Workforce Data Quality Initiative

Principal Investigator:

Christopher T. King and Tara Smith

Sponsor:

U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration

Research Partners:

Texas Workforce Commission

Project Duration:

December 2010 – November 2013

Description:

Texas’ Workforce Data Quality Initiative aims to develop a comprehensive system for analysis of workforce and education participation and outcomes. In partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) is working to build, test, improve and expand data linkages across linked individual-level, longitudinal education and workforce records.

Through this project, researchers will be able to identify and assess postsecondary pathways and transitions between education, employment and other outcomes for students exiting the public school system as well as analyze the performance of the human capital development system in Texas, spanning secondary education through postsecondary education and workforce training and employment. Additional data sources that will be linked into workforce and education records include corrections, Vital Statistics and federal and military employment from the Federal Employment Data Exchange System (FEDES). The project will also identify barriers to linking these data systems and present possible options for addressing these barriers.

Outcomes and data from the Workforce Data Quality Initiative will be used to enhance program improvement, performance management, and research. This will provide researchers and local ISD administrators, as well as state and local policy makers with information that could ultimately be used to improve young adult connections with the workforce system and help students and parents identify career pathways to high-wage employment.

Reports Available:

The Texas WDQI Project

This presentation was prepared for the 2012 State Longitudinal Data Systems - Workforce Data Quality Initiative scheduled for October 29-31 in Washington, DC. The presentation highlights the Texas WDQI project and details postsecondary outcomes for 2008 and 2009 Central Texas high school graduates. Despite the conference being cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy, the presentation was distributed to all WDQI grantees.

Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 1

This publication is the first in a series of briefs from research conducted as part of the Texas Workforce Data Quality Initiative.  This brief examines postsecondary education outcomes for 2008 and 2009 high school graduates in Central Texas through December 2011.