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2 Year Modification

Plan: Minnesota PYs 2018-2019
Combined Plan C

Section: WIOA State Plan Common Elements

Narrative: III. b. 1. A.

Published
Located in:

III. b. 1. A. State Operating Systems That Support Coordinated Implementation of State Strategies (e.g., Labor Market Information Systems, Data Systems, Communication Systems, Case-management Systems, Job Banks, Etc.).

View corresponding narrative from PYs 2016-2017

Current Narrative:

DEED houses several data systems that work together to advance the statewide strategy, by providing necessary information to make data–driven decisions, monitor and track our interactions with employer and job seeking customers, and to communicate effectively with external audiences.

Labor Market Information

The state’s Labor Market Information (LMI) office gathers, analyzes, and disseminates economic data on Minnesota’s business community, workforce, and job market. It also provides:

  • Key economic indicators
  • Employment projections
  • Job vacancy data
  • Regional and statewide industry and workforce analysis
  • Information and tools to help individuals make informed career decisions

Key customers include businesses, job seekers, students, economic developers, education and training planners, workforce development professionals, policymakers, researchers and economists, government entities, media, and the general public.

For job seekers and career counselors specifically, the office has developed web tools that combine a range of data relevant to career decision–making:

  • The Career Profile tool provides a wide range of occupational information, including wages, current and future demand, education and training resources, and job opportunities. It also provides the Eligible Training Provider listings, including WIOA–certified trainings.
  • The Graduate Employment Outcomes tool shows how many Minnesota college graduates found jobs and at what wages. Outcomes are available at an institution and program of study level.
  • The Cost of Living tool provides a yearly estimate of the basic–needs cost of living in Minnesota by county, region, and statewide. The tool can be customized by family size and number of workers.
  • Regional Profile and regional web pages provide easier access to local and regional employment information.

The office’s telephone and email helpline respond to thousands of data and information requests per year. A team of six regional labor market analysts, stationed within Local Workforce Development Areas, give hundreds of public presentations on economic conditions, workforce issues and key industries to key internal and external stakeholders. They also provide analytical and grant writing support on demographic and labor force topics, and customized support to organizations involved in regional planning.

To leverage existing LMI career tools – and to meet the requirements of WIOA to maintain and publish lists of eligible training opportunities – DEED is building an integrated Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL) database and a Career and Education Explorer online tool. The ETPL Career and Education Explorer Project is expected to conclude the summer of 2016 and will include:

  • A publicly accessible web–based occupation and education information tool, the Career and Education Explorer, which meets the requirements of WIOA and the needs of Minnesotans; and
  • A secure database and data entry portal to house and maintain Minnesota’s official ETPL. The Career and Education Explorer will allow the public to search for ETPL–listed educational opportunities and find matching occupational opportunities, or search for occupational opportunities and find matching ETPL–listed educational opportunities.

DEED is partnering with other state agencies and with the state’s public and private post–secondary education institutions on this project.

Customer Data Systems

MinnesotaWorks (MNW) is DEED’s online system for helping job seekers find work and employers fill job vacancies. The job bank features technology designed to provide a fast and easy way for employers to match their job openings with the resumes of top applicants. Using a five–star rating scale, the system provides ranked matches and results for employers to review.

The MNW system collects data on employer and job seeker account characteristics, demographics, numbers of job openings and resumes, and web analytics. The data helps us better understand the needs of job seekers, businesses and industries and to guide the direction and focus of future outreach activities, developments and strategies. Web analytics are giving us an up–close look MNW users. Information on how they use the system once they log–in and they technologies use is valuable in determining future improvements and enhancements, including the development of new technologies and mobile capability. Analytics have already confirmed that 29 percent of MNW customers access the system using a mobile device.

The quantitative performance data helps to inform the work of Business Services Representatives (BSR’s) and Local Workforce Development Areas in the efforts to focus on businesses, industry associations and economic developers that can benefit from workforce employer services. Reports generated about employer job postings show market penetration, guide planning of employer outreach activities, and assist employers in researching expansion or relocation to areas where required job skill sets may be available.

Employers who post job openings on MNW are also surveyed to determine their satisfaction with the system. This qualitative data is analyzed to learn how well the system meets employer needs and to help determine the direction for improvement and technological enhancements.

Customers using the Minnesota’s WorkForce Centers access a Customer Registration System (CRS), which captures volume and activity patterns in the Resource Areas. The system is used by job seekers to register for services, by local WFC staff to create workshops and track attendance, and by management to create and analyze activity reports.

CRS is currently the sole source of this information that is needed to generate the federal Wagner–Peyser reports, gather data needed for cost allocation plans, and many other internal planning and performance activities. For instance, data on usage rates and customer characteristics are used to more effectively and efficiently plan for and provide appropriate customer service and connection to resources.

In 2016, DEED will integrate a new customer interface that will modernize the existing CRS system by simplifying the process for job seekers to get registered in Minnesota’s labor exchange system by automatically creating an account in Minnesotaworks.net at the time the job seeker registers.

Customer Case Management Data System

Workforce One (WF1) is a web–based case management application used by 2,000 state, city, county, and non–profit employees to track services to more than 100,000 customers across Minnesota’s county offices, WorkForce Centers, and Rehabilitation Services Offices. WF1 was created through a partnership of two Minnesota state agencies – the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the DEED. State and federally–funded workforce training programs – including WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth – track program participants in WF1.

Tracking customer services for all employment and training programs in a single system helps to ensure consistency in service delivery and data collection. Case managers are able to view enrollments and services in some programs beyond what they work on, allowing them to target resources where customers need them most. Providers are able to closely monitor their customer’s outcomes and deliver additional services when necessary to ensure the best outcome. Meeting federal and state employment and training reporting requirements is more efficient and less expensive because of standardized data collection and reporting within WF1.

For its business customers, DEED leverages Salesforce. The use and cost of SalesForce is shared by both internal users (Business Service Representatives, Veterans employment representatives, DEED’s economic development programs, the Minnesota Trade Office, Communications, and the Rapid Response team) and external users (Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, and Greater Minneapolis–St. Paul Regional Economic Development Partnership, i.e., Greater MSP).

Salesforce allows these organizations to collaborate on business visits, to share information, and communicate to reduce duplication of services. Salesforce provides customized reports on business needs and services.

Communications Systems

DEED makes a concerted effort to communicate job and training opportunities to job seekers through GovDelivery, our email marketing tool. Enhanced communications with employers and customers is supported by DEED’s Communications Office.

In the last year, we have added 63,000 new subscribers to this email tool, totaling 365,000 subscribers – most of those job seekers. And, in the last year, we sent a total of 1,630 bulletins to 72 different job seekers lists, broken down by geographical area. These bulletins went to over 8.3 million recipients, with a unique open rate of over 17 percent.