GovWebworks News

Minnesota at the Forefront of Workforce Innovation

Working intensively across Minnesota to support grant-funded development
Tom Lovering

Director of Client Engagement

Tom Lovering

February 19, 2018

GovWebworks is assisting the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to define a new web-based employment and career development platform. The project is funded by a U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation Fund (WIF) grant, which DEED was awarded in September of 2015.

The WIF grant concept supports states and tribal organizations in the development and testing of innovative solutions to deliver services to job seekers, employers and the numerous other stakeholders that support the labor market. The DEED award was part of the third round of grantees, and focuses on how technology can be leveraged to help grow and up-skill Minnesota’s workforce.

DEED expands reach

As work has progressed in defining the platform, efforts have focused on how it can support the state’s underserved communities, and how it can empower the many community organizations that work with these groups. By providing appropriate tools for collaboration, the platform seeks to improve the awareness and availability of support services, and deliver them to the right users, at the right time.

In her most recent update on the WIF grant project, the DEED Project Director, Julie Toskey, shares the vision of the new platform. Specifically with regard to underserved communities she says, “It will expand our reach to address needs specific to youth, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and disparity gaps, further ensuring that our solution and service offerings are available to diverse, underserved, and underprepared communities.”

The new platform is anticipated to launch in late September 2018, with future enhancements likely, based on user feedback.

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