Performance Details

Department of Labor and Workforce Development - Employment and Training Services

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Mission

Provide labor exchange, employment and training services, and unemployment insurance to Alaskans and Alaska businesses thereby advancing opportunities for employment and providing economic stability for communities in Alaska.

Core Services

• Maximize the degree to which workforce investment resources are invested according to the Alaska Workforce Investment Board priority industries.
• Meet all negotiated performance standards set by the Alaska Workforce Investment Board and the United States Department of Labor.
• Connect employers with qualified job seekers.
• Prepare more Alaskans for jobs requiring the equivalent of a high school diploma.
• Pay unemployment insurance benefits to Alaskans while they are temporarily unemployed.

Mission Results	Core Services
A: Training participants enter employment and are more economically self-sufficient.  Details > TARGET #1: 90 percent of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and State Training and Employment Program (STEP) participants receiving training and employment assistance are satisfied with services. TARGET #2: At least 90 percent of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and State Training and Employment Program (STEP) training completers enter employment.	A1: Maximize the degree to which workforce investment resources are invested according to the Alaska Workforce Investment Board priority industries.  Details > TARGET #1: At least 85 percent of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and State Training and Employment Program (STEP) participants are trained in occupations aligned with the Alaska Workforce Investment Board priority industries. A2: Meet all negotiated performance standards set by the Alaska Workforce Investment Board and the United States Department of Labor.  Details > TARGET #1: Meet all federally negotiated Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) performance standards. TARGET #2: Of those Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act participants who had a goal of obtaining an industry-recognized credential, 85 percent are successful.
Mission Results	Core Services
B: Connect employers with qualified job seekers.  Details > TARGET #1: Increase the Alaska Labor Exchange System registrants that enter employment as compared to the previous year.	B1: Connect employers with qualified job seekers.  Details > TARGET #1: Increase the number of Alaska Labor Exchange System job seekers who receive a Staff Assisted Service as compared to the previous year. TARGET #2: Increase the number of employers using the Alaska Labor Exchange System each year. B2: Prepare more Alaskans for jobs requiring the equivalent of a high school diploma.  Details > TARGET #1: Increase the percentage of Adult Education participants who demonstrate increased basic skills knowledge (reading, writing, mathematics, or English language learning).
Mission Results	Core Services
C: A more stable economy for Alaskans and Alaska communities.  Details > TARGET #1: Maintain Alaska's recipiency rate of unemployed workers eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits at or above 50 percent.	C1: Pay unemployment insurance benefits to Alaskans while they are temporarily unemployed.  Details > TARGET #1: Issue at least 87 percent of initial Unemployment Insurance payments within 21 days.

Performance Detail

Target #1: 90 percent of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and State Training and Employment Program (STEP) participants receiving training and employment assistance are satisfied with services. Methodology: Information is based on email surveys of job training participants of completed programs as maintained in Individual Case Management system. Percent of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and State Training and Employment Program Customers Satisfied with the Services Received Fiscal Year Not Satisfied Satisfied Extremely Satisfied Total Responders % Satisfied FY 2019 86 238 1563 1887 95% FY 2018 19 61 48 128 85% FY 2017 66 77 517 660 90% FY 2016 33 45 256 334 90% FY 2015 40 63 330 433 91% Analysis of results and challenges: At a 95 percent satisfaction rate, Alaska exceeded the 90 percent goal of customers satisfied with services received from the division. Virtual assistant software was put into place that helped make serving individuals more efficient, saving time for both participants and staff. This, along with ongoing training and guidance to staff, allowed for improved customer service.

Target #2: At least 90 percent of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and State Training and Employment Program (STEP) training completers enter employment. Methodology: This information is gathered from the division's Individual Case Management system. The measure reports data with a two-quarter lag due to the employer reporting timeframe. Analysis of results and challenges: This measure indicates the ratio of participants that enter the workforce within two quarters of being exited from the WIOA and STEP programs and is based on the quarter ending June 30, 2019, report submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor, along with data collected for state training and employment programs. This fiscal year-end report reflects calendar year data due to the two quarter lag in wage information.

Target #1: At least 85 percent of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and State Training and Employment Program (STEP) participants are trained in occupations aligned with the Alaska Workforce Investment Board priority industries. Methodology: Comparison of participants training code to the occupational code obtained from the Unemployment Insurance wage record. Analysis of results and challenges: The continued increase of WIOA and STEP participants completing training in Alaska Workforce Investment Board priority industries is a result of: board member participation in grant review panels; strategic solicitation for grant applications; services provided to specific target groups; a public awareness campaign on high wage, high demand occupations; and Alaska’s need for highly skilled workers.

Target #1: Meet all federally negotiated Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) performance standards. Methodology: Performance rates are negotiated with the United States Department of Labor and include measurable skills gains, credential rates, and effectiveness in serving employers, and wage based measures such as entered employment, employment retention and average earnings. Each performance indicator is designed to show outcomes of service delivery, and each measure has its own unique methodology. Percent of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Performance Standards Met Fiscal Year # of Standards # of Standards Met Percent of Standards Met FY 2019 11 10 91% FY 2018 11 10 91% FY 2017 10 0 0 FY 2016 9 8 89% FY 2015 9 9 100% Analysis of results and challenges: Alaska met or exceeded all negotiated levels of performance in FY2019, with exception to the WIOA Dislocated Worker credential rate. The cohort period fell during a time when Alaska was increasing the number of apprentices served, and these participants were not included in the requirement to record and report credentials. With updated procedures and the implementation of virtual assistant software, Alaska expects the credential rate to improve during the next performance period. 85% of WIOA participants seeking industry-recognized credentials obtain those credentials.

Target #2: Of those Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act participants who had a goal of obtaining an industry-recognized credential, 85 percent are successful. Methodology: Individual Case Management system used to collect participant data. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Participants Who Reach their Goal of Obtaining an Industry Credential Year Attempted Certificate Attained Certificate Success Rate 2019 1,962 1,585 80.8% 2018 1,843 1,601 86.9% 2017 1,629 1,350 82.9% 2016 1,418 1,043 73.6% 2015 1,643 1,334 81.2% Analysis of results and challenges: The decrease in success rate for FY2019 is likely due to the increased the number of apprentices served, and the previous process that excluded this cohort of participants from the requirement to record and report credentials. Statewide economic conditions can influence this measure. Updated procedures and the implementation of virtual assistant software are expected to improve the credential rate during the next performance period.

Target #1: Increase the Alaska Labor Exchange System registrants that enter employment as compared to the previous year. Methodology: Entered employment is defined as the number of participants who demonstrated employment (wages earned) in the second quarter after the quarter that they exit participation. Exiting participation is defined as not receiving services for 90 days. Source: Alaska Labor Exchange System (ALEXsys) and Labor Production System Percent of Alaska Labor Exchange System Registrants that Entered Employment Fiscal Year YTD Total Change FY 2019 55.8% +0.1% FY 2018 55.7% Benchmark 0 FY 2017 0 0 FY 2016 61% +2% FY 2015 58% +3% Analysis of results and challenges: Between the FY2018 benchmark year and FY2019, Alaska realized a very small increase in the percentage of participants who earned wages in the second quarter after exiting the program.

Target #1: Increase the number of Alaska Labor Exchange System job seekers who receive a Staff Assisted Service as compared to the previous year. Methodology: Source: Alaska Labor Exchange System (ALEXsys) Analysis of results and challenges: Between the FY2018 benchmark year, which all future years will be compared to due to new federal definitions of registered individuals and reportable participants, and FY2019, Alaska realized a very small increase in the percentage of participants who earned wages in the second quarter after exiting the program. Data for FY2017 is unavailable as Employment Training and Services was transitioning to a new method for determining or counting participants. The data under the previous definition is not comparable with the new and the new definitions cannot be applied to prior data.

Target #2: Increase the number of employers using the Alaska Labor Exchange System each year. Methodology: Alaska Labor Exchange System (ALEXsys) Analysis of results and challenges: Used by United States Department of Education to measure the effectiveness of Alaska Adult Education (AAE) programs, the percentage of demonstrated educational gains is an outcome measured by testing students before and after they receive instruction in reading, writing, math, and English as a Second Language. In FY2019, the criteria for this measure shifted from TABE 9/10 to TABE 11/12. This realignment of programmatic methodology and associated adjustment resulted in lower than average gains. Due to the shift in TABE, the prior year’s educational gains are not directly comparable. Educational gains also do not account for a student that maintains enrollment through multiple years.

Target #1: Increase the percentage of Adult Education participants who demonstrate increased basic skills knowledge (reading, writing, mathematics, or English language learning). Methodology: Alaska Adult Education database. Percent of Adult Education Participants who Demonstrated Educational Gains Fiscal Year Completed Pre/Post Test Demonstrated Educ. Gains YTD Total FY 2019 650 244 38% FY 2018 714 398 56% FY 2017 957 571 60% FY 2016 1005 581 58% FY 2015 849 419 49% Analysis of results and challenges: The percentage of demonstrated educational gains is an outcome measured by testing students before and after they receive instruction in reading, writing, math, and English as a Second Language is used by United States Department of Education to measure the effectiveness of Alaska Adult Education (AAE) programs. In FY2019, 38 percent of the participants demonstrated an educational gain resulting in a decrease from prior years. This is the second year of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) performance measures were applied to the data, and all but FY2018 is not directly comparable. Educational gains also do not account for a student that maintains enrollment through multiple years. Related links:    • ABE Program Information

Target #1: Maintain Alaska's recipiency rate of unemployed workers eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits at or above 50 percent. Methodology: United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration's state performance database. Percent of Unemployed Workers Eligible for Unemployment Insurance Benefits Year Total 2018 33.4% 2017 43.0% 2016 51.0% 2015 51.0% 2014 53.0% Analysis of results and challenges: Used by United States Department of Labor (USDOL) a measure of the effectiveness of a states' Unemployment Insurance (UI) program, recipiency rate is the percentage of unemployed workers eligible for unemployment benefits. Alaska's recipiency rate is well above the national average of 27.6 percent. Both Alaska's rate and USDOL's rate will fluctuate from year to year simply because the number of unemployed workers fluctuates from year to year as does the percentage of workers that file and qualify for benefits. Alaska’s recipiency rate declined in 2018 as the percentage of unemployed workers filing for benefits has dropped to historic lows.

Target #1: Issue at least 87 percent of initial Unemployment Insurance payments within 21 days. Methodology: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administrations state performance database Initial Unemployment Insurance Payments Processed within 21 Days Year YTD Total 2018 94.0% 2017 93.4% 2016 93.3% 2015 94.7% 2014 94.3% Analysis of results and challenges: The federal timeliness benchmark is 87 percent of initial payments made within 21 days. Alaska's performance remains well above the federal benchmark each year. In 2018, the total number of people receiving an unemployment insurance payment for at least one week was 29,433.

Current as of December 23, 2019