Researchers at the Ray Marshall Center are providing research and technical expertise to the Texas Association of Workforce Boards (TAWB) to update and refine the methodology for estimating the return on investment (ROI) from workforce services and to produce ROI estimates for Texas as a whole and up to 26 of the 28 workforce areas in the state. As part of the project, the researchers will also develop a guide to ROI estimation for use by the boards subsequent to this analysis. Center researchers demonstrated the feasibility of using a simple ROI estimation methodology and in 2003, producing “first-approximation,” taxpayer-perspective ROI estimates for 18 participating workforce areas as well as a composite board ROI estimate.

The current project will improve on the earlier work in a number of important respects:

• be based on real estimated impacts for major workforce services and funding streams locally, projected into the future and discounted to present value;
• be more comprehensive in workforce area coverage and perspectives;
• adjust for varying service delivery modes; and
• provide a practical guide for future board use.