Located in:
- III. Operational Planning Elements
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an Operational Planning Elements section that supports the State’s strategy and the system-wide vision described in Section II(c) above. Unless otherwise noted, all Operational Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs. This section must include—
- b. State Operating Systems and Policies
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a description of the State operating systems and policies that will support the implementation of the State strategy described in section II Strategic Elements. This includes—
- 6. Program Data
- A. Data Alignment and Integration
Describe the plans of the lead State agencies with responsibility for the administration of the core programs, along with the State Board, to align and integrate available workforce and education data systems for the core programs, unemployment insurance programs, and education through postsecondary education, and to the extent possible, the Combined State Plan partner programs included in this plan. The description of the State’s plan for integrating data systems should include the State’s goals for achieving integration and any progress to date.
- A. Data Alignment and Integration
- 6. Program Data
- b. State Operating Systems and Policies
III. b. 6. A. ii. Describe the State’s plans to integrate data systems to facilitate streamlined intake and service delivery to track participation across all programs included in this plan
Current Narrative:
Pursuant to Indiana Code 22-4.1-24-2(a), DWD produces the Workforce Programs Report available at www.in.gov/dwd/WPR.htm. This annual report includes information about state- and federally-funded workforce programs administered by DWD, as well as total workforce expenditures across all state agencies performing workforce services. The Workforce Programs Report is a collaborative effort with other state agencies, including the Department of Education, the Family and Social Services Agency, and the Commission for Higher Education, among several others. It is comprised of both WIOA and non-WIOA data and allows DWD, regional partners, legislators and other administrators to measure the effectiveness of workforce partner programs in serving the needs of Hoosier workers and employers. This report will serve as the foundation for annual review to ensure that WIOA Core and Partner programs are meeting the metrics and strategies outlined within the State Plan. Additionally, we will leverage the state's longitudinal data system housed within the Management Performance Hub to continually analyze the data sets submitted by core and partner programs and combine that data to determine the ways in which Hoosiers are being served and where improvements can be made. This Combined Plan serves as a template for an improved model of the one-stop delivery system, and the interim benchmarks outlined at the onset of this plan will be used to assess continuous improvement of the system.See Section (III)(b)(1)(B) for information regarding Indiana’s plans to develop and produce reports required under section 116 regarding the performance accountability system.
The state plans to leverage the ways we plan to assess programs within the combined plan to identify more comprehensive strategies to integrate data systems and streamline intake and services. Those indicators include:
1. Data sharing. Data sharing is the basic first step we must take to understand the correlation between our programs and improvements for Hoosiers. Amongst those agencies on the GWC, we need to institute a data charter, allowing data to be cross-referenced and analyzed by the Indiana Management Performance Hub (MPH). One critical piece of this step is MPH determining the overlap of populations between the Combined Plan programs (as well as other related programs, like child support through the Department of Child Services, subsidized housing through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, and Medicaid through the Family and Social Services Agency), so that we will understand who we are serving,where we are serving them, and through what programs. We will begin with correlating state-level data across our agencies, with a longer term step of including county-level data. One barrier Indiana faces in creating interagency data charters is federal restrictions around data sharing. We will leverage Governor Holcomb’s work and leadership on the White House’s American Workforce Policy Advisory Board to address the federal challenges and facilitate greater data sharing between our agencies.
2. Co-enrollment. Once we know the intersection of our populations within our programs, we can improve how individuals are co-enrolled into programs, which will serve as a proxy for braiding funds until we have a common case management system. Additionally, we can track our co-enrollment rates between core, partner, and state programs. Individuals must meet eligibility requirements to be co-enrolled in programs and can opt out of enrolling in a program
3. Co-location. As Indiana works to increase the co-location of its services by physically and virtually embedding local program managers and staff into various offices and community hubs, we can begin to understand and improve the effectiveness of our customer service. We can track: wait times, waitlists, enrollment increases, speed of referrals, and quality of referrals and case management (e.g., scheduling appointments, co-enrollment in multiple programs, and persistence and completion rates of co-enrollment).
4. Cross-training. To facilitate co-enrollment and enhance co-location, we must increase our cross-training and professional development of state, local, and frontline staff. This strategy is central to successful integration of our programs across agencies. To begin, we will prioritize cross-training SNAP, TANF, all core WIOA programs, and federal and state financial aid opportunities, focusing on eligibility requirements and allowances. We want to start cross-training our staff from the state-level to those on the front lines in these programs first because these present the biggest opportunity to address and coordinate overlapping programs and funding. These efforts will be led by the administrative agencies. Each agency will track the availability of professional development opportunities, including in-person, successive modules, webinars, and workshops for each program. Additionally, they will track the completion of those opportunities. Completion data will then be cross-referenced through co-enrollment rates in the various programs. We will also increase crosstraining and onboarding for members of local Workforce Boards regarding Core and Partner Programs for them to better understand the talent development ecosystem. Cross-trainings for Boards may also encompass community programs and partners that are critical to addressing the barriers of our target populations.
5. Employer engagement. In order to see the growth of labor participation by our target populations, we need to work with our Hoosier businesses to see the benefits of non-traditional hiring practices. Through both expanded work-based learning partnerships and showcasing best practices with unconventional talent development approaches from other employers, we can start to shift the mindsets of all our employers regarding how to engage with our target populations.
By creating more data sharing and co-enrollment opportunities, we can better serve individuals that are being served across multiple programs.