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Sonoma County Human Services Department Partners With Geographic Solutions To Launch The Virtual Job Link Center

Sun, 06 Sep 2020 13:11:00 GMT

PALM HARBOR, FL - (September 8, 2020) - The Sonoma County Human Services Department Employment and Training Division partnered with Geographic Solutions to launch the locally-branded site to better serve residents during the current COVID pandemic and with future economic recovery efforts. The Virtual Job Link Center (caljobs.joblinksonoma.org), which officially launched on August 31, was developed to fill the department's need to deliver services virtually.

Since the start of the pandemic, a large portion of the Sonoma County Human Services staff has been working remotely, providing services via phone, email, and online. With the launch of the Virtual Job Link Center, staff can provide services virtually, and notify Sonoma residents of local employment events. Access to virtual services and online events should assist the county's recovery from the COVID-induced employment crisis.

The Virtual Job Link Center serves as a platform to connect job seekers and employers. Job Seekers can gain information on careers in building and trades, take part in virtual workshops, and conduct online job searches. Area employers can gain more information on layoff aversions, post new job openings, conduct virtual hiring events, and make use of numerous business resources. The site also targets youth, helping them find employment opportunities by offering a list of youth providers and spotlighting youth-friendly employers.

The division's reporting and tracking of services is now simplified, as the Virtual Job Link Center shares a common database with the state's labor exchange system, CalJOBS. All provided job services and candidate searches are captured and recorded in the CalJOBS network.

For more information on the Virtual Job Link Center, contact Deane Toler, Director of Marketing and Sales at 727-786-7955 or DToler@geosolinc.com.

Geographic Solutions is the nation's leading provider of software solutions for workforce development, unemployment insurance, labor market information, human services, corrections, education, employment, and training. The company has developed state-of-the-art systems for agencies in more than 35 states. Geographic Solutions' software is available to over 75% of the job seekers and employers in the country.

VOS Clients Have Direct Pipeline to Comprehensive Web-based Performance Reporting and Analyses

Mon, 21 Jul 2014 11:18:00 GMT

FutureWork Systems, a provider of business intelligence web apps specifically designed and developed for the performance reporting and analysis needs of the workforce development system has established a direct data pipeline into Geographic Solutions’ Virtual One Stop (VOS) case management system. Existing VOS clients can easily gain access to comprehensive reporting and data analysis using the intuitive Performance Matters decision support Web applications provided by FutureWork Systems, including access to PMQ, the country’s only Web application allowing for unlimited drill down and benchmarking to the WIB level with national Workforce Investment Act (WIA) data.

Performance Matters web apps provide in-depth access to performance reporting and analyses to help federal, state, local workforce investment boards and other stakeholders tap into program performance data to help inform program and policy decision making for a variety of workforce development programs, including WIA, Wagner-Peyser and Trade Act programs.

“We’ve been tapping into workforce development program data from a variety of case management systems for over 15 years, including the VOS system, for clients across the country,” says Geoff Smith, Partner and VP of Marketing and Business Development for FutureWork Systems. “Having a direct pipeline to VOS data makes our Web apps true ‘plug-n-play’ for VOS users.”

Recently, Geographic Solutions, a leading provider of workforce development and FutureWork Systems began to work closer to realize a VOS-specific business intelligence web application for reporting and analyses offered by FutureWork Systems that capitalizes on the vast amount of data captured within the VOS system, beyond what is required by USDOL. Both companies are excited about the possibilities for delivering to a shared clientele a Web-based business intelligence application that targets VOS user needs.

“Since the cornerstone to our system is based on federally defined data formats, we’ve been capable of tapping into data captured in VOS for quite some time and provide immediate value back to VOS clients and others,” says Smith. “We’re excited that current VOS clients are in a position to immediately receive the benefits of our comprehensive reporting and analysis Web apps without breaking a sweat or the bank, but we are even more excited about the possibilities going forward to deliver increased value for VOS clients as a result of building a stronger relationship with Geographic Solutions.”

“Geographic Solutions is committed to providing our clients with the most effective service delivery and performance management solutions” said Deane Toler, Marketing Director for Geographic Solutions. “To that end, supporting FutureWork Systems expansion of their business intelligence tools to report on all the case management, labor exchange and service activities captured in our Virtual OneStop systems create many exciting opportunities for our customers to identify effective service delivery strategies as well as monitor their performance.”

For over 15 years, FutureWork Systems’ Performance Matters web applications and technical assistance services have served workforce development agencies across the country at the national, state and local workforce board levels, helping them gain insight and deeper understanding of workforce development program performance across a multitude of federal and state workforce programs. futureworksystems.com.

Geographic Solutions, Inc. is the nation’s leading provider of software solutions for workforce development, employment, and training. They have developed state-of-the-art systems for employment and workforce development agencies in more than 30 states. Their software is available to over 75% of job seekers and employers in the country. geographicsolutions.com

Current Geographic Solutions’ clients that use the VOS system who are interested in enabling a FutureWork’s Performance Matters Web application unique to their area for performance reporting and analysis should contact Geoff Smith at FutureWork Systems, 602-288-6775 or info@futureworksystems.com for details.

New Hampshire Selects Virtual OneStop For Labor Exchange And Case Management

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:32:00 GMT

New Hampshire Employment Security has selected Geographic Solutions to provide a web-based Job Match and Case Management Virtual OneStop software solution that will meet the needs of job seekers and employers; as well as New Hampshire case managers, administration and staff members. The system is expected to be online in April, 2009.

The state-of-the-art New Hampshire system will become one of seventeen statewide systems using Virtual OneStop components for WIA, Wagner-Peyser and Federal reporting. The Virtual OneStop system will provide an MIS system that will be flexible enough to adapt to data requirements at all government levels, yet provide secure IT controls and provide staff with improved, easy access to queries such as customer registration/service queries, customized reports, as well as federal reports and standardized management reports.

The New Hampshire Employment Security Job Match System includes a full case management system to assist staff in effectively managing employment security programs and creating performance and management reports. Specific Virtual OneStop component modules will be used in the system for Labor Exchange, Wagner-Peyser Programs and Case Management, as well as comprehensive reporting.

Job seekers and employers in New Hampshire will be able to use the system to access a wide array of employment related services including job searches, resume development, skills matching, labor market information, job postings, and candidate searches.

New Hampshire Employment Security (NHES) is a federally funded state agency with 13 local offices located across the state to provide services to job seekers and employers.

The mission of NHES is to: Operate a free public Employment Service through a statewide network of Job and Information Centers, providing a broad range of assisted and self-directed employment and career related services, and labor market information to all customers; Pay Unemployment Compensation benefits in a timely manner to eligible claimants and collect the tax which funds these payments; Develop and disseminate labor market information and provide measurements of labor market outcome to assist local and state officials, private employers, educators and trainers and the public in making decisions which promote economic development and the efficient use of state labor resources. For more information, visit the New Hampshire Employment Security website.

CobbWorks Chooses Virtual OneStop For Labor Exchange And Case Management

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:34:00 GMT

The Cobb Workforce Investment Board/CobbWorks, Inc. in Marietta, Georgia has selected Geographic Solutions to provide a web-based Labor Exchange and Case Management Virtual OneStop software solution that will meet the needs of job seekers and employers; as well as Cobb County case managers, administration and staff members.

This state-of-the-art system was designed to attract a broad range of jobseekers and assist employers by providing a pool of talent that possesses the skills they require. The system will utilize modules from the industry-leading Virtual OneStop suite of solutions and is scheduled for implementation in Autumn, 2008.

Job seekers and employers in Cobb County will be able to use the system to access a wide array of employment related services. Jobseekers may post their resumes online and search for all available jobs in the area. Employers will have the ability to post their job openings, at no cost, and search for candidates to fill their employment needs.

CobbWorks joins a long list of local and state agencies that have implemented Geographic Solutions, Inc.'s Virtual OneStop software program to provide employment services to their communities. The CobbWorks system includes a case management module to assist workforce staff in effectively managing their federal workforce programs and submitting performance and management reports to the federal government.

CobbWorks serves as the administrative entity for federal, state and local workforce development grant programs. CobbWorks administers these funds on behalf of Cobb County government, a single county workforce area of approximately 680,000 residents. Cobb County is one of twenty (20) workforce areas in Georgia. The organization offers a wide array of programs and services for job seekers and businesses at no cost through the CobbWorks Workforce Development Center, its mobile unit, and temporary locations in the county.

Expanded Features Help South Carolina Staff Better Serve Customers

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:23:00 GMT

The South Carolina Department of Commerce has unveiled a new look and new functionality for its statewide case management and labor exchange website.

The upgraded South Carolina's Virtual OneStop website went live on October 8. Built using Version 9.0 of Geographic Solutions' Virtual OneStop product, the enhancement brings expanded case management functionality to workforce development staff across the state.

The site allows state staff to perform activities required by the federal Workforce Investment Act. Case managers are able to use the site to track their customers, enroll them in various career development services, and monitor their progress.

Some of the enhanced features include case summaries, the ability to create savable lists of clients, and a robust reports option that allows state staff to create and share customized reports.

The site also provides services to job seekers and employers throughout the state. Listings of available jobs, resume creation tools, and information about local and regional labor markets are available with a few clicks of a mouse. Employers have the ability to post their job openings, at no cost, and search for candidates to fill their employment needs.

One Site, One Stop for Florida's Workforce

Sat, 06 Jan 2007 19:20:00 GMT

By any set of standards, the Employ Florida Marketplace — the State of Florida's online destination for job seekers and employers looking for labor exchange services — was a success. The system, powered by Geographic Solutions' Virtual OneStop product, supported a high volume of users, routinely offered hundreds of thousands of job postings, and facilitated the connection between people seeking jobs and the employers who were looking for them.

Even though the state's existing version of Virtual OneStop — Version 7 — served job seekers and employers well, the early success of the labor exchange services offered by the Employ Florida Marketplace emboldened Workforce Florida and the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI) to take the next step. The result? A fully integrated case management system that offers support for Wagner-Peyser and Workforce Investment Act activities and is compliant with the requirements of Common Measures.

"We take great pride in the fact that we were so successful with our labor exchange system that Florida decided to expand to a fully integrated workforce system. To date this was the largest system we've deployed," said Geographic Solutions president Paul Toomey.

"There are always challenges in converting a system this large, but through teamwork and communication with our client, we were able to develop a truly extraordinary solution."

Development for the Version 8 upgrade began in July 2006 and continued throughout the final quarter of the year as Geographic Solutions staff worked with Workforce Florida and AWI to customize Virtual OneStop to meet the client's unique needs. The system went live on January 12, 2007.

The biggest challenge for the development team was converting the data from the state's former case management system and importing it into Virtual OneStop. The conversion was the largest that Geographic Solutions had ever attempted — over 44 million Wagner-Peyser service records, 5 million job referrals, and 2.5 million individual case files needed to be brought into the system in a usable format.

The complexity of the data conversion also challenged the team. With Geographic Solutions providing guidance on how best to import the legacy data into the new system, the client was able to "clean" much of their data before conversion was started. Crosswalks were established to provide relationships between old and new data fields. Business rules were created for a variety of scenarios in order to create the cleanest data conversion possible.

Building a better system was just the first step. The next challenge was easing staff into changing the way they did business on a daily basis. Even though Virtual OneStop is an easy-to-learn, user-friendly system, change is still a difficult thing to manage when you're dealing with hundreds of staff users across the state.

Geographic Solutions had provided in-depth training to the client prior to launch, but to further address any hesitancy in adopting the new system, the company sent teams of trainers to all 24 of the Local Workforce Investment Areas in the state in the first few days after the system debuted. These experts assisted staff in logging in and getting comfortable with the new system, showing them how Virtual OneStop can make keeping up with their daily activities a more streamlined process.

Some of the more noteworthy features added to Version 8 of Virtual OneStop include:

Wizards that streamlined data collection for case management. The Employ Florida Marketplace offers staff users a multi-step wizard that allows information to be added easily for individuals accessing Workforce Investment Act and Wagner-Peyser programs. The system walks the user through a series of screens, prompting them for eligibility information for the individual. Staff can stop at any point in the wizard and save the information, then finish the application later.
Advanced labor exchange job search capability. The system now allows users to search multiple job sources as well as access additional advanced keyword search options when looking for job postings. Job seekers can now look for jobs using search parameters such as occupation title, occupation description, and lay job title. When job search results are returned, the system displays a Key Match column showing where the keyword was found in the job order (job title, description, occupation title, etc.).
Multiple options for federal reporting. A new query tool has been added that lets authorized staff access all database tables and fields, and easily create their own queries. Staff users can also save reports (and their filters and parameters), as well as access a report that summarizes activity in the system by time and region.

Version 8 of Virtual OneStop also includes the ability to email jobs of interest to friends, a new job order status screen to help employers manage their employment openings, and a mass referral capability (for both individual and employers) for staff.

Workforce Florida, AWI, the 24 regional workforce boards and the close to 100 one-stops — all known collectively as "Employ Florida" — are mounting an aggressive marketing campaign to make Floridians aware of the system and its features. Radio, television, and print advertisements are appearing throughout the state in both English and Spanish versions, ensuring that all Floridians have access to the workforce development services offered by the Employ Florida Marketplace.

Despite the challenges faced with the project, the partnership between Geographic Solutions and Workforce Florida resulted in the most advanced, user-friendly online workforce development system available today — the Employ Florida Marketplace.

Access the new Employ Florida Marketplace system at www.employflorida.com.

Hawaii Selects Virtual OneStop for Labor Exchange and Case Management

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 20:09:00 GMT

The Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations ("DLIR") has selected Geographic Solutions to provide a web-based Labor Exchange and Case Management Virtual OneStop software solution that will revolutionize the way Hawaii job seekers' learn about available jobs, how Hawaii employers' hire employees, and how Hawaii One-Stop staff assist users and perform case management.

The state-of-the-art system, called the Hire Hawaii Virtual OneStop Center becomes the twelfth statewide system using Virtual OneStop components for WIA, Wagner-Peyser and federal reporting. The system is designed to attract a broad range of job seekers and to assist employers in Hawaii by providing a pool of talent that possesses the skills they need. Job seekers and employers in Hawaii will use Hire Hawaii Virtual OneStop to access a wide array of employment related services including job searches, resume development, skills matching, job market information, job postings, and candidate searches. The Virtual OneStop system also includes a full case management system to assist DLIR staff in effectively managing their federal workforce programs and submitting performance and management reports to the federal government.

Hawaii joins a network of states that have implemented Geographic Solutions' Virtual OneStop software to provide employment services to their communities. The existing Virtual OneStop User Group provides Hawaii with access to a network of workforce professionals to share ideas and best practices, further enhancing the value of services offered through Virtual OneStop to employers and job seekers in the state.