State Operating Systems and Policies

Support of implementation of the State’s strategies

Coordinated implementation of State strategies

(e.g., labor market information systems, data systems, communication systems, case–management systems, job banks, etc.).

State Databases

Alaska has databases containing much of the relevant data (wage records, student records from the Department of Education & Early Development (EED), the University of Alaska (UA), Permanent Fund Dividend data, and training program participant data from the DOLWD’s Individual Case Management (ICM) System. DOLWD’s Research and Analysis Section was awarded a Workforce Data Quality Initiative grant from U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) to modernize its database management system and produce dashboards. There is regular communication among core programs as the state works to incorporate labor market information and job seeker needs while capturing this work in various data systems.

The primary vehicle for disseminating workforce information to internal and external customers is the internet. The Alaska Job Center (AJC) home page includes “Labor Market Information” as a main link with many other related links, including “Business/Employer Connection” and “Job Seeker Resources.” The site is used in all AJC resource rooms. Information is available to businesses and job seekers as well as staff and is a separate category that is more visible on the main page. The site is available to anyone with an internet connection, including libraries, schools, work sites, and homes. The state also produces a monthly magazine, Alaska Economic Trends, which is prepared by DOLWD’s Research and Analysis Section and distributed to businesses and individual subscribers, as well as published on the web.

Alaska continues to leverage and support understanding of labor market information, particularly as it relates to high–wage, high–demand industries, to the One–Stop operator responsible for determining and negotiating individual training accounts, and delivering the majority of WIOA Title I–B Adult and Dislocated Worker services. Labor Market Information staff work with local office staff upon request to explain how the state and local economies operate, how to assess occupational employment opportunities at the state and local level, and how to use the tools and information available on the Research and Analysis Section’s website to obtain training and navigate career transitions. In this era of consumer choice, labor market information creates informed consumers who are able to make better decisions about personal career development.

AJCs use a variety of web–based systems that are essential in supporting state workforce development strategies. The Alaska Career Information System, America’s Career InfoNet, America’s Service Locator, O*NET OnLine, Alaska’s Labor Exchange System (ALEXsys), and America’s Job Bank websites and services are all available in AJC resource rooms and any location with an internet connection.

Alaska’s core programs utilize separate systems for data collection and reporting. A data working group representing the core programs will meet on a regular basis to determine how the systems may be integrated.

WIOA Title I–B – Youth, Adult, and Dislocated Worker

Title I–B programs use the Individual Case Management (ICM) system, allowing AJC staff delivering adult and dislocated worker services and sub–recipients delivering youth services to maintain comprehensive records documenting interaction with participants. This includes planned and actual services for participants, training and supportive service–related costs, Individual Employment Plans, Individual Service Strategies, referrals to partner agencies, and funding amounts from each of the partner services involved in the participant’s service strategy.

Youth program funds are administered using the web–based Electronic Grants Administration and Management System (EGrAMS). The system provides consistent and standard user interfaces to handle the process from grant application entry to closeout and uses a comprehensive security framework for user authentication and authorization.

Title II – Adult Basic Education

Alaska’s Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs report individual student data into the Alaska Statewide ABE Database. The database is available to ABE program staff only and is accessed through myAlaska, which is a state–managed system for Secure Single Sign–on and Signature or authentication, allowing citizens to interact with multiple State of Alaska services through a single username and password.

Title III – The Wagner–Peyser System

The Division of Employment and Training Services (DETS) is supported by a fully–developed automated service delivery and management information system called ALEXsys. ALEXsys is a Virtual AJC system that has been extensively modified and maintained in–state based on business practices and federal requirements. ALEXsys is a valuable tool for clients looking for work, job search assistance, training, or career exploration. Registered employers can post jobs, view resumes of qualified candidates, and access a wide range of economic and labor market information. ALEXsys provides staff with the online tools to deliver, track, and report on Wagner–Peyser services for job seekers and employers. Automated interfaces are used to communicate and exchange information between ALEXsys and the Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage system, the job training services, and the ICM database, to facilitate better delivery of services and fulfill federal reporting requirements.

Title IV – Vocational Rehabilitation

The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) utilizes a management information system called AWARE. AWARE was developed based on Vocation Rehabilitation (VR) business practices and federal requirements. AWARE offers a comprehensive set of case, financial, and organizational modules. The features and procedures in AWARE are consistent and standardized throughout all modules, and are designed around the natural flow of the VR case process, making it intuitive for VR Counselors.

AWARE VR consists of 17 modules, approximately 300 data pages (screens), more than 350 reports, and a central database with over 330 tables. From AWARE VR, rehabilitation staff can perform all tasks and collect and access all data required to do the work of case management. AWARE software is updated regularly to meet Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) federally mandated reporting requirements and to produce the data file for uploading to the RSA. This software is being upgraded to include reporting elements for the Participant Individualized Record Layout and new data elements needed to collect new information for the proposed performance measures.