Evaluation of California's Workforce Investment System

EVALUATION OF CALIFORNIA'S WORKFORCE INVESTMENT SYSTEM (2004-2006)

WIA Implementation in California: Findings and Recommendations.
The final report of the Evaluation of California's Workforce Investment System.

See the Publications link for the four interim reports.

Overall Purpose
The purpose of the evaluation is to describe and assess how WIA is being implemented at the state and local levels in California. This evaluation is not a performance audit to identify program-level findings. The goal is to better understand the opportunities and challenges created by WIA for public and private stakeholders throughout the workforce development system. The research will use a combination of implementation and outcomes analysis:

to better understand the various ways in which particular state and local actors have interpreted WIA guidelines and principles,

to encourage honest learning and disciplined reflection about the strengths and weaknesses of the evolving system, and

to inform policy and programmatic decisions at the federal, state, and local levels.

Key Research Questions
Throughout the evaluation, we will be focusing on the lessons that are emerging from local WIA implementation. Each of California’s 50 Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) has implemented state and federal programs in ways that reflect local economic and social conditions, but there is currently little systematic information about the nature and consequences of their decisions. The evaluation will identify and document how the WIA system takes shape in particular local contexts, concentrating on the following topics and questions:

Mission:

What is the mission of the local WIA-funded system, as revealed in goal statements, interviews, and observable activities?

What mechanisms exist to coordinate the mission and activities of the WIB and One-Stops with other organizations in the local workforce development network?

Is the pattern of investments creating visible returns that are practical, far-sighted and equitable?

Investments:

How are available WIA dollars allocated for various purposes?

What non-WIA funds are being leveraged and how are different funding streams being integrated and coordinated?

Is the pattern of investments creating visible returns that are practical, far-sighted and equitable?

Service Design and Delivery:

What services and programs are offered and what types of participants are served?

What service delivery niches do WIA-funded programs fill in local workforce networks?

What impacts do programs have on job seekers, employers, and the community?

Technical Advisory Committee
A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) appointed by the California WIB supports the UC Davis team. That committee, including specialists in economic development, workforce development, research and education, advises the research team on issues of evaluation design, sampling, data collection, and analysis. The Executive Directors of two local Workforce Investment Boards (Sacramento, Southeast Los Angeles County) are members of the TAC.

U. C. Davis Research Team
The project is designed and conducted by a team of community research specialists housed in the Department of Human and Community Development at UC Davis, including:

Dave Campbell, Principal Investigator
Ted Bradshaw, Co-Principal Investigator
Cathy Lemp
Bob Pence
Bernadette Tarallo
Jean Lamming
Jeff Woled
Jeanette Treiber