Insights and Perspectives

Driving Workforce Engagement Through Mobile-First Communications

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:11:49 GMT

Have you noticed an increase in text messages and mobile engagement? Whether it’s Macy’s, Kohl’s, or simply your family’s dentist, it seems like companies everywhere are using mobile engagement and communications strategies based on Short Messaging Services, or SMS.

There are several types of SMS, including iMessage and Rich Communication Services (RCS). Regardless of the type of messaging, get ready to receive more communications from companies and agencies via text message in 2026. The why is found in recent research from SAP Emarsys’s 2025 Customer Loyalty Index, which surveyed 10,000 consumers across five different countries, showed SMS marketing as a close second to email marketing in terms of usefulness. In late 2025, email and SMS company Sender found that SMS open rates averaged around a 98% open rate. And Business Software and Services Reviews leader, G2, found in original research of their own that consumers were open to hearing from brands several times per week via SMS.

Meeting Job Seekers Where They Are

With all signs pointing to conversational commerce’s rise in the communications world, we invited Engage by Cell’s Senior Mobile Solutions Consultant, Max Schelkopf, to be our guest on Geographic Solutions’ Marketplace webinar series to get to the bottom of the impending text communications revolution.

Great communications in workforce development are key to building successful relationships with job seekers and employers. Some of the biggest challenges for professionals in the workforce development field are overcoming engagement and information accessibility barriers.

“For years, the outreach toolbox has been limited to email and phone calls, but engagement with emails has dropped significantly,” said Schelkopf. “Most of us have tens of thousands of unread emails sitting in our inboxes, and, if we don’t recognize the number, we let it go to voicemail.”

The challenge of engagement is significantly diminished when using a communications tool like Engage by Cell. While email is still a strongly favored way to communicate, this communications avenue typically faces a 20%-or-less open rate. Based on the research previously cited in the opening paragraph of this article, text messages offer the best chance that someone will read and interact with your message at 98%.

What about the second challenge of information accessibility? “Workforce systems are filled with incredible programs and resources, but often have resources scattered across websites, paper, and in-person career centers,” said Shelkopf during the Marketplace webinar. That complexity can be simplified by using a platform like Engage by Cell.

Client Spotlight: U.S. Virgin Islands

When the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Workforce Development Board needed an efficient way to communicate with job seekers, manage client interactions, and share critical workforce information across multiple programs, they contracted with Engage by Cell. Using their platform, in conjunction with VOS Sapphire AI+, they’ve been able to communicate directly with clients, enabling case managers to engage in two-way conversations with job seekers. To date, they’ve sent 56,000 SMS messages, working in partnership with Metrix Learning and Workforce180.

“In the Virgin Islands, we’ve utilized it for everything from hot jobs to events and workshops. It’s such a versatile way to engage the community,” said Mike Fazio, Co-President of Metrix Learning and Workforce180.

By adopting two-way texting, the USVI’s Workforce Development Board has been able to streamline communications and improve engagement across its workforce programs.

SMSing into the Future

The texting revolution is already happening, and in 2026, more workforce programs will adapt to mobile engagement strategies. With the goal of most workforce development programs to create the fastest possible pathway to employment, text communication can be an especially effective channel – offering timely contact, greater accessibility to resources, and consistent engagement across the entire system.

Check your texts and buckle up for more mobile engagement in 2026!

America’s Got the Talent: The U.S. Economy Enters Its Golden Age

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 17:14:38 GMT

America’s Talent Strategy: Building the Workforce for the Golden Age is a framework released in August 2025 by the Trump Administration to equip American workers with skills for future industries, boost national competitiveness, and expand economic opportunity.

The strategy is built around five core pillars:

Industry-Driven Strategies
Worker Mobility
Integrated Systems
Accountability
Flexibility and Innovation

The new framework presents a vision for how the current administration aims to transform the federal government’s approach to workforce development. The strategy defines five strategic pillars that it hopes will equip American workers for the future of work. Additionally, a key tenet of the report shows how our country intends to fight the rise of artificial intelligence within the labor market.

What else does the framework entail? We break down each pillar below:

Increased Focus on Skills Development and Work Based-Learning

An important part of the new framework is co-designing training and apprenticeship programs. In a recent episode of the VOScast Podcast, a show produced by Geographic Solutions in partnership with Workforce180, guest Ron Painter, Principal at Forbes Field Associates, spoke about the importance of skills development and the creation of training programs, especially at the local level.

“We think that it’s going to take tighter collaboration among partners in a region to deliver workforce services and to deliver skill development,” said Painter, on the importance of finding regional partners to create new programs. “It’s going to take all of those organizations in a region to produce that skilled labor force.”

Registered apprenticeships and other work-based learning models will share an equal part of importance in this pillar. Since 2015, the number of apprenticeship opportunities in the U.S. has grown by almost 89%, reaching 678,014 active apprentices in 2025. Maryland, Tennessee, and Missouri, to name a few states, have harnessed the power of apprenticeships in a variety of industries.

In 2022, renewed interest in the practice of apprenticeship had started its ascent towards prominence in employment trends. In February of that year, Geographic Solutions hosted a Pathways to Employment webinar that featured several notable experts in the field, including Indiana Department of Workforce Development’s Associate Chief and Executive Director of Business and Community Engagement, Darrel Zeck.

“Apprenticeships have gained prominence nationally as more employers are recognizing the significance of engaging with the education system to fill their talent needs,” said Zeck, when asked about the impact of work-based learning programs across the Hoosier state at the time.

Zeck’s perspective was later included in a 2024 case study that further examined the apprenticeship’s inclusion in a new era of workforce development.

An Effort to Mobilize Workers

Pillar two of the framework hinges on the critical need for more Americans to be brought into the labor force. It calls for an alternative to the college-for-all approach. And while this pillar is seemingly targeted towards Americans who are reentering the workforce from unemployment or underemployment, another group that should be considered when talking about upward career mobility are those coming home from incarceration.

The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction’s Workforce Development Manager, Torrey Leach, is part of a collaboration between two teams working to provide opportunities to this group of workers before leaving jail or prison. NCJET, or North Carolina Jobs Exploration in Transition, is the employment system that is the fruit of this collaboration. All of this is part of an effort to provide upward mobility for reentry.

“To me, successful reentry means more than just not recidivating,” said Leach in a recent Pathways to Employment webinar. “It means stability, purpose, and community connection.”

Programs that assist veterans as they reenter the civilian workforce highlight the importance of worker mobility. In a similar vein to the work being done by the NC Department of Adult Correction, Chris Silvers serves as a Regional Analyst at the NC Department of Commerce, Division of Workforce Solutions, where he facilitates connections between employers and veterans. Not only is Silvers a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, he works closely with programs, such as the state’s Hire Vets Medallions Program, where employers can signify in job listings that they are veteran friendly.

“We list these employers, as well as the job orders on NCWorks.com, so that veterans can see right which ones are veteran friendly right off the bat,” said Silvers.

As new resources become available, Silvers’ team adds them to the website, updating links and adding new employers on a regular basis.

Bringing Together Disparate Information

Integrated systems that streamline and coordinate what the report calls a fragmented web of duplicative programs will be a best practice of the future, according to the new framework.

In 2022, Nebraska became the first state to fully integrate their labor exchange, labor market information, unemployment insurance benefits, tax, and appeals operations into one singular system for heightened accountability and efficiency.

At the time of the launch, Governor Pete Ricketts had this to say: “Our state’s job creators will benefit from having one primary platform where they interact with the Department of Labor rather than navigating multiple websites and systems.”

Iowa has also integrated its workforce and unemployment insurance services, the result of which has led to shortened unemployment durations, a boost in Iowa’s available workforce, and savings to employers in the form of lower unemployment tax rates. At the end of 2024, Iowa ranked third in the nation for the shortest average unemployment claim durations.

In California, a partnership between the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) and the California Employment Development Department (EDD) yielded the Entry to Employment (E2E) Network. This partnership is part of larger integration with the state’s labor exchange system, CalJOBS.

Creating a Level of Accountability Through Reporting

The fourth pillar of the new strategy involves being able to measure results through accountability. Because many programs are funded by taxpayers, this part of the framework aims to ensure training leads to results. Liliya Tanska, Workforce Business Analyst Team Lead for Geographic Solutions’ Reporting Team, described back in 2024 on an episode of the VOScast Podcast why reporting is a critical piece when talking about accountability for workforce programs.

“All of our clients use our reporting services for their strategic planning, for their performance monitoring, and also for understanding and assessing data or program information to improve various aspects of the services they provide,” said Tanska.

Tanska mentioned that she has seen a higher demand in recent years from not only frontline staff members, but senior-level leaders as well, especially when examining how programs are performing, year after year.

“They want to track them and see how those services were utilized and what effect they had on that client. Have they obtained employment, and have they retained in years or business quarters.”

Tanska estimated that in products such as VOS Sapphire AI, there are more than 180,000 different types of reports, when taking into consideration the many ways a user can filter reports.

Prioritizing AI Literacy

This part of the new framework to bring Americans and the labor market into the golden era has the most focus on AI. The report notes that new models of workforce innovation must be created to match the speed and scale of AI-driven economic transformation. The pace of innovation around AI will require new skills, greater agility, and investment in AI literacy.

For Geographic Solutions, the infusion of AI into the VOS Sapphire platform has already led early adopters to see impressive results. Georgia deployed VOS Sapphire AI in December 2024, and Texas followed suit in March 2025. The number of résumés created with generative AI has increased by 70% since then, with a 74% increase in the number of résumés improved using generative AI. In April 2025, VOS Sapphire AI generated more than 2,300 new résumés and enhanced 3,100 others for both staff members and job seekers.

“AI integration has delivered a measurable impact across our workforce programs in Georgia,” said Damon Weller, Assistant Commissioner at WorkSource Georgia, as quoted in Microsoft’s case study that examined the effectiveness of Azure OpenAI.

Entering America’s Golden Hour

As the Trump Administration implements this framework, leaders in workforce development must keep an eye on trends. How will apprenticeship and work-based learning increase or decrease in year-over-year change? Will worker mobilization programs centered around veteran services and reentry employment initiatives thrive? Does a decreased reliance on ‘college for all’ necessarily mean that less individuals will end up attending universities?

And how will the labor market respond to the fast-paced march of AI? Recent reports from Axios and Fortune paint a stark picture. On the other hand, CNBC’s recent reporting on the subject shows less job elimination and more job evolution.

In terms of this new talent strategy framework, reactions have been mixed, with some praise for its forward-thinking goals, and some criticism mainly centered around concerns with implementation, funding, and the potential impact on existing programs.

However this next strategy shakes out, count on Geographic Solutions to be ready to accommodate and be ahead of change. Our VOS Sapphire software suite is constantly evolving to support organizations across the U.S. with meeting new federal guidelines and embracing the future trends of work.

Celebrating a Milestone with 20 Key Facts About Workforce Development

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 21:02:47 GMT

Workforce Development Month, founded in 2005, celebrates the programs and professionals who connect people with meaningful careers and businesses to skilled talent. This year, it is the 20th anniversary of Workforce Development Month. We are honoring the two-decade tradition of recognizing the impact of workforce development initiatives in shaping careers, strengthening businesses, and building thriving communities. To mark this special occasion, we've compiled 20 facts about Workforce Development Month and the industry it celebrates.

It’s important to understand where this tradition began, so let's hit rewind. The first five facts on our list focus on the history of Workforce Development Month, from its beginning in 2005 to key milestones that have shaped this observance over the past two decades.

#1: The Founding Organization. Workforce Development Month was established in 2005 by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP). NAWDP is a professional organization that works to connect job seekers, educators, and companies to advance the workforce development community and build innovative partnerships with other industry-leading organizations.

#2: The Month Changed! Workforce Development Month was originally celebrated in May. NAWDP moved the observance to September in 2012.

#3: From WIA to WIOA. The transition from the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was a major change. Signed into law in 2014, WIOA put a greater emphasis on serving individuals with barriers to employment and aligning services more closely with the needs of businesses.

#4: Gaining Official Acknowledgement. Workforce Development Month received official recognition in 2022. The U.S. Senate passed a resolution marking September as National Workforce Development Month, and this designation has been renewed every year since.

#5: State and Local Recognition. While NAWDP started it, its success is a result of widespread support. Every September, governors and mayors across the nation issue official statements, called proclamations, that formally recognize the month.

While workforce development is celebrated in September, the work takes place all year, and American Job Centers are where the action takes place. The next facts are all about American Job Centers (AJC), also known as one-stop shops. These centers are the front lines of workforce development, offering resources and personalized help to job seekers and employers in communities nationwide.

#6: They are Everywhere: There are nearly 2,400 American Job Centers nationwide, with a location in almost every community. They serve as a central hub where people can access a wide variety of career services in one place.

#7: They are a Product of WIOA: The modern American Job Center system exists because of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014. WIOA requires states to provide an integrated system, ensuring job seekers can access the resources they need to succeed in a competitive economy.

#8: Built on Collaboration: AJCs are a collaborative effort, bringing together a variety of programs and agencies under one roof. They work with mandatory partners, including services for adult education, vocational rehabilitation, and veterans, to provide a coordinated approach to workforce development.

#9: Free and Accessible Help: The services offered by AJCs, such as career counseling, job search assistance, résumé writing workshops, and access to computers and phones, are provided at no cost to the public.

#10: They Are Locally Driven: The American Job Center network is a national system, but it is designed for local needs. State and local workforce development boards, which are made up of community and business leaders, manage the centers in their area. This ensures that the services that are offered align with the specific labor market demands of that community.

The American Job Centers are where workforce development happens, but the professionals and front-line staff make it work. These individuals are responsible for carrying out the mission of workforce development, helping job seekers and businesses in communities nationwide. The following five facts shine a light on those professionals who staff AJCs and other organizations.

#11: A Growing Field: The demand for skilled workforce development professionals is expected to remain strong. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of Training and Development Specialists is projected to grow 12% from 2023 to 2033, a rate much faster than the average for all occupations. This translates to roughly 48,500 new jobs over the decade.

#12: Certification is Key: Many professionals in the field get certified to demonstrate their skills and expertise. The most recognized credential is the Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP), offered by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP). This certification proves a professional's expertise in key areas like communication, ethics, and job market knowledge.

#13: Leaders in the Industry: NAWDP is a member-driven organization. Its leadership, including the Board of Directors and staff, consists of elected members who represent different regions and states. This ensures the organization’s leadership reflects the interests of workforce development professionals nationwide. The Board and NAWDP staff work together to set goals and support the profession.

#14: Skills for Success: To work as a workforce development professional, certain skills are essential. The top skills requested in thousands of job listings are Workforce Development (53%), followed by Writing (38%), and Management (31%). These are the skills hiring employers look for most often.

#15: Diverse Career Paths: Workforce development professionals hold a wide range of jobs, from career counselors to program managers, and they work in diverse settings, including government agencies, non-profits, and private companies. Their main goal is to identify and address challenges in the workforce, helping people get the skills and support they need to succeed in their careers.

The individuals on the front lines are key, but what do their combined efforts achieve? The final five facts explore the impact of workforce development and why celebrating each September is so important.

#16: Growing Individual Income: Workforce development programs have a tangible impact on the earning potential of participants. People who complete these programs have the potential to earn more, and some participants do see a significant increase in their income. A study by the US Department of Labor on job training found that participants' earnings increased by an average of 49% after finishing their apprenticeship.

#17: Bridging the Skills Gap: The skills gap is a major challenge for businesses, with many employers reporting they cannot find qualified talent. Workforce development helps close this gap. According to a 2024 Workforce Skills Gap Trends survey, 70% of corporate leaders report a critical skills gap, and 63% identify skill gaps as the biggest barrier to business transformation. Programs like apprenticeships and customized training ensure that companies have skilled talent, boosting productivity and innovation.

#18: Driving Economic Growth: Workforce development strengthens local and national economies. Employees with relevant skills contribute more effectively to their industries, earn higher wages, and stimulate economic mobility. A skilled workforce can also quickly change to meet the demands of new industries or adapt to changes, making the economy more resilient.

#19: Employee Retention: Employee retention is directly tied to career development. Businesses that offer opportunities for growth and skill-building are more likely to retain their employees. According to Gallup's 2024 research, 42% of employee turnover is preventable, and career advancement opportunities are crucial. Employees with a clear path for growth and opportunities are more engaged and less likely to look for work elsewhere.

#20: Support for All: Workforce development provides resources for specific groups to help them overcome unique employment challenges. This includes services for veterans transitioning to civilian careers, individuals with disabilities seeking accommodations, youth looking for their first job, and older workers seeking to reskill. These programs ensure everyone has an opportunity to succeed in the job market.

We've covered the history, the professionals, the places, and the powerful impact of workforce development. This work is about more than a single month. It is a year-round commitment to building a more skilled, resilient, and equitable workforce.

Geographic Solutions celebrates this important month and the essential work that happens year-round. We are honored to provide the technology that helps connect job seekers with training and careers, supporting the mission of workforce development professionals every day.

Your Personalized To-Do List: How Work Items Find You (Instead of You Finding Them)

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 19:55:08 GMT

What if you had a personalized and intelligent to-do list for every unemployment claim and appeal? One that automatically updated, prioritized your work for you, and showed you exactly what to do next?

Geographic Solutions Unemployment System’s (GUS) comprehensive and integrated Workflow Management module, or work items, offers exactly that. Think of it as the central command center for your workday, and no longer worry about digging through emails and spreadsheets to figure out your next steps. Instead, work items will automate and guide you through the process of providing unemployment insurance claims, benefits, and appeal services.

Laura Ragain, Monetary/ICON/SIDES - Team Lead I, or as she is known at Geographic Solutions, as the Work Items guru, explains: "One should think of work items as post-it notes. They are simply a notification to you that something happened in the system that you need to know about and react to. They do not prevent anything from happening, though the work item may be tied to a non-mon (or issue that is considered non-monetary) which may prevent payment on a claim."

A Dashboard Built for You

The dashboard is your home base. It’s the tab you have at the top of your bookmarks and the place you always return to. It displays all work items related to your area of responsibility and updates as new activity is added or when it is completed.

Sort by what matters: It is YOUR dashboard! You can organize it however you want. Need to tackle the most urgent claims first? Sort your dashboard by priority. Is meeting your deadlines most important? Sort your dashboard by due date.

Search like a pro: Need to be even more specific? You can also use the Advanced Search feature to enter specific criteria, such as a claimant name or claim ID, to display only work items tied to a particular claim.

A top priority: One of the most critical parts of the system is the Adjudication Queue, where the highest-priority work items reside. These items are directly tied to issues that could prevent a claimant from receiving payment. This queue ensures that these time-sensitive cases are addressed front and center, so you can quickly resolve any potential payment delays.

Take initiative: If you’ve completed all your assigned tasks, you’re always free to visit the workgroups queue and pull a new item or view unassigned work items and choose to work on them or reassign them. Take those steps to keep your team on track and show initiative!

No More Piled-Up Work Items After Vacation

The system ensures your workload doesn't overload while you're away. Supervisors can use the blocked availability feature to temporarily prevent work items from being assigned to you.

Your queue stays clear, and you can breathe fresh air: On vacation, relax a little and stop worrying about the work you are behind on. The system won't assign you any new work items for the duration of your vacation and instead those new work items will automatically be routed to your available teammates, keeping the workload moving along without any disruption.

Realistic workday due dates: To ensure deadlines are realistic and achievable, the module automatically adjusts due dates that fall on a weekend or holiday to the next business day. However, you maintain full control over all work item configurations. All configurations, including due dates and priority, are set by you in the admin area. Do you want a work item due in 10 days? No problem. Do you want it to generate with a high priority? You've got it.

Now enjoy your time off knowing that everything is under control!

Screenshot of Staff Schedule

Build the Process Your Way

Creating new workflows is easy and intuitive. The system already has predefined workflows that align with your state’s specific needs and regulations, but you have the power to create, edit, and manage work item workflows by defining the steps and setting the rules. The system will handle the rest!

Specify business rules: As shown in the image below, you can determine exactly what needs to happen. The Client Identifier field is completely customizable for your organization to use as a way to organize or refer to certain work items internally, and it has no bearing on the work item itself or how it is routed. Beyond that, you can set rules to assign work items based on staff attributes, such as Staff Workgroup, Areas of Responsibility, availability, and experience level. These are the three core attributes that a work item needs to be assigned automatically. Without a role in the associated workgroup, an area of responsibility, availability in said role, and an experience level, work items will not be auto assigned to a staff member. Pro tip: If you are the manager or supervisor of an area of responsibility and do not want to be assigned any work items but have the ability to work them if you choose, you just need to leave your availability in that role blank.

Use experience and position to assign work: Are you a newbie or are you seasoned employee? It’s no secret that new employees and employees who have more experience can handle different amounts of work. The system can use a staff member's work item experience level to gauge how much they can take on. For example, a rule can be created to manage how many work items are assigned to a specific user based on their experience level.

Identify required documents: Make sure every piece of information is collected at the right time. No more getting to end of task and realizing that you missed a step, five steps ago. The module won't let the work item move forward until all required documents are attached, which helps you meet your state's documentation standards every time.

Smart automation and scheduling: The module is proactive, not just reactive. Your workflows can be triggered by specific events, such as an exact date. For example, you set up a workflow that automatically begins the review process for seasonal workers on a specific date each year.

Screenshot of Work Item Configuration Details

The Ultimate Toolkit for Your Tasks

Work items gives you more than just a list of tasks, it also gives you the tools to manage them effectively.

View and change status: You can easily see a work item's status and where it is in the workflow. Once you complete an action, the status will update in real time. You can also manually change the status and priority of a work item if needed.

All the info, all in one place: When editing a work item, you can access all the important information, including the claimant's name and claim ID. You can also add notes and attachments directly to the work item and have them automatically linked to the claim, ensuring a complete and accurate history.

Flexible reassignment: Need to reassign a work item? You can easily change the assignment to another staff member or an entire workgroup. Assign a work item to a different workflow, all with a simple drop-down selection.

Screenshot of Work Item Tools

Insight and Analytics

Understanding performance and spotting trends within your workflows is just as important as managing individual tasks. The report component of work items gives you the data you need to see exactly what is happening. You can find reports on key metrics such as work item status, assignments, and time reporting.

For supervisors, the My Staff Workgroups link provides valuable information on staff productivity. Supervisors can see each staff member's workload, how many items are overdue, experience level, and availability. The system even generates an error report to quickly identify and work items with data issues and keep your workflows running smoothly.

What About VOS?

Work items can also be used as an integrates component in our Virtual OneStop (VOS) solution. This module offers the same intelligent workflow management capabilities, but it is designed specifically for the workforce process. It automates and guides the business of connecting job seekers with opportunities, managing training programs, and supporting employers.

Within both our GUS and VOS solutions, work items are a must have to get work done efficiently, with a complete audit trail, and in compliance with your organization's business rules.

Interested in learning more about the Workflow Management Module and how it can revolutionize your workflow? Request a demo today to learn more and see our solutions in action!

A Day Where We Honor Those Who Served

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 13:39:00 GMT

Did you know that, according to current U.S. Census Bureau data, there are 16.2 million military veterans that call the United States home?

The yearly calendar observance originated as Armistice Day on November 11, 1919, marking the first anniversary of the end of World War I. In 1926, congress passed a resolution to make this day a national holiday, and 16 years later, during President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency, legislation officially changed the name to Veterans Day.

This important day is honored in many ways, including events and parades. At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Virigina, there is a ceremony to define the significance of the day.

Which states do the most veterans call home? Interestingly enough, Alaska is the state with the highest population of veterans who have served in the U.S. Military. Following the Northwestern state, Wyoming, Virginia, Maine, and Montana rounded out the top five.

Veterans Portals and Geographic Solutions

At Geographic Solutions, we count many veterans in our ranks. Some of our most important work is created in the form of Veterans Portals, which help when those who have served our country in the armed forces make their way back to the civilian workforce. Over the last year, those portals have accounted for almost 80,000 active users, according to internal data from Google Analytics.

Veterans Portals are an excellent solution for states that are seeking to help their veterans’ populations find jobs. Some states, such as North Carolina, show medallions next to employers who have been recognized by the Department of Labor as veteran friendly. “It’s a big thing for an employer to take money out of their pocket to apply and be awarded the program showing that they’re vet friendly, that they’ll hire, train, and retain veterans at a certain level,” said North Carolina’s Department of Commerce, Division of Workforce Solutions’ Chris Silvers.

How to Honor Veterans Day

How can we observe Veterans Day? In 2023, we interviewed CareerSource Palm Beach County’s Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Steven Gustafson. A former member of the armed forces, he offered his thoughts on how to honor the day.

“I think that honoring that spirit of selflessness is a great way to honor our veterans, not only on November 11th, but year-round,” said Gustafson.

A big event that Florida has each year around Veterans Day is Paychecks for Patriots, a joint event coordinated by the Florida Department of Commerce, The Florida National Guard, the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and participating employers from around the state.

Geographic Solutions is proud to have 39 veterans amongst their workforce’s ranks, making up 12 percent of the total company workforce.

This year, thank a veteran at Geographic Solutions, in your community, your family, or amongst your friend circle for being selfless in their choice to serve the United States.

Understanding Cyber Threats in Workforce Development

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 18:07:00 GMT

In 2004, President George W. Bush declared October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which has become over time a way for groups and organizations to raise awareness about the importance of being secure. With cyberattacks occurring every 39 seconds, many organizations, especially those within the workforce development industry, must implement measures and practices that safeguard their computer systems and strong security protocols, complex encryption methods, and proactive countermeasures. Understanding the types of cyber threats and the measures that are needed to safeguard the integrity of workforce data improves the effectiveness of workforce programs for job seekers and employers.

The Importance of Cybersecurity in Workforce Development

Workforce development organizations and agencies serve a pivotal role in connecting job seekers with employers and job opportunities. However, they also handle sensitive data such as personal identification information (PII), employment records, and financial information. Safeguarding this confidential information is a pressing concern across all workforce organizations. In today's interconnected world, cyber-attacks can pose a threat to partners, clients, and even the entire industry, as demonstrated by the WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 that compromised over 300,000 machines across 150 countries.

Cyber Threats Facing Workforce Development Organizations

Phishing Attacks: Phishing is the top attack method for social engineers. Phishing attacks are fraudulent communications such as emails, text messages, phone calls, or websites. Although the communications may appear legitimate, they can trick users into downloading malware, sharing information, or taking other actions that expose themselves or their organizations.
Ransomware: Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts data, effectively holding a user's sensitive data or device hostage until a ransom is paid to unlock the device. However, the financial burden continues after the ransom payment. Additional costs, such as system restoration and data recovery, can escalate the overall cost of a ransomware attack.
In-Person Attacks: In-person attacks can happen when an unauthorized individual gains access to a user's device. Examples include USB attacks when a cybercriminal uses a thumb drive to install malware on your computer, or tailgating, when a hacker bypasses physical access controls by following an authorized person inside.
Data Breaches: Any type of unauthorized access to an organization's database can lead to the theft of sensitive data and information. Workforce development organizations manage databases with sensitive data, making it even more important to implement safeguards and security measures to ensure the safety of all individuals.

Beware of Fake Employer Scams

Beyond the typical cybersecurity threats, workforce development organizations must also implement measures to prevent fake employer scams. This type of scam has existed for a long time, but technology has made it easier to enact. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 16,012 people reported being victims of employment scams in 2020, with losses totaling more than $59 million. Cybercriminals will pose as legitimate employers to persuade victims to provide them with their PII. They can then use it in several ways, such as taking over the victims’ accounts, opening new financial accounts, or using the victims’ identity for another scam.

To spot these scams, remember that legitimate employers will never ask you to pay up-front fees for a job or equipment, and they won’t ask you to pay them using cash, Zelle, or PayPal. Avoid providing any personal information like your driver’s license, social security, or bank account number before researching the company to avoid fake employer scams. Using secure job search sites that take measures to prevent phony job postings and verify employers can help ensure that your personal information remains protected.

These scams not only harm the job seekers but also the workforce development organizations that connect job seekers with employers. The impact on job seekers can be devastating, as they may lose their hard-earned money or become victims of identity theft. It may also make job seekers weary of the job search and become detrimental to their career journey. To combat these scams, strict employer verification processes must be put in place across all workforce development organizations. Regularly monitoring job postings and educating users on how to identify and avoid fake job offers are also crucial steps in protecting job seekers from these scams.

Best Practices for Preventing Cyber Threats

Employee Training: As said by Felipe Medina, Chief Information Security Officer at Geographic Solutions, when asked about the importance of security training: “In the army, we used to say you train as you fight. Your training should be as close to what the real-world battlefield would be like, and cybersecurity is no different.” Trained employees are better prepared to identify and respond to cyberattacks like phishing and malware.
Team of Experts: Cybersecurity professionals can provide organizations with the expertise to secure their systems effectively.
Data Encryption: Encrypting sensitive data ensures that it remains unreadable to cybercriminals, even if it is intercepted or accessed without authorization.
Incident Response Plan: Reassure your team with a well-prepared incident response plan. If there is a cyber-attack, this plan can help organizations quickly respond and prevent damage, instilling a sense of security.
Regular Security Audits: Conducting security audits of current security measures and practices can help identify vulnerabilities and areas for improvement.

As the workforce development industry grows and becomes more digital, understanding and taking measures to prevent cyber threats becomes increasingly essential. By understanding the common security threats a workforce development organization may face and putting measures in place to prevent or respond to any security threats, workforce development organizations can protect individuals' sensitive data, maintain public trust, and continue to help the labor market thrive.

Geographic Solutions is committed to supporting workforce development organizations in navigating these challenges, ensuring they have the tools and knowledge necessary to thrive in a secure, digital landscape.

Celebrating Workforce Development Month: Looking Towards A Stronger Workforce for America Act with Promise and Excitement

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 19:41:20 GMT

What is Workforce Development Month?
Every September, Geographic Solutions celebrates Workforce Development Month and recognizes the importance of workforce development initiatives and professionals within the industry. Workforce Development Month was created in 2005 by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) to raise awareness about the importance of the workforce industry and highlight the efforts of organizations, policymakers, and professionals committed to helping prepare the labor force to meet the evolving needs of the labor market. NAWDP celebrates Workforce Development Month with initiatives like the ‘Workforce Heroes’ program, which highlights multiple workforce heroes over the course of the month.

A Stronger Workforce for America Act (ASWA) was recently introduced to build on the foundation of, and reauthorize, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which has been the grounds of workforce development legislation for the past decade. We interviewed Melissa Robbins, CEO of the NAWDP, to gain further insights on the new legislation. Her wisdom offered a valuable perspective on the importance of Workforce Development Month, the promise of ASWA, and the future of the workforce industry.

Understanding A Stronger Workforce for America Act
A Stronger Workforce for America Act (ASWA) was introduced on December 7, 2023, passed by the House of Representatives on April 9, 2024, and will go to the Senate next for consideration. Since then, ASWA has received support from workforce organizations and policymakers, who view it as essential for meeting the changing needs of the labor market. ASWA aims to build upon the existing Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Signed into law on July 22, 2014, WIOA was the first major reform of the public workforce system since 1998, with the goal of helping job seekers access employment, education, training, and support needed to thrive within the labor market and match employers to skilled workers.

Melissa Robbins shared what she thought to be the biggest challenge in workforce development today and how ASWA addresses that challenge. “I think right now the biggest challenge is to make sure that we’re meeting the needs of businesses and job seekers in the current environment,” said Robbins. “WIOA passed in 2014, so we’re ten years from the last legislation passing, and a lot has happened in those years.”

Robbins added that while the workforce system did a wonderful job adapting, especially during the pandemic when we had to find ways to deliver our programs and services without human contact, that the legislation hasn’t changed. It is imperative that the new legislation focuses on flexibility to meet the changing needs of businesses and job seekers. WIOA’s reauthorization via ASWA aims to modernize education and training programs to better align with current and future job market needs.

Components of A Stronger Workforce for America Act:

Skills Upgrading: Allocate 50% of funds to upskill workers through Individual Training Accounts (ITAs), on-the-job learning, and prioritizing employer-led programs for skill training.
Efficiency and Accountability: Focus on the Eligible Training Provider List to streamline outcomes and ensure that programs align with employers' demands. Fully implement a performance accountability system to hold states and local workforce boards accountable.
Economic Opportunity: Places a greater emphasis on work-based learning for youth, supports reentry programs, and strengthen workforce education programs at community colleges.
Innovation and Hiring: Provide flexibility to states and local workforce boards to modernize their workforce systems and support skills-based hiring practices.

Differences From WIOA:
When asked about the main differences between ASWA and WIOA, Robbins stated that while the new legislation builds on WIOA, it also introduces the following changes:

Focus on Eligible Training Provider List: The new legislation emphasizes the Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL), a public statewide list of qualified training providers eligible for WIOA worker training funds.
Funding: ASWA addresses fund ceilings and floors. WIOA allocates specific percentages to various programs and activities, compared to ASWA, which allows states and local boards to diversify programs and funds.
Flexibility: Overall flexibility for programs so that they can adapt to the changing needs of the industry.

Potential Challenges, Benefits, and Outcomes
Geographic Solutions President, Paul Toomey shared his insights on the benefits of ASWA in a recent Forbes article where he stated, “This legislation’s renewed vision for creating a stronger, more adaptable workforce offers numerous benefits to not only the economy, but also to dislocated, remote, and future generations of workers.”
ASWA will have short and long-term benefits for job seekers and employers. In the short term, changes will allow state and local workforce boards to take on new initiatives that were not previously possible. “Any kind of change in the legislation, there's going to be things that change quickly," said Robbins.

One of the main challenges in implementing ASWA will be ensuring that everyone is trained on the new compliance requirements. Robbins stated, "Just like WIOA, with any new legislation, there's going to be new compliance issues that are going to be black and white, and we have to make sure that they get rolled out to everybody."

She further explained that workforce organizations need to be aware of the complexity of new legislation as it involves hundreds of pages of laws and regulations. Then states and local boards will add their own additional things particular to their area, further complicating compliance requirements. Workforce organizations will need to be prepared to ensure a smooth implementation.

Workforce organizations may also encounter challenges in balancing innovation with compliance while implementing the new legislation. ASWA aims to create innovative strategies and partnerships. Robbins highlighted the need to balance innovation with compliance:

"How do we strategically impact the new innovative ideas on how we're going to implement… the essence of this new legislation," said Robbins.

The role of NAWDP will evolve with the implementation of ASWA, as it has since the early 80’s and adapting to legislative changes and integrating non-traditional workforce partners. Robbins emphasized that NAWDP will remain committed to meeting the needs of its members and the workforce industry.

Supporting Workforce Development for a Stronger Future
Geographic Solutions is dedicated to supporting workforce development initiatives and providing job seekers with the support they need to succeed within the labor market. As workforce legislation and development change, Geographic Solutions remains committed to building a strong and adaptable workforce.

Workforce development takes a collaborative effort between workforce agencies and service providers to close the skills gap, increase job placements, reduce unemployment durations, and ultimately strengthen economic development initiatives. Workforce Development Month gives us a chance to honor those who go to great lengths to positively impact the workforce. We give our thanks to all workforce professionals, the true heart of workforce development.

Click here to watch the whole interview with Melissa Robbins.

Celebrating Contributions to the Workplace Throughout Black History Month

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 19:33:00 GMT

In 2024, it has never been more important to recognize and honor Black History Month – especially in the workforce development industry. The key is to not simply check a box with an awareness campaign, but to realize that the workplace wouldn't be the same without the contributions of African Americans. Some of the most successful and evolving organizations are those that take action by investing in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, keeping these topics at the forefront of their core values.

Black History Month is a time to recognize workplace pioneers like Maggie Lena Walker, the first Black woman in the United States to charter a bank, and serve as its president, in 1903. It’s also a time to learn from Mary McLeod Bethune, who was born to former slaves in South Carolina in 1875 but rose to appointment by President Franklin Roosevelt to serve as Director of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration. At the time, this made her the highest-ranking Black woman in government, and the only woman of color at the United Nation’s founding conference.

The contributions of these individuals played an important role in 1925 when Harvard-educated historian Carter G. Woodson conceived and announced Negro History Week. A year later, the event had its first celebration with an overwhelming response. Scholars of many colors stepped forward to endorse this effort. This became the basis for Black History Month as we know it today.

Throughout the month of February, we will honor several Black individuals who have overcome, led, and left incredible impressions on American culture. As a company, we strive to advance equity and embrace diversity in the workplace, year-round. Whether that be celebrating the diversity and contributions of our individual team members or providing equal employment access and career resources to job seekers across the country, we hope to encourage, inspire, and support. Let this also be a reminder of the work that lies in the months and years ahead, and the possibilities of the greatness to come.

“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” —Booker T. Washington

As AI Increases, So Does the Need for Workforce Development Professionals

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 14:17:00 GMT

As we wrap up Workforce Development Month, not only is it a moment to reflect on the past, it’s a perfect time to watch for future trends.

For industry professionals, the elephant in the room is artificial intelligence (AI). Defined in a 2004 paper by Stanford University’s John McCarthy as the use of intelligent machines and computers, AI is everywhere you look. And unlike recent trends such as non-fungible tokens, the Internet of Things, and the metaverse, AI has the longevity to impact the US workforce, the folks that help others along their career journey, and all connected industries.

But, taking it one step further, AI has the potential to increase the need for workforce development.

Read on to find out more.

You Are Here

Chances are you’re already using AI or an application that relies on machine learning. Visit your favorite website and interact with their chat agent. That may be a virtual assistant. Check your spelling and style with a tool like Grammarly. Yup, that’s AI. Searching for something new to watch on Netflix? A form of AI just helped you binge the latest hit show.

The professionals of the future who harness AI as an assistant while learning the soft skills that robots can’t, will see their careers accelerate.
But let’s take a step back.

Why Workforce Development Month?

Across the United States, there are more than 500 workforce development boards and 2,300 American Job Centers. Thousands of career counselors, employment specialists, youth advocates, and program managers work every day to ensure that the 167 million-strong U.S. workforce is skilled, willed, and ready to work.

And that’s why in 2005, the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) created Workforce Development Month to help raise awareness for the industry’s economic impact.

A Brief History of Workforce Development

1862 -- the Morill Act makes it possible for the roots of workforce development to take hold. With this act, states establish public colleges using funds from developing or selling federal land grants.
1913 -- President William Howard Taft signs an act that established the U.S. Department of Labor.
1933 -- The New Deal allows the federal government to invest in workforce development services.
1962 -- Kennedy’s Manpower Development and Training Act paves the way for training to unemployed adults and youth workers.
1982 -- The Job Training Partnership Act yields Regional Service Delivery areas and renewed focus on training for dislocated workers and other populations in need.
1990 -- Workforce development matures with the Workforce Investment Act’s focus on service delivery through a nationwide network of one-stop career centers.
2014 -- The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in 2014 strengthens the role of local workforce development boards and increases the need for stakeholder collaboration.

Let’s Talk Stats

As of August 2023, Employment Services accounted for more jobs in Administrative and Support Services than any other category at 3.6 million. It also made up 2.4% of national employment.

According to statistics from the NAWB, an advocate for workforce boards, 12 million people touch the workforce development system each year. During COVID, over 9 million people used career services.

The Brookings Institute estimates that the collective knowledge and capabilities of the U.S. workforce is worth an estimated $240 trillion, placing its value above 10 times that of all urban zones throughout the country. For the record, some of the largest zones of this nature are metropolitan statistical areas such as:

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the National Skills Coalition found that closing the digital skills divide could raise pay by an average of 45%. At the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions, leaders from across the world met to discuss new innovations and their skills requirements. They found that at the current pace of technological change, 44% of workers skills will be disrupted in the next five years.

“I think that digital literacy today is what literacy used to be in the past,” said international workforce development consultant, Miguel Peromingo. “You cannot take part in the world of work properly if you are not able to express yourself in a digital way or deliver your skills digitally.”

AI in Workforce Development

The future of workforce development could hinge on the introduction of artificial intelligence to platforms that support upskilling, training, and hiring.

In a July 2023, a report from McKinsey Global Institute showed that by 2030, 30% of hours worked across the US economy could be automated. This trend could be accelerated by generative AI.

The most noteworthy insight from McKinsey’s report is that as the use of generative AI increases, the US will need workforce development on a far larger scale. According to the report “employers will need to hire for skills and competencies rather than credentials.”

Could AI lend a hand to self-guided skills building sessions? Bruce Sylva, Senior Director of Sales at StandOut is confident that it will.

“What we’re doing with AI is using different tools to build confidence in interview practice,” said Sylva.

StandOut is amongst a group of companies that offer these training and practice options.

Good Times for Soft Skills

Metrix Learning, a company that provides skills building and training solutions, echoed these sentiments in a recent edition of Partnership Marketplace. Those in hiring positions have called for more candidates with the soft skills needed to complement AI and automation.

“Employers are always asking for somebody that has core communications, teamwork, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking skills,” said Christine Peng, Metrix Learning’s Workforce Development Product Manager.

Future Looking Forward

AI is only going to enhance the ways in which we can train and upskill workers. Skills gain and skills-based training stand to benefit greatly from the use of artificial intelligence in the same way that writers benefit from tools like Grammarly for editing and Hemingway App style. And, professionals who help folks in their career journey are perhaps already using tool or feature that relies on an application of AI.

September is the ideal time to celebrate and recognize the contributions of workforce development professionals but we should recognize these folks year round. When Senator Justin Morrill of Vermont submitted his initial legislation, he couldn’t have foreseen that he would be creating a new type of people power that would be observed yearly. And, he couldn’t have imagined that artificial intelligence generated by computers would be part of the conversation.

But as we look to 2024, we are here – and we’re ready.

Paving The Way For Reemployment

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 14:33:52 GMT

Did you know that the employment rates in many of Connecticut’s industries are higher now than they were before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic? According to Patrick Flaherty, Director of the Office of Research at the Connecticut Department of Labor, job growth has been consistent in 2022 and the unemployment rate is down to its early 2019 level.

This upswing in job growth can be partly attributed to the state’s Jobs First Employment Services Program, or JFES. Each year since 2018, thousands of participants are referred to American Job Centers in cities throughout the region.

The JFES program’s goal is to provide employment services to families receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and help parents gain skills to obtain employment. The program gauges success on several elements, including:

Freedom from cash assistance within the 21-month program time limit
Continuous employment and independent from assistance
Increase in basic and occupational skills, job coaching, and work experience

To be eligible for JFES, an individual must be receiving Temporary Family Assistance (TFA). Weekly participation of approximately 20 hours of employment activities is required for any person with children under the age of six, while persons with children over the age of six must participate in 30 hours.

Thanks to added flexibility in participation requirements, if participants perform at least 50% of their required hours, their TFA benefits will not be taken away. CTDOL partners with the Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies (CCFSA) to aid JFES clients who struggle meeting their participation requirements through intervention and removal services.

“The CTDOL partners with other state agencies and community partners to deliver the JFES program,” said Acting Director of WIOA Administration, Erica Tew during a recent Pathways to Employment webinar. “The Connecticut Department of Social Services (CTDSS) is the agency that administers the benefits, and [partners with] the five workforce development boards that oversee the Employment and Training and case management programs.”

Operating in Covid Times

During the pandemic, the program was suspended, but virtual services were offered to customers. According to Tew, “on average, nearly half of our caseload continued to participate during this time.” In July 2021, the program was reopened and CTDSS referrals were accepted again, but with dramatic changes to the foundational rules of the program.

“We have made many changes to the JFES program over the course of the past 13 months to make it easier for clients to participate,” said JFES Unit Director, Mike Bartley. “About 33% of JFES participants performed work and have overcome significant barriers to employment.

How Do Participants Arrive at the JFES program?

The CTDOL partners with state agencies and communities to deliver the JFES program. Unlike other workforce programs, participants can’t join the program simply by walking into an American Job Center. Those taking part in the program must be referred by a state agency and receiving TFA.

“It’s similar to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training where persons receiving a particular benefit have to participate in some type of employment and training activity for a certain number of hours per week,” said Tew.

The most common referral path happens when a participant applies for benefits through the DSS. Case managers assess each applicant and refer them to their region’s JFES program orientation.

Program Innovations

Over the last few years, the JFES program has relied on several innovations to succeed.

Family Centered Coaching: This is an approach that helps case managers engage with the whole family, rather than just the individual participants. It takes into account that one approach does not fit all families, considering that families may address challenges in different ways. It helps to create customized solutions for each family.
Financial Literacy: The second innovation was established with the Connecticut Association for human services, or CAHS, which provides financial literacy education classes. These sessions are provided to the public by a network of volunteers who have worked in the financial services industry. And these workshops denote the first introduction to the concept of saving and budgeting for many clients.
Refugee Resettlement: In addition, a pilot program was launched that partners with Workforce Alliance and the Refugee Resettlement Agency. JFES case managers are embedded within families to address some of the historical issues that refugees have had in connecting to our jobs first program. Originally, multiple organizations helped the refugee and there tended to be miscommunication between them all. Placing a JFES case manager at the refugee resettlement agency has helped to cut out miscommunication and make the clients feel safe and comfortable while trying to transition into getting employment support and services.

Inspiring success stories

Geographic Solutions supports the efforts of the Connecticut Department of Labor as they provide employment services to people. Their work encourages skills gain in the name of employment, lays the groundwork financial independence. See inspirational JFES success stories by clicking here.

Europe of the Future Starts with the Youth of Today

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 14:00:00 GMT

In her 2021 State of the European Union address, EU President von der Leyen stated that 2022 should be a year dedicated to those who have dedicated so much to others. In a December press release that same year, the European Union (EU) announced an agreement to designate the next year as the European Year of Youth (EYY).

Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission, said: “With the 2022 European Year of Youth, we are supporting young Europeans to defend and promote freedom, values, opportunities, and solidarity. We owe it to the generations who suffered most in the pandemic and now need to take back their lives.”

The EYY is supported financially by both Erasmus+, a program to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe, and the European Solidarity Corps, a program which creates opportunities for young people to engage in solidarity activities abroad or within their own country that benefit communities. In total, nine different youth organization initiatives are plugged into the EYY, including the two mentioned previously. There is also EU Youth Dialogue, Discover EU, EU Aid Volunteers, Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange, Eures, and SHEU Leads.

The multi-faceted EYY campaign casts its gaze far into the future and provides funded opportunities for young people to take part in youth exchanges, volunteer, study, work, travel, or participate in or learn about democratic processes within the EU. Through conferences, events, and various campaigns, the EYY is engaging European youth across the continent to create a long-lasting impact and legacy.

Coordination, Participation, and Strategy Across Europe

EU Member States were invited to appoint a national coordinator to organize their respective participation strategies. To ensure its success, young people and youth organizations were welcomed in shaping the initiative. An online survey garnered over 5,000 responses from all Member States and more than half stated their desire to actively participate in the EYY.

Another aim of the EYY is cross-sector partnerships and experiences as it builds on many EU policies. Four main objectives are outlined which reveal the underlying effort to honor, support, and engage with young people at all levels:

•   Highlighting how the green and digital transitions offer opportunities for young people
•   Helping young people to become active and engaged citizens
•   Promoting opportunities available to young people
•   Bringing a youth perspective to the Union’s policies

The initiative seeks to further inspire and refresh the outlooks of young people, with a principal goal to combat the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the EU thinks that highlighting the green agenda and digital transitions for better societies, offer opportunities for young people to positively engage this part of the population with hope for their futures.

In other words, by supporting young people — whether through youth work or other means at national, regional, or local levels— the EYY will create active and engaged citizens, including those with fewer opportunities; from disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds; or those belonging to marginalized and vulnerable groups.

Therefore, many levels of EU policymaking are being promoted by mainstreaming youth policy across most relevant EU policy fields in line with the EU Youth Strategy 2019 – 2027.

Find Information, Explore Opportunities, Uncover Your Voice

To ensure success, the European Commission, the European Parliament, EU Member States, regional and local authorities, youth organizations, and young people themselves have started to come together to coordinate a range of activities for the EYY with multiple European Youth Policy Initiatives.

Young Europeans have benefitted greatly, and will continue to gain knowledge, skills, and experience for their professional and personal development to strengthen civic engagement in the EU.

How Geographic Solutions Supports Youth

Geographic Solutions supports the development of young people the world over. In the U.S., we developed the WIOA case management module to manage all U.S. federal- and state-level workforce programs. Some of our clients use this module to manage their comprehensive youth employment program which serves the young individuals who face barriers to education, training, and employment.

Geographic Solutions has thus a wealth of data and experience serving youth demographics. For a more in-depth look at how the youth are engaged by workforce development organizations, visit our Pathways to Employment page and watch the latest installment: “Preparing the Youth with Future Job Skills”.

We also recognize the pressing need to connect the young people of today with career pathways that provide a sustainable salary, minimize student debt, and align with their passions, skills, and values. To this end, we created the Virtual Career Center, a platform shared between students, educators, and workforce development professionals that bridges the gap between educational institutions and the workforce through career pathway planning.

Geographic Solutions salutes the efforts of the EU and their Member States to uplift the young people in their countries by engaging in these dynamic campaigns of the European Year of Youth. Our software solutions and wealth of data are available in many overseas markets. After all, tomorrow’s workforce is today’s youth, no matter where you live.

For more information about the availability of our products in your country, please request more information here.

Workforce Development Month: An Opportunity To Recognize The U.S. Workforce System

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 15:05:00 GMT

The United States Senate recently passed Resolution 346, which designates September as Workforce Development Month, and pays homage to a system of more than 550 workforce development boards and 2,400 American Job Centers that, according to the National Association of Workforce Boards, interacts with 1 out of 12 citizens in the U.S. each year. The system is part of critical infrastructure that originated with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal legislation during the Great Depression.

According to the resolution, jobs that require more than a high-school diploma but not a 4-year degree comprise 52 percent of the labor market, a discrepancy that limits career growth since only 42 percent of workers in the U.S have been able to access training at that level. The text of the designation highlights that 76 percent of business leaders noted in surveys and research that greater investment in skills training will help their businesses flourish.

The events of the last 18 months have brought workforce development to the forefront of many initiatives. President Biden is calling on Congress to invest $100 billion in programs that will target underserved groups and students as part of the American Jobs Plan. The Build Back Better Agenda seeks to invest more in workforce development and fill jobs in growing sectors, such as construction and health care, through high-quality career and technical education pathways and registered apprenticeships.

The increased focus on workforce development in 2021 is also our chance to peer into the history and definition of the movement.

The Roots of Workforce Development

In the United States, workforce development’s beginnings can be traced back to 1862 and 1890’s Morrill Acts. These acts funded educational institutions by granting federally controlled land to states to sell, raising funds to establish colleges. Each college would teach practical skills in agriculture, science, military science, and engineering.

In 1913, President William Howard Taft signed the act that established the U.S. Department of Labor. The movement to establish this federal department hinged upon a long-running campaign to establish a voice for the working population. The basis of their platform included needed enhancements to the welfare of working people and an improvement in working conditions.

The New Deal in 1933 allowed the federal government to invest in workforce development services. In 1965, President John F. Kennedy’s Manpower Development and Training Act was designed to provide training to unemployed adults and a small percentage of youth workers whose skills needed upgrading. In 1973, the Manpower Act was revised to implement the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA).

1982 saw the creation of Regional Service Delivery areas (a predecessor to modern-day Workforce Investment Areas) and a focus on providing training for unemployed adults and youth through a variety of programs with the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA).

In a Work First Foundation article by Rachel Tropp, a fellow at the organization, workforce development truly matured by the 1990's and now connected skills and vocational training services with industry demand and community-level economic needs.

In 1998, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) focused on the delivery of workforce development programs and related services through a nationwide network of one-stop career centers. President Obama reaffirmed WIA with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), legislation designed to improve the public workforce system by increasing coordination among federal workforce development and related programs. WIOA’s five titles authorized job training and related services to unemployed or underemployed individuals; authorized education services to assist adults in improving basic skills; amended the Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and provided the needed provisions for transition between WIA and WIOA.

Sustaining Communities with Economic Growth

What does workforce development mean today? The movement is essential for bridging the skills gap that naturally occurs with advancements to technology. Its approach to economic development maintains region’s economic stability and prosperity by focusing on people rather than business. Sector and place-based approaches dictate supply and demand, and modern-day philosophies prefer to blend the strategies together.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis has a more general definition. According to the financial institution, the phrase describes a “wide range of activities, policies, and programs employed by geographies to create, sustain, and retain a viable workforce that can support current and future business industry.”

Colleen LaRose, President and CEO of the North East Regional Employment and Training Association gets right to the point and succinctly describes workforce development as a government system that helps put people to work.

Reaffirming Our Commitment to Workforce Development

Growth in the workforce requires a collaborative approach between workforce agencies and partner programs to close the skills gap, increase job placements, reduce unemployment durations, and ultimately strengthen economic development initiatives. We support this effort with VOS Sapphire 21, a software solution that has transformed the way career centers deliver services to job seekers and employers.

Join us in celebrating Workforce Development Month, the federally supported workforce system, and its unique partner programs. We’re invested in playing a large part in the effort to rebuild the economy, and provide career pathways that support families and help businesses find the skilled workers they need to get the job done.

What You Need To Know About The CARES Act

Sat, 18 Apr 2020 14:11:00 GMT

The COVID-19 pandemic is sending shockwaves through nearly every facet of our lives. Our economy is experiencing an unprecedented crisis as a record number of Americans are filing first-time jobless claims. But a recent piece of federal legislation called the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act aims to provide relief for those who are temporarily out of work due to furloughs and layoffs.

What is the CARES Act?

The CARES Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. This crucial piece of legislation provides emergency assistance and healthcare response for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the pandemic. It builds upon previous congressional actions by including provisions for temporary coverage of individuals who have exhausted their entitlement to regular unemployment compensation.

Within the act is the new Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program. As part of this program, eligible individuals who are collecting certain unemployment insurance benefits, including regular unemployment compensation, will receive an additional $600 per week in federal benefits for weeks of unemployment ending on or before July 31, 2020. Rounding out the program, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation allows those who have exhausted benefits under regular unemployment compensation or other programs to receive up to 13 weeks of additional benefits.

Ultimately, these elements of the act provide up to 39 weeks of benefits, and these benefits are available beginning on or after January 2020 and ending on or before December 31, 2020.

Is There Assistance for Those in the Gig Economy?

Typically, part-time employees, gig workers, seasonal workers, and the self-employed aren’t able to take advantage of unemployment compensation benefits. The CARES Act provides for these workers through Pandemic Unemployment Insurance, which aims to help those who lost work as a direct result of COVID-19 through the end of the year.

Those who file will be able to take advantage of PUA for a maximum of 26 weeks, and the compensation amount will be similar to traditional unemployment. The federal government requires PUA to be tracked separately from regular unemployment, and government agencies are expected to build new online platforms to track pandemic assistance.

What about Small Businesses?

For companies with 500 or fewer employees, emergency grants and a forgivable loan program are now available, and changes to rules for expenses and deductions are meant to make it easier for companies to keep employees on the payroll. To cover immediate operating costs, the act offers small businesses emergency grants that provide up to $10,000.

Through the Paycheck Protection Program, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is providing direct incentives for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. The SBA will forgive the loan if all employees are kept on the payroll for 8 weeks and if any portion of the loan is used to maintain payroll, keep workers on the books, or pay for rent, mortgage and existing debt.

Can Students Find Relief?

The CARES Act also includes help for college students and graduates in the form of deferred loans and interest payments through September 30 without penalty. Students can turn unused work-study funds into supplemental grants and continue paying work-study wages while schools are suspended.
Learners who are forced to drop out as a result of coronavirus won’t have that time away from school deducted from their lifetime limits on subsidized loan and Pell Grant eligibility, and they will not be asked to pay back any grants or other aid already received.

Find out more about the CARES Act by visiting the U.S. Department of Labor’s newsroom.

Year Of The Apprentice: How States And Employers Are Creating Apprenticeship Programs

Wed, 31 Jul 2019 17:05:00 GMT

You’re likely to find them in all walks of life: soccer fields, machine shops, artisan studios, and multinational corporations.

Throughout history, some of the most influential and well-known individuals began their careers as apprentices. Soccer great David Beckham started as one before joining Manchester United Football Club. Automobile manufacturer Henry Ford left home at 16 to become an apprentice machinist before eventually founding his namesake company. Stella McCartney, daughter of musical legend Paul McCartney, completed an apprenticeship with world-renowned suit maker, Edward Sexton. Leonardo Da Vinci went on to become one of the greatest painters, sculptors, and inventors of all time after apprenticing.

Loosely following a practice of supervisory teaching and skills transfer that dates back to the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, an apprentice would typically receive on-the-job training from employers as they learned crafts or trades. The length of an apprenticeship would change to meet the needs of each profession and differ in terms of success factors and goals.

The Modern-Day Apprentice

Fast forward to 2019, where apprenticeship is still a crucial part of skills-based training, and on-the-job learning. In June, the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) announced their highly anticipated plans to expand apprenticeships in the United States, establishing a process for the development of high-quality, industry-recognized programs, and creating a new system that will pave the way for educational institutions to receive grants when they partner with employers.

Part of their campaign includes the availability of grant funding to engage employers nationwide in creating new apprenticeship opportunities across a wide range of occupations and industry sectors. Eligible grant applicants will include nonprofit trade organizations, industry and employer associations, educational institutions, labor unions, and more.

The Labor Department will support local efforts with the availability of Apprenticeship State Expansion Grants. Their hope is to expand the number of Registered Apprenticeship Programs nationwide, supporting and encouraging program diversification, increasing the diversity of apprentices, and growing apprenticeships across industry sectors. Together, these program goals have the potential to advance the integration of Registered Apprenticeship Programs into state workforce development, education, and economic development strategies and programs.

Rising to the Occasion

As part of USDOL’s renewed investment in on-the-job training, several states have moved to add robust apprenticeship programs to their workforce program repertoire.

Out west, the California Workforce Association’s Executive Director, Bob Lanter, shared with attendees at the 2019 Workforce Technology Conference that members of his state’s workforce development, education, training, and employment industries have joined forces to form the California Youth Apprenticeship Coalition (CAYAC). The group will work alongside statewide subject matter experts to build an integrated and universally accessible youth apprenticeship system, potentially open to as many as 500,000 Californians by 2029.

Considered one of the state’s “best kept secrets,” apprenticeships have grown by over 50 percent since 2014. If CAYAC’s plans succeed, the group expects to see California’s apprenticeship pool grow to 750,000, a reduction in student debt by $16 billion, and a decline in youth unemployment by 3 percent.

In Missouri, there are already 500 registered programs, and almost 15,000 active apprenticeships. Through a highly flexible, “earn while you learn” model, the Missouri Registered Apprenticeships program pays more as a worker, or apprentice, reaches higher productivity levels.

In Maryland, the state’s Department of Labor announced their recently approved grant will help the Maryland Apprenticeships and Training Program (MATP) continue their mission, which this year reached a noteworthy accomplishment of 10,000 apprentices statewide. The MATP reported that the number of apprenticeships has increased by 30 percent since 2016.

And, in South Dakota, there are 600 apprentices in 154 programs across the state. They plan to increase these numbers through 2022, especially in key industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, food service, computer science, and information technology.

Employers Stake Their Claim

Many employers have followed suit, rising to the occasion with their own programs. Agricultural machinery giant John Deere launched theirs in July to fill a widespread shortage of service technicians, and Allied Health West recently launched their Registered Medical Assistant Apprenticeship in Oregon, which also employs the “earn-and-learn” model.

To complement this major policy announcement from the USDOL, Geographic Solutions has created the new Registered Apprenticeship Module, which will provide full case management for the employment and training requirements of registered apprenticeship expansion grants. Contact us to learn more

The Next Da Vinci

A critical component in workforce development even in the 21st century, the USDOL’s most recent strategy ensures that apprentices will continue to get their start learning from influential leaders. Future generations will get to see the next Ford, Da Vinci, or McCartney rise from student to teacher.

Filling In The Gaps: How Workforce Agencies Are Using Alison To Fundamentally Change Skills-Based Training

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 16:54:00 GMT

By Dr. Tim Potenz

With more than 13 million users worldwide enrolled in thousands of free online courses, Alison.com has transformed into an industry-leading provider of online education and job skills training. On a global scale, their educational impact has earned them numerous awards from organizations and initiatives such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Economic Forum, and the World Innovation Summit for Education.

In 2007, Alison was launched by founder Mike Feerick, an early pioneer of the Massive Open Online Courseware (MOOC) movement. His vision is responsible for the success of more than 2 million graduates worldwide, with 175 thousand new learners signing up every month.

An Educational Cornerstone

In the United States, hundreds of workforce agency administrators have used Alison.com to develop suites of freely-accessible online courses, forming educational cornerstones key to federally-funded government programs.

When parents or guardians face periods of transition, sometimes due to job loss, programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T;) and the Florida-centric Welfare Transition Program (WTP) offer needed assistance to qualified participants. This form of help can include time-limited financial assistance for basic needs such as food, clothing, and housing, but also includes transitional services to help families become independent. A significant part of these transitory services include GED prep courses, job training and interview practice, vocational training, classes in basic English, and job retention services.

“In terms of workforce advantages, Alison.com is building inroads in several distinct areas,” says Dan Fitzgerald, a Corporate Workforce Trainer at Geographic Solutions. “It fills the training-related gaps for programs like SNAP E&T; and TANF, offering low-cost alternatives for program participants.

Impacting Training Completion Rates

For CareerSource, Florida’s statewide network of workforce development boards and career centers, program managers have been integrating Alison’s free learning resources into their workforce programs since 2009. Because Alison’s courses are self-paced and time flexible, registered learners can level up their skills anywhere, and at any time. This helps workforce agency administrators spend less resources on scheduling, structuring, and monitoring, and more time on their actual training. Devoting more attention to these critical areas has made a significant impact on training completion rates. And, with Alison’s data-rich user statistics, admins can immediately see how much time a job seeker has spent on training.

A newer feature in Alison’s arsenal is the Career Guide, which ushers job seekers towards the right courses, catered towards specific career paths. These courses are laid out on different skill levels, and learners are guided through each course appropriately. The time needed to structure training is therefore taken on by experts, which allows more job seekers to get the most out of their activity, helping them stick with the program.

Expanding Job Ready Initiatives

Looking towards 2020 and beyond, Alison plans to expand their Job-Ready initiatives to workforce-industry professionals striving to create their own suite of free online courses and certifications. You can hear more about essential free learning at the 2019 Workforce Technology Conference.

About the Author: Dr. Tim Potenz is the Editor at Alison.com, where he's responsible for the Careers section of the platform.

Skills-Based Workforce Development: Building Career Pathways To Real-World Jobs

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 15:53:00 GMT

By Christine Peng

In education and workforce development, the consensus is that there is a shift happening. States are reexamining their requirements for graduation and the associated coursework. Schools are now being tasked with equipping students with essential workplace skills, or soft skills, to boost their future employment prospects. With low unemployment, employers are looking to hire but can’t find skilled candidates. This is where skills-based training and career pathways models can help.

The Skills Economy

With the changing landscape of education and workforce, an emphasis on skills competency has emerged as a model for the future. How can you take today’s job seekers and quickly train them with the skills employers need? Skills-based training. How can you ensure that students today are prepared for the jobs of the future? Stackable credentials and transferable skills.

This forms the basis of career pathways training and education. Career pathways break down industries and occupations into knowledge and skills competencies. At the center of this are foundation skills, such as academic, personal, and workplace. From there, it branches out into industry and occupation-specific skills.

Why have skills competencies and stackable credentials become the currency of training? For workforce and human resources professionals, this is no surprise. Employers are challenged with finding skilled workers to fulfill the seven million job openings across the United States today. Some skills may be specialized, while others may apply to different pathways. But the quickest way to fill positions is to validate an applicant’s exact skills through stackable credentials such as digital badges and industry-recognized certifications.

Short-Term Training Solutions as the New Norm

Employers are looking for trainable workers, people who have core skills that can adapt to their needs. Micro-credentialing programs are attractive to employers because of time and solid proof of skills. Programs in IT, such as coding and development, have delivered quick results to employers through boot camps both in-person and online. Skills-based training models can be applied to any industry in the same way.

Written up in the Wall Street Journal, the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board (EWIB) has perfected their training model for manufacturing through their “Eastern CT Manufacturing Pipeline” program. Funded by the US Department of Labor Workforce Innovation Fund in partnership with the CT Department of Labor, EWIB works directly with Electric Boat, a division of General Dynamics, to source 5,000 applicants over the next few years for entry-level positions.

The program is designed for job seekers with no experience to take short-term classroom training and online training to get hired within 12 weeks. Job seekers are screened with assessments evaluating their core knowledge (basic math and reasoning, safety skills). If needed, remedial training is offered to bring their skills up to par. For those passing the assessments, they attend a custom 5-10 week hands-on program at Three Rivers Community College, Quinebaug Valley Community College, or Community College of Rhode Island. In addition to hands-on training, participants also have access to Metrix Learning where they can brush up through online courses. Over the past year, more than a thousand participants have been hired by Electric Boat and other local manufacturers.

The success of the "Eastern CT Manufacturing Pipeline" program hinges on job seekers gaining the exact skills the employer needed. The workforce board sat down with their local employers and outlined the immediate needs, developed a quick solution, and implemented it for stellar results. Where there were skill gaps, hands-on and online training filled it in. The flexibility of online and short-term training helps benefit the employer, the community, and the economy. The new hires will then gain work experience and continue building their skills directly through the employer. This skills-based model can be replicated with other industries as well. The program has been so successful that EWIB is developing their health care pipeline program next.

Developing Your Own Career Pathways

You can follow EWIB's example to develop career pathways for your own community. Take the reins and invite employers to speak with you on their hiring needs. Sit down with industry groups or individual employers to find out what's relevant to your city. Attend community meetings to find out what's happening on the ground. Look at labor market data and employment trends to identify needs. Think about your current job seekers and barriers they may face. Consider how to address these challenges and create new opportunities.

To build your own workforce pipeline program, consider these steps:

You can focus on pre-existing partnership and develop new connections to form your local pathways. Consider what assets exist today (trade schools, community colleges, etc.) and how to bridge any gaps in your training pipeline. Are there opportunities to fill in gaps?

Looking for advice on developing your career pathways? Need fresh ideas on skills-based training programs? Join Metrix Learning at the 2019 Workforce Technology Conference to find out more.

About the Author: Christine Peng is a Metrix Learning workforce solutions consultant working closely with clients from 15 states to customize and implement workforce development and training portals. Her experience includes in-depth career pathways analysis and learning management system design.

Three Sessions You Can't Miss At The 2019 Workforce Technology Conference

Sun, 21 Apr 2019 15:44:00 GMT

This year's Workforce Technology Conference is less than two months away, and we're excited to deliver an agenda full of new ideas, innovations, and training opportunities.

To save you from a severe case of FOMO (fear of missing out), here are three "can't miss" sessions you'll definitely want to attend.

The Next Steps

What does the future hold for Geographic Solutions' product line in 2020 and beyond? Hosted by President Paul Toomey, this session will give you an inside look at what's new and what's changing throughout our software suite. As part of the presentation, hear from our senior-level product architects about cutting-edge features currently in development.

The State of Recruitment Advertising

Recruitment advertising used to be Monster, CareerBuilder, whatever niche sites an employer used, and potentially a state or local workforce site. But, with the growth of Indeed, the development of Google Jobs, the use of LinkedIn for networking and recruitment, and the forthcoming effect of artificial intelligence, the landscape has changed. Join Advanced Interactive Media Group's Peter Zollman for an open discussion on these trends and more.

Best Practices and Enhancements

Don't miss your chance to have an active role in enhancing the user and customer experience. Broken out into three separate tracks, join subject matter experts from Geographic Solutions' workforce development, unemployment insurance, and labor market information teams to vote in real time on potential enhancements to our product line.

Regular Registration Closing Soon

If you haven't already registered, now is the time! We're looking forward to seeing you this summer in California for four immersive days of training, learning, and networking. Prices will increase on May 4, 2019, so act now, and take advantage of our regular registration rate.

10 Ways To Plant The Seeds Of Emotional Intelligence At Your Workforce Agency

Wed, 10 Apr 2019 15:28:00 GMT

By Maria Smith

It’s time to consider every workforce agency’s greatest asset – the team at the front line. Nurturing, developing, and boosting emotional intelligence (EI) in these crucial positions will change the way you see business, forever.

While it seems like everywhere you turn someone is talking about EI and leadership skills, these things aren’t actually new ideas, and in workforce development, we’re only just catching up. There’s such a massive body of work out there and a ton of books to devour that it seems crazy not to take advantage of it. At the end of this post, there’s a handy list of resources if you’re interested in learning more.

In a recent study of manufacturing supervisors that followed EI training, researchers reported a 20 percent drop in formal grievances, and an increase of $250,000 in productivity revenue.

Looking at the statistics, it’s safe to say that if EI was sold in stores, we’d all be lining up for it like the newest iPhone. But, unlike technology these days, it costs nothing more than your attention and understanding – which is a pretty great deal. But what exactly is EI?

Put simply, Emotional Intelligence is a measure of a person’s capability in self-awareness and social awareness. In slightly more complex terms, it’s a true skill that can take years to master. It can greatly increase your leadership skills, and all you need to do is dip your toe in the water.
Here are some tips to help increase your degree of emotional intelligence:

Own Your Feelings
Relate your feelings back to yourself rather than a person or situation. For example, instead of saying “You’re really annoying,” say “I am feeling annoyed.” Your feelings are your own and it’s important to understand that.

Discover Your Why
Instead of reacting outwardly to a feeling, ask yourself why you are experiencing it. Just keep asking why – you’ll move past the emotion and skip straight to a solution.

Use Your Feelings
Before making a decision or taking action, ask yourself how you will feel if you do it and how you will feel if you don’t. Your emotions are a useful guide to put you on the right path.

Use the Feelings of Others
Just like the last tip, the emotions of others also need to be considered. Before making a decision or taking action, ask yourself how others will feel if you do it and how others will feel if you don’t. Emotional intelligence is just as much about others as it is about yourself.

Convert Your Emotions
Emotions like anger can be used in really positive ways. Use it to energize yourself and get things done. The energy is already there, you just need to direct it.

Know That There isn’t Always a Solution
Sometimes people just need someone to listen. You don’t always need to offer a solution or opinion. By just spending time with the person, you are telling them that they are valued.

Check in With Yourself
Taking a minute every day to ask yourself “How do I feel” and “What will make me feel better” is incredibly important. Sometimes we can get worked up over time and not notice how it is impacting us. Connect back in with your emotions and address them.

Check in With Others
At any given point in the day, one person can be experiencing a whole range of emotions. Be aware of the people around you. If you notice something is not right, ask “How do you feel” and “What will make you feel better?”

Validate Others
Do your best to understand other people’s point of view. Everyone sees and experiences the world differently, and one way is no more right or wrong than another. Show understanding, empathy, and try to accept the feelings of others.

Step Out of Judgement
Judgement comes from assumptions, opinions, and generalizations – and all of these hold people back. When meeting someone new, try to wipe the slate clean and walk into the room opinion free. You’ll have a much clearer head and will be ready to listen.

If an emotionally intelligent leader means greater leadership and productivity, wouldn’t this also translate to employees? Create a more emotionally intelligent culture at your agency or development board. You’ll see greater engagement, and bigger, better outcomes.

Reading list:
• Working with Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
• The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace, Daniel Goleman
• Emotional Intelligence at Work, Hendrie Weisinger, Ph.D.
• Executive EQ-Emotional Intelligence in Leadership and Organizations, Robert K Cooper Ph.D. and Ayman Sawaf

About the Author: Maria is the founder of Bounce Australia/USA, a multi-award-winning organization delivering life skills and job readiness training to the long-term unemployed, as well as professional development to leaders using emotional intelligence and positive psychology methodologies across both government and corporate sectors in Australia and internationally. Maria has an excellent reputation in the facilitation of workshops for leaders and front-line staff in providing self-awareness of the impact their unconscious and conscious communication has on influencing the behaviors of their employees. Her workshops and presentations are profound and powerful, leaving you wanting more.

Painting It Gold: Mining Data From The PIRL To Make Informed Decisions

Sat, 23 Mar 2019 15:25:00 GMT

This article is part of a series where we periodically feature guest-authored blog posts from leaders within workforce development to share their insights and perspective. This week, we hear from Geoff Smith of FutureWork Systems. Since the early 2000s, Smith has helped states and workforce development boards manage, track, report, and analyze performance data.

By Geoff Smith

Did you know that there are 488 data fields in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act’s (WIOA) Participant Individual Record Layout (PIRL)?

Created through a collaborative partnership between the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education, the PIRL is a common set of definitions that are shared across multiple programs for performance reporting.

Within the almost 500 fields of data are irresistible nuggets of gold that can be mined to paint colorful -- and powerful -- performance pictures. These visualizations can be used by a diverse set of organizations, including all DOL regions, individual states, workforce development boards, American Job Centers, and eligible training providers, to go above and beyond the required WIOA performance indicators.

And while the PIRL data allows us to adequately report on the essential WIOA performance indicators, we can dig much deeper by using advanced business intelligence (BI) tools. Using these tools allows us to gain greater insight into participant activities, characteristics, and outcomes which ultimately help inform our program and policy decisions.

For example, data is collected on participants who receive training services funded by the WIOA. When participants receive training, we record in the PIRL the occupation that best applies to the training they receive. By recording that information, we can not only see how we are performing on the WIOA indicators by those trained for certain occupations, but we can also monitor the participant flow activity within these occupations trained, and even calculate new, custom indicators, such as training completion rates by occupations trained.

The number and variety of questions we can explore just by focusing on 1 of the 488 PIRL data fields can be eye opening. Are people being trained in occupations that are part of their sector strategy? Are they getting the outcomes they want or expect? How many are completing training? How many withdrew? How does this break down by demographics?

It’s easy to see that many paths of analysis can be explored and examining specific fields within the PIRL data such as Occupational Information Network (O*NET) Training 1, can yield exciting insights.

To illustrate this point, we created the following interactive dashboard by tapping into the DOL’s national PIRL data and using FutureWork Systems’ Performance Matters National BI Application. It examines WIOA Title I participants who received training services from April 1, 2017 through March 30, 2018, and cross references the occupation code classification of the training they received.

The dashboard displays the top 25 occupations trained by state, including the top 10 job families. You can use the state drop down list to choose the state(s) that interest you, adjust the veteran filter to focus on veteran vs non-veteran, or leave the data unfiltered to see data for the entire population.

Filter settings and state selections carry over into the WIOA Training Grid tab on the dashboard. The grid shows the percent share and total count of WIOA program participants who exited the WIOA program from April 1, 2017, through March 31, 2018, and who received training services by these job families and occupations.

Click below to interact with the dashboard in a new browser tab:

Open Top 25 WIOA Occupations Trained Dashboard

This dashboard is just one example of how data mined from the PIRL can yield valuable insights. See more examples of how BI tools can radicalize the data by attending this year’s Workforce Technology Conference.

About the Author: Geoff Smith has spent his career advocating for the use of advanced web-based technology tools and services that can leverage data to inform program and policy decision-making in workforce development. He has assisted numerous state and local boards in their move from a reports-driven culture, to one of democratized data and evidence-based decision support. He continues to play an active role in FutureWork Systems’ marketing, business development, client relations, product design, and development.

Honoring Presidential Contributions That Benefited The American Workforce

Mon, 18 Feb 2019 14:40:00 GMT

On Presidents’ Day, we traditionally celebrate the importance of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays, two heads of state that greatly impacted American history. But this calendar observance is also a chance to reflect on how a few commanders-in-chief left noteworthy marks on the workforce during their office tenure.

By definition, developing skilled labor traces its roots much further back than Roosevelt’s New Deal, which was enacted in the midst of the Great Depression to lay the groundwork for our modern economic infrastructure. Anecdotal evidence reveals that in 1563, Queen Elizabeth I mandated laws that helped English trade unions find young apprentices.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

On June 6, 1933, President Roosevelt signed the Wagner-Peyser Act into law as part of the Wagner Unemployment Bill, essentially creating what we know today as “labor exchange.” The law came to light through a collaborative effort from Rep. Theodore A. Peyser, Sen. Robert Wagner (both from New York), and Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the act a reality.

The law established a nationwide employment system and fostered a network of public employment offices known as the United States Employment Service. The system provided the foundation for what would later become the U.S. Department of Labor.

Bill Clinton

During Bill Clinton’s second term as president, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 was enacted to replace, among other pieces of legislation, the Job Training and Partnership Act of 1982. Relying on the framework of state and local workforce investment systems, WIA’s central tenets aimed to increase participants’ employment opportunities, retention, and earnings, while also increasing occupational skill attainment.

The Clinton administration hoped that this act would improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the nation's productivity and competitiveness.

Barack Obama

On July 22, 2014, President Barack Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) into law. The law was designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy. Marking the first legislative reform in 15 years, WIOA superseded WIA and enhanced Wagner-Peyser.

Peering Into the Future of Presidential Impact on Workforce Development

As technology continues to transform the labor force, presidential prowess will continue to mold and shape America’s workforce. In October 2018, President Trump pledged his commitment to developing training opportunities and called for support from businesses and organizations of all sizes.

With unemployment rates at a 49-year low and a record 7.1 million job openings in the United States, there will undoubtedly be opportunities for our current and future presidents to influence the labor market.