# Workforce Data Quality Initiative – WDQI Round 8

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/grants/foa-eta-21-05-workforce-data-quality-initiative-wdqi-round-8/  
Official notice: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/332280

> Employment and Training Administration offered grants of up to $2.9 million to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make about 7 awards worth $11.6 million in total. Applications closed on April 26, 2021.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Opportunity number | FOA-ETA-21-05 |
| Agency | Employment and Training Administration |
| Status | Forecast |
| Deadline | April 26, 2021 |
| Award ceiling | $2.9 million |
| Award floor | not stated |
| Expected awards | 7 |
| Total funding | $11.6 million |
| Cost sharing | not required |
| Assistance Listings | 17.261 |

## Who can apply

- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

The following organizations are eligible to apply: • State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) - SWAs in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. • Among the eligible applicants listed above, SWAs planning to apply for the $2,900,000 award that identify as a LP2 will be given priority of selection. Applicants that previously received three or more WDQI grants are ineligible to apply. The following States’ SWAs have received three or more WDQI grants and are ineligible for this reason: Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas and Rhode Island. • Applicants that have an active WDQI grant are ineligible to apply, unless the grant period of performance will end on or by June 30, 2021.The following States’ SWAs have active WDQI grants and are therefore ineligible to apply: California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin.

## What the grant funds

The purpose of this program is to support the development or expansion of state workforce longitudinal administrative databases. Collecting and analyzing longitudinal data can provide a comprehensive picture of whether education programs lead to employment in related fields, whether jobseekers are obtaining training-related employment, and the impact of training on workers’ earnings throughout their careers. Through such deep dive analyses, states can identify service delivery strategies that improve employment opportunities, as well as demonstrate the benefits of education and workforce programs on employment outcomes. Data linkages can help state and local leaders identify effective pathways through education and training services that lead to success in the workforce and can provide individuals with information that helps them make informed choices about their education and career(s). WDQI grants provide funding to eligible SWAs to accomplish all, or a combination, of the following objectives: Develop or improve the State Workforce Longitudinal Administrative Database. SWAs can use this funding to develop a new state workforce longitudinal administrative database, to incorporate new data sources, or to expand/strengthen existing data sources into their existing database so individual-level records can be matched across workforce training programs and over time. Connect workforce data with education data contained in the Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS). WDQI requires that workforce data be matched with education data, consistent with all relevant federal and state privacy and confidentiality laws, to ultimately create a state longitudinal administrative database with individual-level information from pre-kindergarten through post-secondary and training into the workforce system. The connection of workforce and education data enables the analysis of individuals’ receipt of both education and training services to help determine ways to maximize the outcomes of these services and improve the effectiveness of the programs. Improve the quality and breadth of the data in workforce longitudinal administrative databases. It is important that data in the workforce longitudinal administrative databases are complete, accurate, and relevant to understand the impact of state workforce development programs on job seekers and employers. Data collection processes should be streamlined and standardized to ensure that the data are valid.

## Questions people ask

### Is FOA-ETA-21-05 still open?

No. It closed on April 26, 2021.

### Who can apply for Workforce Data Quality Initiative – WDQI Round 8?

Employment and Training Administration accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

### What is the deadline for Workforce Data Quality Initiative – WDQI Round 8?

Closed April 26, 2021. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

### How much funding is available?

Awards of up to $2.9 million each. About $11.6 million in total across about 7 awards.

### Who has won Workforce Data Quality Initiative (WDQI) grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Lorain County Community College District, Western Technical College, Delgado Community College. The program made 65 awards worth $214 million in that time.