Workforce Innovation Research Articles

Establishing an Intra-University Alliance to Increase Early Career-Planning Opportunities for Students with Autism

The provision of early career transition services for students with autism, particularly during their middle school years, remains underresearched. Despite legislative action put into place by the Workforce Innovations Opportunity Act (WIOA, 2014), there remains a lack of successful, evidence-based vocational interventions implemented within the public school setting. The purpose of this paper is to describe a unique partnership formed by two university technical assistance centers, a school district, and students and their families. Preliminary evaluations reveal that family, student, and public school participants are invested in this model and share the responsibility for facilitating meaningful work-based learning opportunities for students with autism based on their interests, strengths, and contributions to their home, school, and community.

The U.S. Bioeconomy: Charting a Course for a Resilient and Competitive Future

The U.S. Bioeconomy: Charting a Course for a Resilient and Competitive Future

Do Job Boredom and Distress Influence Self-Report Individual Work Performance? Case Study in an Indonesia Muslim Fashion Industry

A creative and innovative workforce is a key determinant of the sustainability of the fashion industry in a highly competitive market. Such characteristics have been linked to employees’ well-being. This study aimed at examining to what extent the employees’ boredom, stress, and work performance levels in a medium-scale Muslim fashion Industry. We employed a cross-sectional study design by administering a set of questionnaires consisting of the Dutch Boredom Scale; Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale; and Individual Work Performance in a total sampling of 75 female workers. The association between key variables and demographic factors was analyzed using non-parametric tests while the relationship between boredom, stress, and work performance was analyzed using the regression. Less-educated employees reported more stress and lower work performance while their boredom levels were similar, compared to their counterparts. Job boredom and stress were higher among newly hired employees but no significant difference in self-reported productivity between the two job experience groups was observed. There are also no differences in job boredom, stress, and work performance between sales and non-sales groups. Our regression model shows that job boredom and stress were significant predictors to work performance after controlling age, education, job experience, and type of occupations. These findings support the importance of improving employees’ well-being for better individual performance which may, in turn, lead to any tangible organizational outcomes. Regardless of the case study design, our study may provide insights for other industrial sectors and beyond the context of small and medium enterprises.

Strengthening DHS intelligence analysis education: core competencies, gaps, and challenges

Building and strengthening the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) workforce in counterterrorism operations starts with effectively trained and educated intelligence analysts. However, identifying and establishing standards for effective training and core competencies for intelligence analysts can be a challenge. By drawing on ethnographic interviews with members of the Intelligence Community (IC) and conducting domain analysis, this article sets out to understand those challenges and examine what is required to solve them. More specifically, we sought to identify benchmarks for core competencies associated with intelligence analysis as well as gaps in standardisation and the current implementation of intelligence training and education. Based on our findings, we recommend a conceptual framework for homeland security intelligence training and education and chart a path to build a more innovative and efficient intelligence workforce able to conduct analysis and develop intelligence products that contribute to the missions of DHS.

The Impact of Workforce Development Policies on Literacy Instruction for Adult English Learners

AbstractWorkforce development has been a primary focus of funding throughout the United States, with significant increases over the past 10 years (The Council for Community and Economic Research, 2019). As funding expands, policies related to workforce development and college and career readiness (CCR) will continue to have implications for adult education students, including adult English Learners (ELs). To closely examine how these policies influence the literacy development of adult ELs, I observed a newly implemented CCR class at a community‐based organization in New York City over a 10‐month period. The content of the course was driven in part by the nation‐wide College and Career Readiness for Adult Education Standards as well as funding from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; however, since the CCR standards are not a curriculum, states (and individual organizations) can individually interpret the standards. The result is a range of instructional practices not only across states, but also across organizations and even specific classes. In this Column, I argue for a broader understanding of the challenges many adult ESL instructors face when balancing policy requirements and the breadth of literacy instruction necessary to improve students’ access to careers and college.

Predictors of Secondary Completion Among Homeless Youth in Three U.S. Cities and the Potential Application of National Policies.

PurposeSecondary education completion rates (i.e., high school diploma or General Education Development [GED]) among homeless youth (HY) are low in comparison with their housed peers.MethodSecondary data with a sample of 429 HY was used from a 3-city study using quantitative retrospective interviews with a purposive sample of601 HY collected from 2010 to 2011 in social service organizations across three U.S. cities (Denver, CO, n = 201; Los Angeles, CA, n = 200; and Austin, TX,, n = 200). This study examines risk and resilience factors (i.e., demographics, childhood trauma, transience, mental health diagnosis, incarceration history, employment, and resilience) associated with the completion of secondary education among HY using logistic regression.ResultsSecondary completion was positively associated with identifying as female, formal employment, a sense of equanimity, and experiences of childhood emotional abuse. In contrast, secondary completion was negatively associated with a history of incarceration as well as experiences of childhood physical neglect and emotional neglect.DiscussionRecommendations are made for strengthening educational institutions’ capacity to provide the comprehensive support services for HY to minimize risk factors and enhance protective factors. Similarly, the authors highlight how cross-sector collaboration, such as those approaches supported through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act, can be leveraged to minimize significant risk factors and promote resilience factors associated with secondary completion.

Vocational Rehabilitation in the COVID-19 Era: The Importance of Supervision

The rehabilitation counseling profession, as an essential career, has been facing unforeseen and unprecedented complications as a result of the coronavirus-19 pandemic. As practitioners were required to begin completing their work virtually or using telehealth modalities, it became apparent that may be gaps in preparation for such a shift. It is as yet unknown what implication these changes have on employment rates of people with disabilities, in addition to other markers for independence (e.g., independent living). Implications of the sudden shift to virtual practice are especially of interest following the changes to the comprehensive system of personnel development legislated by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act reauthorization of 2014. Decreased educational requirements may lead vocational rehabilitation (VR) employees to navigate a national crisis without the essential knowledge domains required for qualified provider status. The current study asked VR personnel to indicate their comfort and preparedness in various areas, in light of the pandemic and virtual service provision ( N = 88). Items were assessed at three levels: Counselor, Agency, and Client. Taken together, the results indicate that the sample feels able to maintain evidence-based services, and that supervisors have been regularly available during this uncertain time. Implications for rehabilitation researchers, supervisors, and educators are discussed.

The role of intermediaries in US workforce and education innovation

Intermediaries are specialised organisations that perform bridging and integrative functions to achieve improved results of social policies. Intermediaries have been most effective in the United States (US) when aligned with education and workforce system improvements and redesign, not as parallel and separate efforts. Intermediaries operate in many US social policy domains, including workforce and education, where they contribute to overcoming fragmented institutions and solving mismatch problems that interfere with hiring, career pathways and educational achievements. Intermediary solutions are especially important for creating better outcomes for low-income students and workers and improving overall racial and ethnic equity. Five mismatches especially prevalent in the US labour market require intermediary solutions: organising business to improve human resources, creating improved pathways from school to work, integrating and focussing multiple education investments, linking workforce and economic development, and improving access and use of data for design, performance management and advocacy. This paper discusses these mismatches and related intermediary solutions in more depth, offers examples of specific intermediaries in action and identifies intermediary challenges and opportunities faced by intermediaries to function better. The paper also points out that, more broadly, intermediaries are only a part of the solution to labour market and education inequalities and that broader changes in the political economy and policies are required to effect wage growth and labour market participation.

Keys to the employment services castle: Needed skills and experiences

BACKGROUND: The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act was designed, in part, to ensure all students with disabilities have access to pre-employment transition services and are provided the opportunity to try competitive integrated employment. However, access to employment services continues to be limited for students with severe intellectual disability. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the types of skills and experiences rehabilitation services providers believe impact the ability of students with severe intellectual disability to obtain employment services. METHODS: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 rehabilitation service providers. Providers reflected on three students with severe intellectual disability whom they previously denied employment services and the skills/experiences they felt these students needed to obtain employment services. RESULTS: Service providers’ perceptions of the employability of students with severe intellectual disability were influenced by the student’s ability to understand work, display work-related skills, and demonstrate work behaviors. Prior work experience was deemed essential to obtaining employment services. CONCLUSIONS: Recent legislative factors have led to an increased focus on ensuring greater access to needed work skills and experiences; however, there remains a need for all stakeholders to work together to ensure students with severe intellectual disability access these skills and experiences.

Improving Quality Assurance at South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department: Developing a New Electronic Tool

When the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was signed into law in 2014, the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department (SCVRD) considered how to best evaluate and measure compliance in light of the new performance measures. For many years, SCVRD used a paper form to measure quality assurance within cases across the state. This project developed a new, electronic program based on WIOA definitions and regulatory interpretation provided by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), as well as rehabilitation counselor competencies, and evaluated its effectiveness in the field. Participants reported satisfaction with the instrument’s ease of use and ability to reflect accurately the agency’s efforts concerning the new WIOA standards. This information will be used to demonstrate the quality of the VR program to stakeholders, train staff on the paradigm shift of the new WIOA service delivery model, and ensure the agency continues to serve a national leader in its commitment to meeting the vocational needs of individuals with disabilities.

Vermont Case Review Process Guide: Assessing and Delivering High Quality Services to Vocational Rehabilitation Customers

Contemporary quality assurance tools developed using participatory approaches are key to informing and influencing continuous improvement within the public vocational rehabilitation program. This project aimed to revise and validate a case review tool and accompanying staff guidance to align with and support the common performance measures requirements presented by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014. The previous case review tool used by the state vocational rehabilitation program focused primarily on case compliance, whereas the new tool challenged the agency to shift focus and review cases for both compliance and quality throughout the vocational counseling process.

RCT evidence on differential impact of US job training programmes by pre-training employment status

While the recent evidence around the effectiveness of job training programmes has been generally positive, there has been little evidence regarding the differential impact in the U.S. by pre-training employment status. The city of New Orleans implemented a job training programme funded by the U.S. Department of labour Workforce Innovation Fund. They screened potential trainees for suitability and likelihood of completing and benefiting from training. They selected and developed curriculum with input from local firms. The city implemented the training as a randomized controlled trial. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of the training on employment, earnings, and industry of employment, both overall and separately by baseline employment status. We find overall positive effects for earnings, driven by those who did not have a job at the time of training enrolment. We also find positive employment effects for short-term unemployed workers. Individuals in the treatment group were more likely to work in the target industries, suggesting that the gains were happening through the gains in industry-specific human capital.

Segregated Work or Very Minimal Community Employment for Job Workers with Disabilities

In comparison to work centers, supported employment is the more favorable method to advance people with disabilities into the workforce. One of the central goals of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is to increase supported employment and community job opportunities for people with disabilities by phasing out 14 (c) certificates. Work centers use such certificates to pay people subminimum wages; without a 14 (c) certificate, work centers will close. Though supported employment creates equitable opportunities for job seekers with disabilities, such opportunities are undesirable for some. To emphasize this, the author interprets quantitative data pertaining to job seekers/workers in Walla Walla County, Washington. Walla Walla County, located in rural southeastern Washington, is home to approximately 60,760 residents. While the majority of those within this study’s sample hold community jobs, they, on average, are employed for less than half of the hours they prefer to work. To understand how these limited weekly hour schedules are created, an employment consultant’s role is considered in great detail. While workforce inclusion is an unquestionably necessary goal for people with disabilities, their vocational preferences should not be secondary to the possible benefits of community employment.

What Predicts Job Quality of Vocational Rehabilitation Consumers Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision?

The U.S. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act emphasizes promoting high-quality, competitive employment for people served by vocational rehabilitation (VR), but few studies have assessed VR consumers’ job quality. The purpose of this study was to investigate job quality and factors that predict the job quality for VR consumers with blindness or low vision (B/LV), taking into consideration their employment status at application. We utilized RSA-911 data of VR consumers with B/LV who were closed in competitive employment during 2015, creating two separate hierarchical linear models to predict job quality for VR consumers (a) who were employed at application and (b) who were not employed at application. We investigated individual-level (consumer personal characteristics and VR services) and state/agency-level predictors. Job quality and some predictors of job quality differed by employment status at application, although the strongest predictors (education level at application, gender, benefit receipt at application, receipt of a bachelor’s or higher degree) were consistent across the models. While several additional individual-level variables were significantly associated with job quality, their effect sizes were very small. With the exception of advancing education to a bachelor’s degree or higher while receiving services, consumer characteristics at application were the primary determinants of their job quality.

Improving rural hospital clinical pharmacy services through workforce innovation with ward‐based pharmacy technicians

AbstractAustralian regional hospitals regularly face significant challenges in the recruitment and retainment of clinical pharmacists. An audit conducted at a regional hospital in Southern New South Wales (NSW) demonstrated that 79% of patients did not receive clinical pharmacy services during their admission. It was recognised that there was an urgent need for innovation within the current workforce. The ward‐based pharmacy technician (WBPT) model was implemented by establishing a 14‐day training program with subsequent assessment by clinical pharmacists. WBPTs undertook activities including assisting clinical pharmacists in compiling medication histories and participating in ward‐specific medication safety audits. An audit of comparison indicators before and after implementation demonstrated significant improvements in all comparative measures. Implementation of WBPTs in this regional hospital has demonstrated improved workflow for the clinical pharmacist, and contributed to patient and medication safety via increased completion rates of medication reconciliation.

Presidential Address: The Next Generation Workforce, A Call to Action

Presidential Address: The Next Generation Workforce, A Call to Action

How to Pay your Students to Go to School: Student-run record labels and the creative pedagogue

The author examines a federally funded internship program he organized while serving as the director of the High School for Recording Arts Los Angeles program. The school paid students to operate their own record label. Under the American Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, approved organizations provide paid, for-credit internships to young people who meet the definition of opportunity youth. Through this partnership, students learned real-world skills, gained hands-on experience, and built their resumes. The author experienced a shift in his professional praxis from school leader to creative pedagogue. During the internship, the school experienced increased student attendance and enrolment, suggesting the paid internship resulted in increased opportunities for student learning. The author covers similar opportunities across the US and Canada.

Developing a Dashboard: Preliminary Steps and What We Learned

Within public programs, dashboards can serve an effective tool to monitor outcomes and support data-driven decision-making (Groomes et al., 2012). The New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI) seeks to develop a dashboard to measure and track outcomes across various Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA) performance measures. To inform development of the dashboard, this study examined data on exit type, exit reason, and employment outcomes for consumers exiting the program. Results indicated differences in Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) outcomes by region, race, and gender. Additionally, other exit reasons, such as no longer interested in services and unable to locate or contact are shared.

Case Service Reporting: Meeting Guidelines for WIOA and Supporting Documentation

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA) of 2014 further amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, prompting numerous changes for agencies receiving federal funding. The overall goal of the legislation was to strengthen and improve the workforce development system, including employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Implementation of these changes is monitored through common performance measures, which provide standards for each agency operating within the WIOA authority. The Indiana Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (IN DDRS), a state vocational rehabilitation agency funded under WIOA, has implemented these changes. This evaluation assessed the effectiveness of IN DDRS’s data system, training, and business process changes specific to the new WIOA requirements. Furthermore, the study provided survey response feedback from Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRC) on the processes in place, training provided, and the impact of the WIOA changes on their daily job duties and provided suggestions to improve performance measures processes within the state.

Emiratization and Workforce Innovation in Banking Sector

Emiratization and Workforce Innovation in Banking Sector