Moving unemployed and underemployed workers into true productivity can create genuine growth for Omaha’s economy and businesses. This is typically done with learning programs geared to workforce development. But most of these programs do not engage statistically-reliable or projectable research to measure their effectiveness.
When the Greater Omaha Chamber formed the Omaha Workforce Funding Collaborative with The Workforce Investment Board, United Way of the Midlands and Metropolitan Community College, it wanted to collect evidence and data to build a more effective workforce development system, one benefiting low-skilled, unemployed workers and employers with workforce needs. Data gathered will be used to influence public policy and create a more strategic workforce development system. The Chamber hired Bellevue University’s Human Capital Lab and its strategic ally Capital Analytics to measure the economic impact of its workforce development learning programs.
The Omaha Workforce Funding Collaborative, led by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, will provide learning programs designed to move the unemployed and underemployed into meaningful jobs with local employer sponsors Mutual of Omaha, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, and others. Metropolitan Community College will deliver the educational programs and Bellevue University’s Human Capital Lab will evaluate the effectiveness and provide outcomes of the learning programs.
“Utilizing Capital Analytics’ rigorous measurement standards, The Human Capital Lab is an expert at isolating and evaluating the impact that learning has on employee performance,” said Dr. Jennifer Moss, Assistant Director of Bellevue University’s Human Capital Lab. “In countless studies for the industry, we have been able to tell what direct impact learning has had – whether it is amount of sales increases, increased productivity, better branch management, or whatever management is trying to affect with learning interventions. This measurement is especially important at a time when Omaha is committed to creating a productive, trained workforce.”
The Human Capital Lab, in conjunction with Capital Analytics, answers important questions about the learning, such as: Will the learning programs help employees be successful in their positions? Does good performance in the learning program predict improved job performance? Are there common gaps in the workforce preparation of participants? What other factors predict job success besides the learning program? Do participants feel prepared for success after completing the learning program?
“Our man objective is to evaluate the workforce development system in Omaha and its ability to support our businesses,” said David G. Brown, President and CEO, Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.Understanding the business impact of the learning programs and what employers are not currently measuring is vital to the Collaborative’s success. We need to know the ROI of the employers’ time and resources; the impact the programs have on the community; and how the stakeholders in the workforce development system are working differently and more effectively to meet the needs of unemployed and underemployed workers, as well as the workforce needs of the employers.”
Brown added: “We wanted to know the business impact for employers in terms that we could project to future learning and development programs. We were delighted to find a national leader in evaluating the business impact of learning right here in the Omaha area.”
The Omaha Workforce Funding Collaborative is a three-year initiative funded by the National Fund for Workforce Solutions. The Omaha collaborative is one of 20 throughout the country. It was created, in part, to address the Omaha metropolitan area’s most vulnerable populations through enhanced employability and long-term job potential. The collaborative was established on a model for workforce development that: engages employers and workers; meets local demand in high-growth, high-demand industries; builds the capacity of workforce partnerships; and promotes the sustainability of workforce partnerships.
The initiative provides funding and technical assistance in five occupational sectors, including financial services, healthcare, information technology, transportation, distribution, warehousing and logistics, and advanced manufacturing and trades.
A pilot project on customer service training in the financial sector has already resulted in graduates and placement for about 20 workers, and the employer partners have hired job and career coaches who collaborate with human resources departments to support program graduates and assist in supportive services.
About Bellevue University’s Human Capital Lab
Bellevue University’s Human Capital Lab is a think tank comprised of academic and business leaders devoted to measuring the impact of learning and development investments. The mission of the Human Capital Lab is to develop innovative and valuable approaches to unlocking the long-term potential of human capital investments. The Lab currently works with Fortune 500 companies to evaluate the productivity of learning interventions.
The Human Capital Lab is an entity developed and supported by Bellevue University, a regionally accredited university. A leader in adult learning nationwide, Bellevue University offers learning opportunities for human capital and learning professionals who are intent on leading this industry into the next century, including a Master of Science Degree in Human Capital Management and a Ph.D. in Human Capital Management. For more information, visit www.HumanCapitalLab.org or call 877-234-8720.
About Capital Analytics
Capital Analytics has developed the next generation analytics for measurement of the impact of learning interventions. Their work has been recognized by leading industry groups such as Gartner and is used by Fortune 500 companies to evaluate the impact of learning interventions. Capital Analytics is an affiliate of Bellevue University’s Human Capital Lab, providing important research and learning for Lab partners, University graduate students, and measurement support for Bellevue University’s corporate learning partners. Learn more at www.HumanCapRx.com or call 919-403-3770.
About Greater Omaha Chamber
The mission of the Greater Omaha Chamber is to increase business, investment and employment in the Greater Omaha area. For more information, visit www.OmahaChamber.org.
About The National Fund for Workforce Solutions
The National Fund for Workforce Solutions seeks to improve employment, training, and labor market outcomes for low-income individuals. The Fund’s support will improve both the quality of jobs and the capacity of workers by promoting change at three levels -individual, institution, and system. The result will be better jobs, better workers, and a better workforce development system. For more information, visit www.nfwsolutions.org.
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