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—
- b. State Operating Systems and Policies
III. b. 4. D. Evaluation
Describe how the State will conduct evaluations and research projects on activities under WIOA core programs; how such projects will be coordinated with, and designed in conjunction with, State and local boards and with State agencies responsible for the administration of all respective core programs; and, further, how the projects will be coordinated with the evaluations provided for by the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education under WIOA.
Current Narrative:
The WIOA programs are designed to strengthen and improve our state and nation’s public workforce system. The WIOA presents an extraordinary opportunity to improve job and career options for our state’s workers and job seekers through an integrated, job-driven public workforce system that links diverse talent to businesses through continuous improvement supported through evaluation, accountability, identification of best practices, and data-driven decision-making.
The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity partners with the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives (LMISI) to conduct evaluations of workforce training for Adult and Dislocated Worker programs, representing two of our largest customer groups. For example, an evaluation was published in February of 2019. The evaluation showed that the Adult and Dislocated Worker training programs are successful at placing trainees into jobs and at helping them earn higher wages. It was also confirmed that the programs are cost effective. Just as important, the evaluation demonstrated that training programs are not accessed equally by all populations, providing us with key information to help us improve how we serve all job seekers, especially those with barriers to employment. Looking ahead, this evaluation represents another step toward leveraging evidence to inform policy decisions that enhance the lives of our residents.
LMISI also provides annual Economic Analysis Reports. These reports are a useful general narrative on trends in the Michigan labor market and demographic trends along with a collection of recently published features on population projections, labor supply and demand, and licenses.
Beyond workforce program training, combining departmental administrative records with the resources of LMISI and the Enterprise Information Management system offer a number of evaluation possibilities. From the success of the Partnership.Accountability.Training.Hope. program to efforts to reduce recidivism in the returning citizen population, rigorous program evaluation represents an important opportunity to improve the effectiveness of programs across state government.
Our Michigan Workforce System Dashboard provides information on key performance measures, in aggregate and then further broken out by each of our local service delivery areas. Key measures include:
- Jobs filled with Michigan Works! Assistance.
- Individuals served.
- Total Visits.
- Employers served.
- Percentage of placements prepared for demand jobs.
- Federal performance measures (for WIOA and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families).
- Unemployment rate.
The State will continue to conduct evaluations and research projects on activities under the WIOA core programs. As part of Michigan’s efforts toward continued assessment and evaluation of programs, it will also include working closely with our Workforce Longitudinal Data System partners across multiple state agencies such as the Unemployment Insurance Agency and the Department of Education, in addition to our core program partners.
Discussion for planning future evaluations are underway. Michigan will be evaluating any noticeable shifts in the characteristics of the customers we currently serve under the WIOA compared to customers served under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) (Program Year 2013-2014 WIA cohort and Program Year 2017-2018 WIOA cohort information will be utilized for this evaluation).
When determining which evaluations and research projects to pursue, the State will coordinate with the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to avoid duplication of efforts. The State will examine federal evaluation and research priorities and look to connect with efforts already underway before undertaking evaluations and research projects on our own. Further, the State will readily share the results of any pertinent evaluations and research projects undertaken on our own with our federal partners.
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) – Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS)
MRS has a long-standing contractual relationship with Michigan State University’s Office of Rehabilitation Counseling, which administers Project Excellence. The goal of this project is to support existing and new program evaluation and research functions of MRS. This provides MRS with data and analysis regarding the impact of the rehabilitation services provided to eligible VR customers in Michigan.