Narrative: III. b. 4. C.

Selected research/evaluations and improvement projects are aligned to strategies in this plan and monitored by the WVWDB’s Performance and Accountability committee. The WVWDB develops an annual evaluation agenda connected to workforce and related issues identified by state agency partners. The evaluation agenda for the coming two years includes projects designed to measure the ability of participants to access the full array of services available and the success of newly implemented referral networks. This includes:

• An implementation study on the extent of West Virginia’s referral network development, including number of new partners, use of the system by participants and services most inquired about and/or accessed by participants.
• A mixed-methods study on customer experience using the local one-stop system and the extent to which employers and workers access the system, what services they receive, customer satisfaction with the system, and the penetration rate of employers using the system.

Prior to conducting the evaluations, the annual evaluation agenda details research questions which will lead to an evaluation’s purpose and scope, so stakeholders, partners, and customers understand what is being researched and why. 

Research questions include:

• What are the program processes used for the services provided?
• Does the menu of services provided meet the intended program objectives or goals (for example, employment and increased wages for customers)?
• Do some services result in better outcomes than other services (for example, do participants who receive an “extra” package of services have higher earnings or longer retention rates than those who receive the “standard” package of services)?
• Is a statewide career pathways system helping or hindering institutions in making a difference for students and workers?
• Which types of work-based learning (e.g., OJT, registered apprenticeships, paid internships, etc.) provide labor force attachment and credential attainment for youth and adults?

To ensure that the evaluation agenda is coordinated with other evaluations occurring through the Department of Labor and Education, the WVWDB works with partners, such as WVDE and WV CTCs to catalog such evaluations, including discretionary grant efforts where evaluations are happening, particularly through the CTCs and LWDBs.

Final evaluation reports are documented through the WVWDB’s website, including those conducted as workforce system evaluations and those for discretionary and other related programs. 

Because WV’s WDS includes multiple agencies, measuring the collaboration and effectiveness of WDS partners is necessary to ensure services are coordinated and effective, federal and state funding is leveraged, and activities are accurately assessed to determine whether individuals and employers are being served per WIOA’s and the Governors’ vision.

The Performance and Accountability Committee is primarily responsible for issues around the data and measurement of workforce program operations and programmatic outcomes, developing metrics and measurements for publishing comprehensive workforce score cards and other longitudinal data that will enable the West Virginia Workforce System to measure comprehensive accountability and performance—important data used in evaluations.

The Performance and Accountability Committee, in consultation with other committees and the Board, recommends policy, budget, and administrative action to the Governor to ensure that West Virginia can measure what matters for business, job seekers, and government. This committee is a resource to other committees assisting in the establishment of standards and metrics to assess and continuously improve program and system performance. The committee engages in identifying cross-agency, cross-program performance metrics and ensuring that decisions made by the WVWDB are informed by sound data and analysis.