Located in:
- Program-specific Requirements for Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities under Title I-B
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include the following with respect to activities carried out under subtitle B—
a. 2. B. Describe how the State intends to use Governor’s set aside funding for mandatory and discretionary activities, including how the State will conduct evaluations of Title I Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth activities.
Current Narrative:
B. Missouri adheres to 20 CFR 682.200 and 20 CFR 682.212 in funding required and allowable statewide employment and training activities.
The State utilizes set aside funding to support innovative projects across Missouri. These include apprenticeships, specialized training programs, and programs designed specifically to serve low income and individuals with barriers, such as incarcerated individuals and persons with disabilities. The Rapid Response allocation is also used to fund local area dislocated worker projects that focus on declining industries.
OWD also uses discretionary funds to conduct evaluations through surveys across all programs in a variety of methods. A team of individuals representing state and local WIOA partners guides the evaluation process. The team participated in the 2022 Evaluation Peer Learning Cohort (EvalPLC) and learned about building an evidence-based framework to build projects. The team created a list of research questions focused on how customers could be served most effectively and could be answered through the data. The first formal project began in summer 2023 and will proceed forward accordingly.
The Missouri Evaluation Team meets regularly to review the data, advance the discussion of evaluation, and prioritize data projects that will benefit the workforce system.
Missouri was selected to participate in the 2022 Evaluation Peer Learning Cohort (EvalPLC). Representatives from all parts of Missouri’s public workforce system learned about the WIOA evaluation process by building an evidence-based framework to be replicated and used to build research projects.
The Missouri team compiled a list of questions about the public workforce system to be answered through the data. The team prioritized the list of research topics and formed a project plan for Missouri’s first formal evaluation project scheduled for completion in the first half of calendar year 2024. Research, analysis, and writing will take place in-house with OWD taking the lead on evaluation activities. OWD staff salaries for those dedicating time to the project will be from the Governor’s set-aside funds. The project plan for Missouri’s first formal evaluation focuses on barriers, the types of services provided to individuals with barriers, and how outcomes may be affected based on the services.
Missouri’s evaluation team will continue meeting regularly for updates and discussion on the topic of evaluation and research projects to inform the public workforce system. Team members include staff from data teams and Equal Opportunity in OWD, Vocational Rehabilitation, Adult Education and Literacy, Rehabilitation Services for the Blind, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Social Services, and LWDBs representing both urban and rural areas of Missouri.
Missouri is striving to improve the workforce system and how citizens are served, and research and evaluation is part of the continuous improvement process. Missouri will continue strategically choosing projects to help better understand the population, unique needs based on geographic region, barriers, demographics, etc., and how services are designed and delivered to different populations. Projects will provide meaningful feedback and an objective assessment of the system and services available, allowing Missouri to validate, rethink, and pivot where needed.