance considered diverse program designs, populations, and regional contexts while sharing best practices and lessons learned from the field. Under subcontract to JBS International, PPI staff developed and provided customized TA to HPOG grantees.