The PA Experience

1
The PA Experience

• The Road to Common Measures

2
Why Common Measures?

• Rendell Administrations vision of integrating
  workforce development
• Deputy Secretary Sandi Vito named to head all
  workforce development programs in the
  Commonwealth
• The myth of the 1.3 billion in workforce
  development funds

3
Why Common Measures?

• Quantitative Measures
• Methods applied to 28 workforce programs in PA
• Includes programs not under DOL/ETA governance
• Integral part of workforce program reform
• Performance Management Plan
• Resource Mapping
• Industry Clusters
• Industry Partnerships

4
Why Common Measures?

• High-Priority Occupations
• High-Performance WIBs
• Comprehensive Workforce Development System
• Common Measures follows in this strategy of
  integrating and applying similar standards to all
  workforce development programs

5
Birth of the Idea

• Common Measures should be implemented to move
  toward a vision, not to escape from the 17 WIA
  measures
• USDOL began to advance idea of Common Measures
  when TEGL 15-03 was issued in December 2003

6
Process of Getting Partner Buy-In

• Get right internal team
• Bring right people to table Education is key
• Communicate, communicate, communicate!
• Lots of meetings, discussions, informational
• e-mails

7
Working With USDOL

• Communicate, communicate, communicate!
• Recognize varied and diverse partners at the
  federal level
• No single repository of information at the
  federal level
• Lots of back and forth with requests for more
  information

8
Working With USDOL

• Delays in getting answers (on both sides)
• Was over a year from PAs request for a waiver
  until federal approval another five months until
  it was effective
• Challenge of negotiating performance levels with
  no benchmarks available

9
Working With USDOL

• Gave up eligibility for incentives for period of
  waiver
• Minimal financial support for system and policy
  conversion

10
Changes That Were Required

• Biggest changes in youth
• All positive outcomes based on serving
  out-of-school youth
• Change in serving OSY and older youth
• Retaining youth for longer periods of time

11
Changes That Were Required

• Biggest changes in youth
• Restrictive guidance on credential/certificate
  imposed under Common Measures
• WIBs cannot set policy anymore
• Lost workforce readiness certificate big hit!
• Literacy/numeracy changes
• System changes in tracking participation in
  partner programs

12
Changes That Were Required

• Single entrance/exit concept
• Labor Exchange exit date and measures based on
  exit
• New information required for Labor Exchange
  participants at time of participation

13
System Changes

• Common Measures Activity Log a comprehensive
  view of all programs tracked under Common
  Measures and tracked in the PA CareerLink
• Identifies first and last service received in
  each program covered under the common measures
• Identifies the date of first and last service
  received in a program
• Identifies beginning and ending of the reporting
  cycle

14
System Changes

• Participant Searches modified the participant
  searches to allow staff to work with participants
  in programs covered under Common Measures
• Will Exit in the Next 29 Days or Less
• Identify participants based on program
  participation and status of participation

15
System Changes

• Exclusions from Performance
• WIA added additional exclusions of family care
  and relocated to a mandated residential program
  (youth only)
• Labor Exchange added the ability to add
  Exclusions to Labor Exchange Services

16
System Changes

• Assessment Testing added the ability to record
  pre and post-testing results
• Based on functional area selected and test score
  entered system will determine educational
  functioning level and grade level for both pre
  and post-tests

17
System Changes

• Significant changes for Labor Exchange
• Modified service detail screens to provide for
  estimation of exit dates which did not previously
  apply
• Added a planned gap in services functionality
  for Labor Exchange/ES Participation program
• Added exclusions to Labor Exchange services
• Modified ES participation so it is only added
  automatically as the result of a value added
  service

18
Training

• Extensive training is necessary
• 4 sessions in June 05
• 1 high-level
• 3 regional sessions for front-line staff
• Numerous e-mail updates

19
Training

• Quarterly discussion at LWIA meetings
• Conference call follow-up after six months
• Draft WIIN

20
Was It Worth It?

• Yes our Workforce Development report to the PA
  Legislature is much more coherent
• We better understand real outcomes or programs
  and can make comparisons
• Other benefits will become clearer over time

21
Contact Information

• Sandi Vito Deputy Secretary for Workforce
  Development
• Phone [phone]
• E-mail svito_at_state.pa.us
• Ali Cleveland Director, LI Policy Office
• Phone [phone]
• E-mail acleveland_at_state.pa.us

22
Contact Information

• Cindy Gnech Chief, Program Management Section,
  Bureau of Workforce Development Partnership
• Phone [phone]
• E-mail cgnech_at_state.pa.us
• Keith Bailey Workforce Development Research
  Supervisor, Center for Workforce Information and
  Analysis
• Phone [phone]
• E-mail kebailey_at_state.pa.us