Workforce Development

EXAMPLES OF THE WORK WE'VE DONE

Training and Technical Assistance (TA)

JBS has extensive experience in disseminating knowledge and building skills through the delivery of training and TA. Our systems have been fine-tuned for maximum effectiveness and efficiency and can be easily adapted to meet the specific needs of our clients. Our experience includes work with special populations, the development of electronic- and Web-based tools, and conducting online events in addition to in-person training and TA. We are adept at program design, adult learning theory, and change management. We have extensive training and TA experience in the areas of workforce development, performance standards, strategic planning, and policy planning.

Technical Assistance for Foreign Labor Certification
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Foreign Labor Certification (FLC)
Changes to the laws and regulations governing foreign labor certification and the prevailing wage determination process prompted FLC to hire JBS’s Aguirre Division to develop guidance for State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) on how to determine the appropriate prevailing wage level for foreign labor certification purposes.

• Drafted detailed instructions to guide the employer community and SWAs on how to accurately use the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics data to interpret the four prevailing wage levels and assign the appropriate prevailing wage.
  
• Results: The instructions promoted consistency across SWAs in selecting the appropriate wage level when making prevailing wage determinations.
  
• Results: Aguirre’s successful development of guidance materials prompted FLC to extend the contract to include the development of training and TA materials to facilitate implementation of the guidance.

Technical Assistance Contract for Comprehensive Support of the Secretarial Advisory Panel Conducting a Review of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT)
U.S. Department of Labor
In support of the secretarial appointed, federally chartered Advisory Panel (AP) for DOT, the Aguirre Division supplied an executive director and staff members who helped define key issues and provided recommendations to meet the U.S. workforce information needs of the 21st century. Aguirre also ensured that the AP’s work met the stringent requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and developed a guide for the AP about FACA.

• Coordinated the research studies of leading experts and ensured that all public meetings and hearings were announced and conducted properly.
  
• Drafted the mid-term and final reports containing recommendations to reconceptualize the old DOT and designed a completely new tool using emerging technologies presented to the Secretary of Labor.
  
• Results: Guide for Panel Members About FACA was adopted by the DOL Solicitor’s Office as a model.
  
• Results: DOL accepted and implemented recommendations providing the United States with the latest and most comprehensive occupational information available anywhere through O*NET directly or through scores of information systems that rely on its data.

Technical Assistance to O*NET I, II, III: Implementation, Outreach, and Capacity Building
U.S. Department of Labor
Since DOL first decided to replace the 60-year-old DOT with an entirely new system, O*NET, the Aguirre Division has provided TA to the Department on a range of skill and competency-related initiatives.

• Facilitated development of the Competency Model Clearinghouse and individual industry competency models in close collaboration with Employment & Training Administration (ETA) industry partners.
  
• With subcontractor PDRI, reviewed the literature and developed an online, interactive, TA guide on how to develop and use competency models.
  
• Facilitated the process of transitioning O*NET from a conceptual model through a beta version to CD-ROM to the Web.
  
• Oversaw the first marketing effort to encourage businesses to participate in O*NET data collection and disseminated occupational information through fact sheets, desk references, case studies, conference materials, and presentations, as well as an award-winning video.
  
• Produced a Spanish translation of the O*NET database; translated O*NET survey collection materials into Spanish-developed industry-based occupational profiles and other materials that support the Business Relations Group, Workforce3One, and Career Voyages Web sites.
  
• Presented O*NET system information to delegations from around the world, including the European Union, Japan, China, Kuwait, Australia, Chile, and Mexico.
  
• Results: O*NET offers educators, businesses, governments, researchers, and the general public a common language to discuss the skills, competencies, and work requirements essential for building and maintaining a competitive workforce.
  
• Results: The Wall Street Journal’s online CareerJournal.com recently cited O*NET as a key source in its series on “The Best Careers.”
  
• Results: The Competency Model Clearinghouse is an online resource supporting talent development by providing business and industry a way to communicate their changing skill needs and to promote information about those needs to the workforce investment system and education and training providers.

Technical Support to Workplace Prevention and Early Intervention: Transitioning Youth Into the Workplace
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
JBS has a contract to conduct a cross-site evaluation and provide knowledge management support for the Young Adults in the Workplace (YIW) initiative. The YIW initiative focuses on young working adults because of the high risk of substance abuse among this segment of the population, the growing number of this age group being recruited in a wide range of workplace environments, and the scarcity of established interventions for this age group in a workplace setting.

• Develop and implement core measures and cross-site evaluation.
  
• Plan, establish, and maintain databases and information systems that document employers’ experiences with interventions to prevent substance abuse among their young employees.
  
• Develop and host a communications portal for grantees and contract staff.
  
• Provide onsite support, facilitation, and management of a TA forum and two Knowledge and Exchange workshops.
  
• Results: Upon project completion, employers across the country will have access to empirical up-to-date information on “what works” to prevent substance abuse among young employees who are the Nation’s future managers, employers, and leaders.