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Plan: Arkansas PYs 2020-2023
Combined Plan C

Section: WIOA State Plan Common Elements

Narrative: III. b. 6. A. i.

Published
Located in:
  • III. Operational Planning Elements

    The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an Operational Planning Elements section that supports the State’s strategy and the system-wide vision described in Section II(c) above.  Unless otherwise noted, all Operational Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs.  This section must include—

    • b. State Operating Systems and Policies

      The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a description of the State operating systems and policies that will support the implementation of the State strategy described in section II Strategic Elements.  This includes—

      • 6. Program Data
        • A. Data Alignment and Integration

          Describe the plans of the lead State agencies with responsibility for the administration of the core programs, along with the State Board, to align and integrate available workforce and education data systems for the core programs, unemployment insurance programs, and education through postsecondary education, and to the extent possible, the Combined State Plan partner programs included in this plan.  The description of the State’s plan for integrating data systems should include the State’s goals for achieving integration and any progress to date. 

III. b. 6. A. i. Describe the State’s plans to make the management information systems for the core programs interoperable to maximize the efficient exchange of common data elements to support assessment and evaluation

View corresponding narrative from PYs 2018-2019

Current Narrative:

The newly-created Department of Commerce operates a collection of different IT systems to capture participant information, services, and outcomes. While Titles I & III utilize a common system, the other core WIOA partner programs continue to use  legacy systems that were transferred to Commerce as programs were moved to the Department. The Department of Commerce  supports efforts to increase efficiency while maintaining quality levels of service through judicious use of resources and adhering to policy (local, state, and federal). Prior to the establishment of the Department of Commerce on July 1, 2019, the WIOA Roundtable (consisting of each WIOA core partner) had been evaluating workforce system solutions in other states to better unite the case management and job search functions of our programs. We are increasing these efforts now that each of Arkansas' WIOA core partners under the Department of Commerce umbrella. Our intentions are to identify ways to either integrate or replace these legacy systems. These Department of Commerce believes that our efforts will eventually lead to the implementation of a data warehouse and analytics platform that will support oversight, consumer education, and decision-making at all levels of the workforce system. The integrated warehouse may also be a means to deliver some of the benefits that an integrated case management system is envisioned as providing. This model will allow Commerce to work to develop advanced statistical models that can help identify not only who most needs services but to also help prescribe the types of services that may be most effective for a given customer based on what we learn from having served similarly situated customers in the past.

Common Intake Efforts that will Support Assessment and Evaluation-

Employment Services and the Adult, Youth, and Dislocated Workers programs share a common case management system.  The contractor, AJLA, has the following deliverables that are contingent on partner program’s case management systems adopting the common file referenced below and working with the AJLA to establish the API process for each system: 

  • Create new tables to store API data from partner agencies
  • Add new fields to Data Base for Arkansas Common Intake Web Service
  • Create email notification for stub accounts
  • Create enrollment for partner agencies
  • Process for determining matches
  • Create API to send data to partners
  • Create API to consume data from partners (Rehabilitative Services, Rehabilitative Services (vision impaired, and Adult Education)
  • Process for creating Common ID
  • Create stub account in Arkansas JobLink (AJL)

These processes will allow the partner’s databases to be matched, compared, and updated, regardless of which program interacts with the potential client first.  Although the service has been offered, partner programs have not been able to connect to the program to date.  Having this combined database will enhance our ability to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of the system of the state's workforce development programs.