Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Panel: Local Uses of State Wage Data to Drive Effective Employment and Training Programs

(Employment and Training Programs)

State wage data is a key resource for evaluating the effectiveness of employment and training policies and programs at the local level, yet local entities are not always clear on how to access and use the information.   This panel examines a variety of local evaluation uses of State wage data, showing how local government, community based organizations, and community colleges can all use this data to understand program impact and determine needed program improvements.   The presentations will share the results of a range of analyses using this administrative data in ways that improve policy and practice. 

 The first presentation will examine an innovative partnership strategy to help community based organizations (CBOs)  access, interpret, and utilize state wage data.  The project involves local government, private funders, an evaluator, and several local community development providers that deliver workforce programs.  The presenter will share results from an evaluation and technical assistance effort as part of this public/private partnership designed to improve the capacity of local organizations to better serve their clients.  Use of state data is expected to allow these nonprofit organizations to better track client progress and the longer term impact of their programs.  As part of the initiative, the CBOs are given technical assistance in analyzing and using the data, and the presenter will also share lessons learned from this experience. 

The second presentation will discuss uses of state wage data by municipal government in determining the return on investment to the City and program participants of hard skills job training programs.  It reviews a study that uses propensity score matching (PSM) technique to estimate the net impacts of a multiple job training delivery strategies.   The presentation will share the initial evaluation results for the ROI analysis, and will discuss uses and challenges of using UI data, including linking it other administrative data sources, determining the appropriate data  needed, accessing data from various City agencies, determining appropriate metrics for propensity score matching, and attaining high quality data. 

The third presentation will examine the use of wage data in two States in assessing post-collegiate earnings and employment.  It will highlight the range of administrative data that can be used for decision making by local colleges,and assess the appropriateness of these sources for different policy and implementation questions.  This will provide valuable insight into the sensitivity of metrics, limitations of data sources, and recommendations for policymakers, program evaluators, students, and parents.