TO	:	ALL STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS ALL STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES
FROM	:	KAREN CALVERIC Acting Administrator Office of Policy Development, Evaluation and Research
SUBJECT	:	Release and Availability of ETA Occasional Paper 2004-02: The Workforce Investment Act in Eight States: State Case Studies from a Field Network Evaluation (Volume One) and ETA Occasional Paper 2004-03: The Workforce Investment Act in Eight States: State Case Studies from a Field Network Evaluation (Volume Two)

1. Purpose. To announce the release and Availability of the ETA Occasional Paper 2004-02: The Workforce Investment Act in Eight States: State Case Studies from a Field Network Evaluation (Volume One) and ETA Occasional Paper 2004-03: The Workforce Investment Act in Eight States: State Case Studies from a Field Network Evaluation (Volume Two)

2. Background. The ETA Occasional Paper series contains final reports on research, pilots, demonstrations and evaluations commissioned by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. It is our goal to assist the national workforce investment system in preparing our nation's workforce for the 21st Century economy. Research, demonstration and evaluation projects provide knowledge upon which to formulate decisions that will continue to build an innovative and demand-driven workforce training system.

3. Publication Description. ETA Occasional Paper 2004-02: The Workforce Investment Act in Eight States: State Case Studies from a Field Network Evaluation (Volume One) and ETA Occasional Paper 2004-03: The Workforce Investment Act in Eight States: State Case Studies from a Field Network Evaluation (Volume Two). This two volume set of state case studies is the result of eighteen months of work by the project's researchers to understand how states and localities interpreted and operationalized the provisions of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. The first volume includes case studies on Florida, Indiana, Texas, and Utah.

   The evaluation takes a close look at the orientation, governance, structure, and services of the workforce investment systems in the eight states, as well as two local areas in each state, to provide information for the reauthorization of WIA. Among the major findings of the evaluation presented in Volume One are:

   • Maryland's local workforce investment boards are relatively centralized and autonomous. They have been granted a great deal of discretion and flexibility to develop policy and oversee One-Stop Career Center operations.

   • The Michigan Department of Career Development has established state defined core preformance measures for nearly all programs in addition to the federal WIA measures, as well as broad system measures known as the Career Development System Indicators, which give a global portrait of the relative accomplishments of state workforce development efforts.

   • In Missouri, state policy-making structures emphasize the importance of training as a means of helping workers acquire the high level of skills deemed necessary for state economic growth.

   • Each of Oregon's nine regional areas has a regional workforce investment board and One-Stop service delivery system of its own. This arrangement appears to have been quite successful in providing remote rural areas strong representation and support, while still yielding a significant amount of local control to them.

   Among the major findings of the evaluation presented in Volume Two are:

   • Florida law requires each local workforce board to maintain a business-led High Skills/High Wages Committee. Local High Skills/High Wages Committees recommend policy actions to the state board and legislature and facilitate collaboration among businesses, economic development representatives, and training providers.

   • Indiana's vision to treat workforce development as an economic development tool is evident in the state's use of regions closely aligned with economic realities instead of service delivery areas for system planning and performance measurement.

   • Texas is increasing emphasis at the state and local level on improving business services. Features of renewed business engagement include the Texas Workforce Commission's new office of Employer Initiatives, the state's efforts to establish system performance measures with a clear focus on employers, restructuring services at the local level, and support for sectorial approaches.

   • Utah has largely accomplished "seamless" workforce service delivery for job seekers and employers, adopting a strong market-oriented approach within a state-run, publicly managed workforce system.

4. Inquiries. To view an abstract of this publication as well as to download the full report or an executive summary as a PDF, visit the ETA Occasional Paper series Web site: http://www.doleta.gov/reports/searcheta/occ

   For further information about this report, please contact Tara Smith at 202/693-3899; or write: Division of Research and Demonstrations, Office of Policy Development, Evaluation and Research, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Rm N5637, Washington, DC, 20210.

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Washington, DC 20210