WASHINGTON –Hawaii will receive $999,200 to build the Hawaii Workforce Longitudinal Data System (WorLDS) Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Senator Daniel K. Akaka, and U.S. Representative Mazie K. Hirono announced today.
WorLDS will provide better information about our state’s workforce, education, and training by integrating data sets across state-level executive departments, county, and non-profit agencies with education data from the Hawaii Department of Education and the University of Hawaii System.
The data will be used to track the supply and demand of skilled workers, and to determine where new graduates, new workers, and incumbent workers are headed in Hawaii’s labor market.
The funding comes through a Workforce Data Quality Initiative grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Workforce Development Council will administer the funds.
“An integrated data system based on workforce and education data allows for an in-depth analysis of our education system and job market and will help us support the long-term success of Hawaii’s workforce,” said Senator Inouye. “With this additional data and analysis, policymakers can make more informed decisions about how best to improve student achievement and workforce outcomes.”
“Education plays a critical role in creating tomorrow’s workforce, and this comprehensive data system will incorporate meaningful and useful data on Hawaii’s labor force from the University of Hawaii and across multiple departments, counties, and agencies to allow decision makers to understand the real-life effects that education programs, certifications, and degrees have on employment and earnings,” said Senator Akaka.
“This investment will help match job-seekers with the training they need for the industries where we need workers. This is how we’ll help put people back to work, help our businesses thrive and get our economy moving,” said Congresswoman Hirono, a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee. “This will help build on progress by Hawaii’s Community College Consortium, which last fall received an investment of $24.6 million to train workers in sustainable agriculture, energy, and health.”
For more information about the Hawaii Workforce Development Council, please visit: