Public Policy Associates, Inc. (PPA) has worked with a wide range of local, state, and federal clients to help them achieve their goals of producing a well-trained workforce and meeting employer needs.
Under the leadership of Colleen Graber, Director of Workforce Development and Education, PPA brings together knowledge of multiple complex systems with a strong research skill set to understand pressing challenges facing practitioners. PPA has a long history of evaluating creative regional workforce development initiatives and providing strategic consultation to workforce agencies. PPA is currently evaluating several projects funded through U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation Fund and Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grants. In addition, PPA’s research has resulted in informative products on varied topics, including trends in the health care workforce, women and “green” careers, supplemental education services, and place-based scholarship programs.
Below is a selection of PPA’s workforce development projects:
Partnering with the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board to evaluate a demand-driven talent pipeline that addresses the significant need for skilled advanced manufacturing workers in the region, on a just-in-time basis. PPA was selected to evaluate the Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative (MPI), funded by a Workforce Investment Fund (WIF) grant from the U.S. Department of Labor … Continued
PPA partnered with Fox Valley Technical College to assess a new program designed to improve outcomes for students. Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) was awarded a Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to incorporate enhanced technology components, contextualized education, prior learning assessment, increased veterans support, … Continued
Partnering with Willamette Workforce Partnership and other workforce areas to evaluate an innovative workshop series to assist job seekers with the emotional challenges of unemployment. Willamette Workforce Partnership (formerly Incite, Inc.), a nonprofit corporation representing the Local Workforce Board for the Salem, Oregon region, received a five-year Workforce Innovation Fund grant to support its Rethinking … Continued
Evaluating Efforts to Help Workforce Center Customers Increase Financial Success. The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) was awarded a Workforce Innovation Fund grant by the U.S. Department of Labor to implement the Working Families Success Network model at Virginia Workforce Centers in six regions of the state. Virginia’s program, retitled the Virginia Financial Success Network, … Continued