Building Evaluation Capacity for State Workforce System Programs: TA Summary Brief for 2022
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States are required to conduct evaluations of workforce programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and can receive technical assistance (TA) from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration by participating in the Evaluation Peer Learning Cohort (EvalPLC).
This brief report, Building Evaluation Capacity for State Workforce Programs, outlines the activities and experiences of the 2022 EvalPLC cohort, with workforce development agency and core partner teams from Colorado, Missouri, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Washington, and West Virginia. Cohort participants engaged in opportunities to:
- Use the Evaluation Toolkit: Key Elements for State Workforce Agencies to self-assess evaluation readiness, design, and implementation strengths and challenges.
- Participate in five virtual workgroup meetings to build knowledge, facilitate peer learning, and support teams to develop evaluation plans.
- Meet with coaches assigned to each state, receiving tailored advice and assistance to address their evaluation needs and opportunities for improvement.
- Exchange useful practices across states and engage with workforce system evaluation subject matter experts (SMEs) in areas of greatest interest and need.
Through monthly sessions, states learned about relevant practices for designing evaluations, planning and conducting data analyses, developing strategies for funding evaluation, and using new approaches to building a strong evaluation culture.
Clear outcomes for the states who participated in the EvalPLC include setting specific research goals, such as creating an evidence portfolio for a youth-based action plan or surveying staff on their knowledge of partner agencies’ services and eligibility rules. Examples of action plan outcomes include commitments to continue engaging in the EvalPLC community of practice, convening WIOA core program agencies on a regular basis, updating the state’s learning agenda, and conducting cross-agency evaluations of WIOA programs every year. As one state team member described their efforts, “This is the beginning of many projects to come!”
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- Resource Publication Date: 2024
- Posted by: India Johnson
- Posted in: Evaluation and Research Hub