Technology-Based Solutions to Workforce Service Delivery
Project Directors: Robert W. Glover, Christopher T. King, Francis Dummer Fisher, and Lodis Rhodes
Date: October 2002
Publication Type: Policy Research Project Report, 243pp.
The New Economy, characterized by globalization, technological innovation, and rapid labor market change, has challenged employers and public institutions to educate, train, and place workers more quickly and efficiently. These forces have also led to important changes in training content. If workers are to succeed in today’s labor market, they must possess broad-based competencies, including the ability to communicate, learn, and work in teams, as well as technical skills, especially the ability to use computers. This report, prepared for the Texas State Comptroller’s e-Texas initiative and the Entertech Project at IC2 Institute, investigates various applications of information technology to improve the delivery of workforce services. The workforce system plays vital roles in assisting employers and job seekers by providing key services, such as job-matching, assessment, career counseling and case management, training and retraining, and placement services. As the report demonstrates, in all of these areas, information technology can be a resource for enhancing equity, effectiveness, and efficiency. From a review of innovations and best practices across Texas, in other states, and in the U.S. military, the report highlights recurrent themes of success, including promoting universal access to the technology, paying careful attention to pedagogy in e-learning, and working through partnerships.
