What is the Academy?
The Data User Insights Academy is a collaborative learning environment in which state-based teams of data producers (state LMI agencies) and data users come together over a 9-month period—in-person and virtually—to identify opportunities to build closer relationships as well as work on addressing specific challenges related to the use and communication of LMI data in their state.
State teams are provided with a team of experienced facilitators as well ongoing technical assistance and subject matter expert support. Each team will works at their own pace alongside teams from other states going through the same process, creating the opportunity for peer learning and cross-state coordination.
By the end of the process, teams will have identified and begun implementing initiatives, policy innovations, and models of collaboration that lead to improved data sharing and communication between producers and users.
Our first Cohort has recently concluded!
The first Academy cohort focused on building partnerships between state LMI agencies and state/local workforce agencies and boards in six states: Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
From developing new data dashboards to launching local engagement strategies and training programs, each state team made incredible progress over the last nine months towards greater alignment, communication, and collaboration. For example, teams from Iowa, Ohio, and Texas each worked on developing new interactive data dashboards closely informed by regular user input. Pennsylvania and North Carolina also began developing training and certification programs to prepare power users and local data champions with best practices for accessing and analyzing LMI. Inspired by North Carolina’s “LMI Tuesdays” program, Florida has rolled out regular LMI “office hours” and is going on the road to try and meet each of its local workforce boards at least once a year.
What Was Learned
Each of the six teams had different goals for working together. However, there were some experiences and lessons that were shared across the group:
- LMI teams quickly learned that many data users in the workforce system weren’t aware of their existing data products and services. As a result, every state has taken new steps to increase outreach and open lines of communication with data users.
- Data users are clamoring for more detailed local data to inform workforce planning but generally weren’t aware of the reasons why some LMI can’t be made publicly available.
Click here to see more of what these teams accomplished!