Workforce Data Quality Initiative

The Ohio Education Research Center is a partner in the State of Ohio’s successful application to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Data Quality Initiative (WDQI). Under the direction of the lead agency, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), the OERC will undertake three tasks over the course of three years: 1) Create a process for collecting Eligible Training Provider (ETP) data from private entities which will enable wage-record matches and outcome reports that can be returned to the ETPs, submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), and provided in a public-facing report to inform the choices of the general public; 2) Establish a streamlined data governance process for using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) data as part of Ohio’s state longitudinal data system (SLDS) routines to report employment and labor market outcomes for Health and Human Services (HHS) programs; and 3) Build a Reemployment dashboard to document the economic changes Ohioans face after periods of unemployment and inform effective strategies for reemployment.

To collect and report data from private ETPs, the OERC will develop an input template to enable ETPs to provide lists of their participants, earned credentials, licensure, exit dates, and the other necessary information to complete ETA-9171 reporting. From the data collected, the OERC will construct a private sector certification database and will upload reporting data to the ODJFS Workforce Inventory of Education and Training (WIET) system. These private ETP data collection efforts aim to improve Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) reporting with minimal burden to the ETPs. With this improved data, we will produce publicly available ETP outcome reports.

The OERC will work with ODJFS to standardize a transparent, efficient governance process for linking SNAP, TANF, and TAA data to the workforce and training data in the Ohio Longitudinal Data Archive (OLDA) for research and analysis. This capacity will allow Ohio to fully participate in priority projects planned by the Multi-State Data Collaborative. The extensive information included in TANF and SNAP data will enable much better reporting of barriers to employment for workforce programs and will be used to integrate more cross-program enrollments into the Participant Individual Record Layout (PIRL) submission.

The OERC will analyze Unemployment Insurance (UI) Wage, UI claims, and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data to understand the economic impacts of job loss and the experiences of people who have barriers to employment. Results of this analysis will be publicly reported in a multistate dashboard and will help inform local workforce boards and job seekers about effective strategies for reemployment.