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. Colleen Graber, PPA’s COO, leads the workforce policy area for the firm.
PPA has a long history of evaluating creative regional workforce development initiatives and providing strategic consultation to workforce agencies. This work has included evaluating large-scale projects funded through U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation Fund and Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grants. PPA’s research has resulted in informative products on varied topics, including trends in the health care workforce, women and “green” careers, financial success coaching as part of workforce services, and the success and opportunities present across a state network of workforce agencies.
Below is a selection of PPA’s workforce development project experience:
PPA conducted a scan of the Michigan Works! (MW) network’s activities in three key areas of interest: the efforts to meet the needs of job seekers with barriers to employment, the efforts to connect individuals with middle-skill jobs (those requiring less than a four-year degree), and the efforts to support the goal of having 60 … 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
Partnered 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
Evaluated 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