Narrative: III. b. 1.

Louisiana has a myriad of operating systems and policies either directly related to or tangential to workforce development. The most notable systems include: 

• Helping Individuals Reach Employment (HiRE) - managed by the Louisiana Workforce Commission
• Louisiana’s Foundational Integrated Research System for Transformation (LAFIRST) - managed by the Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette 
• Career Ladder Identifier & Financial Forecaster (CLIFF) - managed by the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services
• Unite Us - managed by the Louisiana Association of United Ways

Helping Individuals Reach Employment (HiRE)

HiRE, managed by the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC), enhances customer choice by facilitating entry into the labor exchange process, either independently or with staff support. This system grants job seekers immediate access to employer listings and the capability to create skill-based resumes through its self-service feature.

Louisiana’s comprehensive approach integrates labor market information, case management, job banks, and communication systems within the HiRE platform, administered by Geographic Solutions, Inc. (GSI). GSI oversees the administration, development, and data management of HiRE. With specialized modules for managing various types of information, HiRE facilitates swift and effective access to essential data for both job seekers and employers. Moving forward, LWC aims to expand the electronic delivery of services and resources, enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of workforce development tools.

Prioritizing customer service and the provision of user-friendly resources, such as skill assessment, career planning, post-secondary training, and workforce information, is paramount. The integration of the Louisiana Occupational Information System (LOIS) with HiRE ensures a unified platform for accessing occupational and career data.

Louisiana’s Foundational Integrated Research System for Transformation (LAFIRST)

La. R.S. 17:3138.12 authorizes the Louisiana Board of Regents to establish and maintain Louisiana’s Foundational Integrated Research System for Transformation, or LAFIRST. LAFIRST is being developed and maintained at the University of Louisiana Lafayette within the Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center.

The LAFIRST system will knit together data from:

• The Board of Regents;
• Each public postsecondary education management board;
• The Louisiana Workforce Commission;
• The Department of Children and Family Services;
• The Department of Corrections;
• The Office of Juvenile Justice; and
• Department of Health

to create an anonymized longitudinal data system. The resulting data structure will allow research, analysis and reporting on issues of statewide import such as:

• the elementary secondary school to college or career transition;
• linkages between workforce and postsecondary training and education; and
• linkages between education, employment, adult corrections, and juvenile justice.

Career Ladder Identifier & Financial Forecaster (CLIFF)

In early 2020, the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services began conversations with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and the Louisiana Board of Regents and United Way. These conversations included topics such as: families/individuals experience with barriers to economic success; the lack of the resources needed to navigate those barriers; how to help connect families to resources and educational opportunities leading to economic stability and self-sustainability; and clients' understanding of potential loss of public benefits from reaching self-sustainability. Through these discussions the Career Ladder Identifier & Financial Forecaster (CLIFF) tools were at the forefront especially as these tools do help show the intersection of financial trade-offs associated with career advancement.

Barriers to economic mobility affect numerous families.  One barrier which may occur is when a positive change in income or career advancement impacts that family’s capacity to receive public assistance.  This is known as a benefits cliff.

In 2021 a commitment was made to develop a strategic plan to implement the use of the CLIFF tools with the STEP E&T program. STEP Coaches work directly with clients to help empower them to transform their lives, through training and skill development, with a goal for the clients to obtain, and maintain, long-term employment. As a part of this intensive case management service, it was determined that coaches would utilize the CLIFF suite of tools. Through dialogue the coaches can assist participants in understanding and becoming aware of the financial impact on benefits in addition to the use of CLIFF as a career exploration tool. 

Unite Us

The Governor’s Sub-Cabinet for Workforce and Education is dedicated to building stronger, more resilient Louisianians by creating Prosperity Pipelines and improving access to support for training and education for Adult Learners, Students and Families. Long-term stabilization of families and building resilience is an essential strategy in helping Louisiana meet its education and workforce goals. It is of particular importance during the pandemic, as many who have suffered the most already struggle with high poverty, limited education and training opportunities, and difficulty engaging in career pathways that lead to higher wage jobs. 

To put the Talent Imperative into action, the Access Subcommittee of the Governor’s Workforce and Education Subcabinet developed the No Wrong Door initiative. As part of their work, Louisiana has begun implementing a new way to create Inclusive and Intentional partnerships through contracting for access to a technology platform to facilitate referrals to community social service organizations in a pilot area. This platform provides screening for social risks, a resource directory, the ability to manage referrals, privacy protection and reporting and analytics. In addition, use of the platform is supported by wrap-around services designed to ensure closed-loop referrals, provide out of network referral coordination and communication, and assist in the community with developing and enhancing the network of service providers participating on the platform. 

Two organizations have connected visions that link to the State’s Vision for Workforce and Education. They include the Unite Us vision of “building a world of connected communities to improve people’s health and well-being.” and Louisiana 2-1-1, coordinated by the Louisiana Association of United Ways with their vision of “integrating action and resources for the common good.” 

By partnering with these two organizations that are focused on integrating community resources and improving access through a technology platform and wrap-around coordination, this will give the people of Louisiana who need it most the opportunity to grow through education and training thereby building a more resilient LouIsiana.

A unifying technology platform which enables the “sending and receiving” of client referrals to services providers or state agency teams -- Unite Us will serve as this unifying technology platform with licenses for DCFS procured by LAUW. 

This will facilitate our ability to provide client-centered attention, across service providers, with documentation of outcome. 

Louisiana 211 Referral and Care Coordination Centers to provide closed-loop referral services for DCFS.

• Located regionally to leverage service partner relationships
• Receives and processes referrals from DCFS via the Unite Us platform to coordinate clients’ access to services to meet needs 
• Leverages the Louisiana 211 Referral Network, including service providers not directly receiving referrals on the Unite Us platform