Hawaii is one of 12 states that will receive grants of nearly $1 million from the federal government to develop data that will be used to track the supply and demand of skilled workers and to determine where new graduates, new workers and current workers are headed in Hawaii’s labor market, according to Hawaii’s congressional delegation and the state Labor Department.
Hawaii’s share of the $12 million grant program is $999,200.
"The states awarded in this second round of funding now will be able to develop high-quality, long-term data that will provide consumers, practitioners and policymakers with comprehensive information about the relationship between education and workforce development programs," U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said in a news release.
The 12 states receiving this money are Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Washington.
Thirteen states received funds under the first round of grants: Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Workforce Development Council will administer the funds. Hawaii Workforce Longitudinal Data System (WorLDS) will provide better information about the state’s workforce, education and training by integrating data sets across state-level executive departments and county and nonprofit agencies with education data from the state Department of Education and the University of Hawaii system.
"An integrated data system based on workforce and education data allows for an in-depth analysis of our education system and job market and will help us support the long-term success of Hawaii’s workforce," U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye said in a news release. "With this additional data and analysis, policymakers can make more informed decisions about how best to improve student achievement and workforce outcomes."
