Workforce Data Quality Initiative – WDQI Round 9

Background
The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), announces the availability of approximately $11,600,000 in grant funds authorized by the WIOA Section 169 for the Workforce Data Quality Initiative (WDQI). The purpose of this program is to support the development or expansion of state workforce longitudinal administrative databases. The initiative aims to collect and analyze longitudinal data to provide a comprehensive picture of whether education programs lead to employment in related fields, whether jobseekers are obtaining training-related employment, and the impact of training on workers’ earnings throughout their careers.

Grant Details
The WDQI grants provide funding to eligible State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) to accomplish objectives such as developing or improving the State Workforce Longitudinal Administrative Database, connecting workforce data with education data contained in the Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS), improving the quality and breadth of the data in workforce longitudinal administrative databases, using longitudinal data to evaluate the performance of federally and state-supported education and job training programs, understanding the performance of Federal and State education and job training programs specifically in serving historically underserved groups, providing user-friendly information to help customers select the education and training programs that best suit their skills, and integrating performance, fiscal, and/or case-management systems with the longitudinal administrative database.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Palau, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. ETA plans to prioritize applicants that identify their current capacity with regard to longitudinal administrative databases as Launch Point 2 and after those, prioritize applicants that have never received a WDQI grant. Applicants that previously received three or more WDQI grants are ineligible to apply.

Period of Performance
The period of performance is 36 months with an anticipated start date of 07/01/2023.

Grant Value
Approximately $11,600,000 will be provided in the form of a grant. ETA plans to award approximately four to seven grants with a maximum award of $2,900,000.