Workforce Open Knowledge Exchange - The Institute developed an open knowledge exchange for the workforce system. This knowledge exchange platform, or Workforce Open Knowledge Exchange (WOKE), is an effective means for sharing and re-using knowledge among all members under the workforce development umbrella. WOKE is a necessary step in shaping and pushing forward the evolution of a workforce development system. A pilot WOKE has been developed as an outcome of the project. The WOKE includes 1) a workforce ontology that serves as a semantic framework connecting various disciplines, organizations and programs engaged in workforce development; 2) a knowledge base; 3) user interfaces, and 4) tools and templates for automatic knowledge capture. In addition to the WOKE, the project will also produce a plan for taking the pilot WOKE to scale and a series of activities that will serve to both disseminate the WOKE and associated products as well as engage both workforce and knowledge management communities. You may view the pilot site at http://woke.isonto.com/.
The Institute was host to the Workplace Learning Conference in 2001 and 2003 .
In 2003, the Institute commissioned seven papers in connection with the conference that year. These papers are available for download in .pdf format:
Information on the 2003 Conference and previous conferences can be obtained by contacting Peter Creticos at IWE.
Business
Engagement Project for the St. Louis Metropolitan Area - The Institute developed recommendations leading to increased engagement in
workforce development by the business community. The recommendations
were based on an assessment of the critical factors that affect
the human resources decisions of area businesses and how workforce
investment services and resources may be aligned with those factors.
Skills
Standards Project for the State of Ohio - The Institute was involved in the development of a skills standards strategy
for the State of Ohio. It partnered as a subcontractor to the
Urban Institute at Cleveland State University.
Data
Diagnostic Project for Workforce Connections in Pittsburgh, PA - The Institute was asked to take a new look at the information requirements
of business and workers in the Greater Pittsburgh area and to
make recommendations (including examples) for a labor market
information system that supports both in the labor exchange.
Learning States - The Institute worked with RTI International on RTI's innovative Learning States Initiative (LSI). This initiative joins a group of multinational corporations in a collective effort to explore together emerging markets that are lower on the economic pyramid than where they typically focus their efforts. They are partnered with communities around the globe that are committed to grow their collective wealth and improve the quality of life of their residents and who are representative of these emerging markets. Through this partnership, both the multinationals and these communities learn, grow and achieve success together.
The first local partnership site for the LSI is CHicago's Little Village and Pilsen communities, the heart of the second largest Mexican immigrant community in the United States and the "capital" of the Mexican diaspora in the Midwest. The Institute worked with RTI International to establish a local leadership council of community organizations, local entrepreneurs and businesses, and public institutions that will serve as the primary link between the multinational business group and the community. In addition, the Institute provided coordination, advice and other assistance between RTI and Chicago area resources.
LSI is currently being reconfigured as community-run initiatives in Little Village and in La Piedad in Michoacan, Mexico.
In addition, the Institute provides ongoing substantive support to the Great Lakes Employment and Training Association, an association of local workforce agencies from Employment and Training Administration Region V states. It also develops resources for workforce professionals tied to competencies established by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals. The Institute also led efforts to establish the Midwest Workforce Institute, an electronic resource for the workforce system across Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
