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. 1. The State operating systems that will support coordinated implementation of State strategies (e.g., labor market information systems, data systems, communication systems, case management systems, job banks, etc.).
Current Narrative:
DWD utilizes and/or makes available to its constituents a variety of tools and systems to aid in service delivery to help them find or transition back into suitable employment. Some of these tools and systems include:
JOBS Program. This is a program that utilizes the ACT WorkKeys job profiling and assessment system to help employers identify the workplace skills needed for their profiled jobs. Using the WorkKeys assessments, employers ensure an applicant's skill level is an appropriate match for success in the job. Approved JOBS Program applications receive WorkKeys job profiling services and assessments at no cost.
WorkKeys. These assessments measure foundational skills required for success in the workplace. Prior to accepting application for employment, employers that participate in WorkKeys job profiling can require applicants to demonstrate or document a certain level of skill determined by the job profile. In addition, WorkOne constituents can complete select WorkKeys assessments (applied math, graphic literacy, and workplace documents) to document their skills for the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) a credential that verifies a participant’s skill at bronze, silver, gold, or platinum levels.
WIN Learning. This is an online Career Readiness courseware comprised of workplace hard and soft skills. Modules focus on digital literacy, career readiness 2.0, college readiness, and supplemental skills aligned to the WorkKeys assessments. The soft skills curriculum consists of four modules that include communicating effectively, conveying professionalism, promoting teamwork and collaboration, and thinking critically and solving problems. The five digital literacy modules include computer operations, internet browsing, digital communication, digital documents, and digital security. The career readiness 2.0 modules include applied math, graphic literacy, and workplace documents and there are college readiness modules that include: pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, and reading, writing, and English. Additionally, the courseware offers supplemental skills that includes business writing, applied technology, and workplace observation. As part of the suite of WIN products, constituents have access to the Academic Skills courseware which includes work ready math, work ready reading, and work ready data. WIN courseware offers placement tests and is adaptive to align to the WorkKeys skills and provides preparation and remediation for the WorkKeys assessments.
Indiana Career Connect (ICC). ICC is Indiana’s official workforce services delivery system and database of record. ICC provides online labor exchange and case management tools available to employers, jobseekers, and case managers. Using the online labor exchange tools available in ICC, constituents can register for work, create, and send resumes, complete work-readiness assessments, access training provider resources and regional labor market information. Additionally, case managers use the system to document eligibility, activities, and notes related to participants. Activities include the required joint development of the Individual Employment Plan (IEP), recorded assessments, scanned documents, reports, and copies of individual credential attainments. As the database of record, ICC contains reporting functionality for WIOA, TAA and various local programs as well as functionality that assists case managers with making referrals, connecting constituents to training and education, managing job placement and retention as well as reporting for performance management.
Career Interest & Aptitude Assessments/Indiana Career Explorer. This is an online career planning system with aptitude assessments for Indiana students (grade 6 and above), postsecondary students, and any adult resident of Indiana. By accessing Indiana Career Explorer, Hoosiers can complete a research-based career assessment that helps match interests with their occupational goals. Additionally, the site links resources for education planning to help individuals visualize which industry or career path, field of study, or school to pursue next in life.
Hoosiers by the Numbers. This is Indiana’s primary website for Labor Market Information (LMI), which provides multiple types of data outputs, including dashboards, profiles, radius tools, and Tableau visualizations. The website allows Indiana to disseminate critical labor market information to meet Federal and State objectives. Local areas can use this dashboard to define local priorities and areas for growth. The core of Hoosiers by the Numbers is strong navigation geared to people looking for their county or region or a specific piece of data on a workforce related topic. The site is powered by more than 7 billion records in the joint databases of the Indiana Business Research Center (IBRC) and DWD and is meant to serve as a leading informational site for business developers, researchers, and the public alike.
INDemand Jobs. INDemand Jobs focuses on high-demand, high-wage jobs for today and tomorrow. The demand indicator (or “flames”) used is based on a methodology that ranks all Indiana jobs based on future growth and wages. Individuals can access this online tool through DWD’s website to determine which industries and occupations are most in-demand in their metropolitan area or county. This tool is a useful resource for individuals at any point in their career path, whether searching for their first job, changing jobs, re-entering the workforce, or planning a career change. INDemand Jobs determines which occupations are to be included by looking at specific categories including total openings, growth openings, percentage change, real time labor market information, and wages for both short-term and long-term outlook. An occupation within an industry cluster will be assigned between 1 and 5 flames, depending on how in-demand that occupation is in the selected geographic region in the State. The skills engine uses national skills data from employers, coupled with Indiana-based employer validation in creating data, in order to show the skills needed to be successful in an INDemand occupation.
Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE). TABE is primarily a web-based assessment of basic and secondary education knowledge foundational for the workplace. Constituents and case managers utilize TABE to identify potential basic skills deficits and challenges prior to enrolling individuals in an occupational training program or postsecondary education.
Credential Engine. DWD has partnered with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education in its support and utilization of Credential Engine, an international registry of available credentials that provides Hoosiers more transparency in the spectrum of credentials available in Indiana. This tool will be comprised all credentials from Indiana’s postsecondary institutions, as well as those found on the ETPL, allowing Hoosiers to better analyze their options for potential credentials in the Indiana marketplace and select the training option that best meets their needs.
PIVOT (Workforce Recommendation Engine). DWD launched the Workforce Recommendation Engine (WRE) in 2023. (The WRE is being rebranded as PIVOT in 2024.) PIVOT is an AI-based software in Uplink, Indiana’s Unemployment Insurance system, that provides a list of suggested jobs that best align with the user’s work history and skill set. This new tool is not a job board but serves as an additional method for filling talent needs while increasing awareness of the types of jobs employers are seeking to fill. As Hoosiers continue to use PIVOT, the data collected will be shared with employers in hopes of adjusting occupations, requirements, or benefits to make listings more attractive to jobseekers. DWD continues to evaluate PIVOT to determine broader applications outside the Uplink system (e.g., with WorkOne clients).
Learning Management System. In partnership with U.S. Department of Labor, DWD and Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) developed a training program to cross-train staff within the WorkOne centers (Indiana’s term for American Job Centers) and VRS field offices to better coordinate and deliver services to joint customers. Two training courses were developed regarding Workforce Collaboration and Integration: (1) Co-enrollment and Joint Case Management and (2) Indiana’s Workforce System and WIOA Program Partners. The training was launched to DWD and VRS field office personnel in PY22.
Next Level Jobs. Next Level Jobs (NLJ) is an online portal for both jobseekers and employers promoting the NLJ initiative’s Workforce Ready Grant and Employer Training Grant programs, as well as connecting to other tools such as Indiana Career Connect, Indiana Career Explorer, and INTraining.
INTraining.INTraining presents a broad and diverse selection of occupational training programs that support the employment goals of Indiana's workforce. INTraining is comprised of two lists: INTraining list and the ETPL. The INTraining list contains all training provider applicants whose training programs meet the basic application standards set by DWD. The ETP list contains a subset of the INTraining providers whose training programs meet additional demands and performance criteria set by DWD per WIOA. These training programs are eligible for WIOA funding through the local WorkOne office.
DWD also maintains and continues to expand the Workforce Information Database (WID) with State and local data that cover at least the most recent ten-year period, as well as any federally applicable changes mandated. The WID serves as a primary source for Indiana’s Labor Market Information website (www.hoosierdata.in.gov) and is supplemented by the STATS Indiana databases, which have been built and maintained by DWD’s university partner, Indiana Business Research Center (IBRC), for more than 30 years. Today, both the WID and STATS databases power Hoosiers by the Numbers and STATS Indiana through our partnership with the IBRC. The data covers counties, metropolitan statistical areas, economic growth regions, and a balance of State areas, in addition to statewide estimates and aggregates and small area data for census tracts, zip codes, and radii. The STATS databases also include data for other states, which powers our tools for those needing bordering county/State data.
In the PY2023, the website platforms supported by DWD Research and Analysis tallied nearly half a million unique users. Nearly 1.5 million web pages were viewed during that 12-month period. The primary website for LMI is Hoosiers by the Numbers website, which provides multiple types of data outputs, including dashboards, profiles, radius tools, Tableau visualizations, and more.
In addition, the DWD Performance Reporting and Data Integrity unit builds upon data made available through Research and Analysis Data Warehouse (RADW, formerly Indiana Workforce Intelligence System or IWIS) and our case management system to deliver enhanced, customized performance metrics and to provide research request responses related to Title I and Title III, as well as additional State and Federally funded workforce programs. Examples of this work using UI wage record data for Federal performance metrics can be found here: https://www.in.gov/dwd/performance/. Additional programmatic evaluations are performed upon request. Regional Analysts work in conjunction with locals to provide and analyze labor market information. The level of collaboration between State and local staff does vary by region. Business Intelligence State staff funnels information through the local business services reps as opposed to working directly with employers. One area of opportunity Indiana will explore through this Unified Plan is to develop a more coordinated approach with other agencies and our local workforce development boards to serving and sharing information with employers to avoid employer fatigue.
RADW (formerly IWIS) was developed as the State’s longitudinal data system in 2007 as a joint project of DWD, Indiana Business Research Center of Indiana University (IBRC), Indiana Commission on Higher Education (CHE) and the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). Except for Career and Technical Education data, the database currently does not have other IDOE data, but the system has continued to serve both as DWD’s data warehouse as a means of connecting higher education and workforce records for ROI reporting and to deepen understanding of the education-to-workforce continuum. In 2014 the decision was made to request proposals to conduct an analysis of the current system and its capabilities to design a production-level system to augment or replace it as the State’s student (P-20W) longitudinal database. IWIS was renamed the Indiana Network of Knowledge (INK) by legislative action and a broader governance committee (including the Commissioners of DWD, CHE, and IDOE) headed by the Governor was established. As of July 1, 2017, INK underwent yet another change and was renamed the Education and Workforce Data (EWD) warehouse now housed under the Management and Performance Hub (MPH) reporting to the governor’s office. However, to sustain continuity of available data, DWD continues to maintain its workforce warehouse (RADW) of existing data series and seeks to expand and enhance it with data series useful for labor market and training research, in collaboration with, and potentially outside the scope of MPH. The RADW currently houses over 725 million records.
Many data requests continue to be fulfilled through the, using data from BLS programs, unemployment claims, Indiana Career Connect, and the case management systems, as well as reports combining wage data and higher education data. The data stored in RADW has been used in different studies ranging from post-graduation employment and wage outcomes, effects and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic and health status of the population, etc. Several outreach programs have been developed in conjunction with the governor’s office and MPH as well as the Region 12 service provider. These programs reach out to the unemployed who have filed for unemployment benefits to offer further services upon qualification. Additionally, DWD has provided data to various higher education institutions and for a data hack with Purdue University.
In the past, DWD has provided data to inform improving of veteran services, apprenticeship programs at a community college, and KPIs for the governor’s office. Staff are in constant communication with MPH, which displays the final KPIs created by DWD and is available for data alterations and verification as required. Additionally, the RADW staff has continued to develop skills in data visualization tools such as Tableau and open-source coding languages (Python and R). Dashboards are in progress to provide further information to stakeholders as available. The RADW continues to operate in a secure environment called the “protected zone”, a semi-virtual machine environment with SQL Server installed.
A data hub has been created by MPH for users to access public facing data sets and is currently published on MPH’s website. Datasets are also available through a request process at MPH. Data from DWD are also available in dashboard format on DWD’s website and include Occupational Employment Estimates (OES), Occupational Projections, Funded Eligible Training Programs, and data for the Indiana Composite Education Score, which provides the most common education attainment level needed for an occupation based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, American Community Survey, Current Population Survey data, and job postings by county. Data sets for this hub have been contributed by other agencies and partners, such as IBRC, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, CHE, the Indiana Department of Transportation, and several other agencies.