Develop and disseminate essential state and local labor market information (LMI) for a range of customer groups: 1) job seekers 2) businesses employers 3) workforce and labor market intermediaries…

This $321,770 federal Formula Grant award from the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (CFDA 17.207 - Employment Service/Wagner-Peyser Funded Activities) supports the Maine Department of Labor in developing and disseminating essential state and local labor market information (LMI) for a range of customers, including job seekers, businesses, workforce intermediaries, program planners, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

The grantee is required to populate and maintain a workforce information database, produce employment projections and a statewide economic analysis report, and ensure LMI staff are adequately trained. The grant also encourages the grantee to produce additional reports and data to enable informed decisions about reemployment, work-based learning, training, and career pathways strategies. The intended outcomes are to provide customers with sufficient information to make informed decisions regarding employment, careers, education, and training. The grant period runs from July 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027.

Purpose

The purpose of this grant is to develop and disseminate essential state and local labor market information (LMI) for a range of customer groups: 1) job seekers 2) businesses employers 3) workforce and labor market intermediaries such as employment, school, and career counselors, and case managers at american job centers, who help individuals find a job or make career decisions, or engage businesses seeking skilled workers 4) program and service planners at educational institutions and community-based organizations 5) policy makers, including state and local workforce development boards (wdbs) 6) partners, such as economic development entities and human resourceprofessionals and 7) other customers, including recipients of workforce development grants, researchers, commercial data providers, and the media.

Activities

Grantees must populate and maintain a database (the workforce information database or WID), produce two types of public products (employment projections and a statewide economic analysis report), and ensure LMI staff are adequately trained. ETA also encourages grantees to produce other reports and data in addition to those required. Grantees have wide discretion in both the topics and presentation format. These reports should include accurate data, actionable information, and resources that enable data users to make informed decisions about the reemployment, work-based learning, training, and career pathways strategies that lead to rapid reemployment and worker advancement along a continuum of high-demand and higher wage jobs.

Expected outcomes

By performing these duties users of LMI will have sufficientinformation to make informed decisions regarding employment, careers, education, and training.

Intended beneficiaries

Job seekers, employers, staff in american job centers, state and local wdbs, national state local policy makers, students, academic researchers, labor market analysts, and other users of LMI.

Subrecipient activities

A state may use wigs funding to work with a subrecipient to conduct a study or research an LMI topic when a state LMI office does not have sufficient staffing or knowledge to conduct the work themselves.