Tips for Developing Outcomes Projections
for Strong Workforce Program Funding
For both the local and region share of the Strong Workforce Program funding, colleges will need to
set projections for the performance of each program. This document offers tips on the outcomes
projection process.
LaunchBoard Strong Workforce
Program Tab
All Strong Workforce Program metrics have
been pre‐populated on the new
LaunchBoard Strong Workforce Program
tab. Colleges and regions should not
compile this information on their own. In
addition to providing results for the past
five years, the LaunchBoard Strong
Workforce Program tab provides regional
and statewide benchmarking information.
Data in the LaunchBoard Strong Workforce
Program tab is drawn from the information
that colleges upload to the Chancellor’s
Office for MIS reporting, the Chancellor’s
Office match to the state wage file, and the
CTE Outcomes Survey.
Getting Support
STRONG WORKFORCE PROGRAM METRICS
Program size
• Enrollments
Completion
• Students who earn a degree or certificate
•
Employment
• Employment rate at the second and fourth fiscal
quarters after students exit the California
community college system
•
Proportion of exiters in a job closely related to
their field of study
Earnings
• Earnings in the second fiscal quarter after
students exit the California community college
system
•
Each college has been assigned a CTE Data
Unlocked Expert, who will provide ten
hours of free consulting support to examine
LaunchBoard data and develop
benchmarks.
Students who transfer to a four‐year institution
•
Percent change in earnings
Proportion of students who attained the regional
living wage
Tips for Developing Outcomes Projections for Strong Workforce Program Funding
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Selecting Program Codes
In the Local Share Reporting Template, colleges will need to indicate a program code for each
program that will receive funding. Data is displayed in the LaunchBoard Strong Workforce Program
tab using these same codes. However, because Taxonomy of Program (TOP) codes may not align
directly with college programs, and TOP code selection may vary by college when setting regional
goals, colleges can indicate the program code in several ways:
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Priority Sector: the college can select a priority sector, which includes many possible TOP
codes associated with related programs, such as Health
TOP 4: the college can select a sub‐discipline, such as Nursing
TOP 6: the college can select a specific field, such as Licensed Vocational Nurse
All: the college can select the “all programs” option if it plans to devote funding to college‐
wide services
In the funding template, if the college intends to create a new program, it should indicate “New” as
the program code designation. However, in order to view benchmarking data, the college may want
to examine outcomes for other similar programs in the LaunchBoard Strong Workforce Program tab.
Caveats to Assigning Program Codes
When reviewing data in the LaunchBoard, colleges may note that there are errors or inconsistencies
in TOP code assignments that impact the figures displayed. Support is available from CTE Data
Unlocked Experts to determine the cause of coding issues, particularly in identifying
which codes have been assigned to specific courses and awards. In 2017, the Chancellor’s Office, the
Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, and CTE Data Unlocked will begin a faculty‐led
code alignment process that will support code review and change recommendations.
However, local and regional share templates will be due before code clean‐up efforts can be
completed and implemented in statewide data systems such as MIS and the Curriculum Inventory.
In future years, once changes to codes have been approved and uploaded into statewide data
systems, colleges will have the opportunity to re‐set their projections based on updated
information. For the first funding cycle, colleges should use the guidelines below if they discover
data issues.
Code doesn’t align with program content
Sometimes the TOP code description on record (see 2012 revision) does not align with the title of
the program or the content of the courses, but the college has consistently assigned the required
courses to a specific code. If this is the case, select the TOP code that identifies the desired courses
and/or awards and make a note in the Reporting Template that explains the choice of code(s).
Interdisciplinary programs
Some interdisciplinary programs transcend specific TOP codes, even at the highest level (TOP 2). In
this case, select the related Priority Sector that matches the program most closely.
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Assignment of codes to both TOP 4 and TOP 6
Many colleges use TOP 4 codes to denote awards, but assign TOP 6 codes for courses. If this is the
case, colleges should choose the TOP 4 code that aligns with program awards, even though this may
pull additional awards and unrelated courses into the calculation.
Inclusion of extraneous courses or multiple programs
In some cases, the best available TOP code will include unrelated courses or capture multiple
related programs. Colleges should set projections based on the best available code or priority
sector, even though it will not be a pure representation of the selected program.
Lack of data
Some programs are so small that data cannot be displayed in the LaunchBoard. This is particularly
the case for employment and earnings metrics, because at least ten students must be found in the
wage file for data to display. If college programs are currently serving a small number of students or
have not yet started a program, they can establish projections based on comparisons with other,
similar programs at their college or nearby colleges.
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Selecting Metrics
All colleges are required to set projections for the enrollment metric. Colleges seeking to improve
student outcomes should select additional metrics that apply to the investment. When determining
which metrics to include in the Local Share Reporting Template, there are several considerations to
consider.
Completion Measures
Colleges can count all types of completions including credit and noncredit, locally‐issued and
Chancellor’s Office approved certificates, associate degrees, and applied baccalaureate degrees.
However, your college will need to report locally‐issued certificates through the annual MIS upload
to the Chancellor’s Office for these figures to display in the LaunchBoard.
Note: completion and transfer metrics may be less relevant when programs are focused on short‐
term training for skills‐builder students.
Employment Measures
Second and fourth quarter employment rates are based on the state wage file, and are derived by
matching students’ social security numbers in data sets held by the Chancellor’s Office and the
Employment Development Department. While the state wage file is the most comprehensive data
source available, it may not include some employers or sectors such as the federal government, the
military, the self‐employed, out‐of‐state employers, and those paid through the cash economy. If the
program being funded through the Strong Workforce Program trains people towards these types of
employment, these metrics will not have comprehensive data.
If many students are missing from the state wage file, or if a program is seeking to better align with
industry needs, it may be more appropriate to use the metric for students in jobs closely related to
their field of study. This information comes from the CTE Outcomes Survey, which captures
information on all former students who took 9+ CTE units, regardless of their status in the state
wage file. However, if your college does not elect to participate in the statewide survey, this
information will not be available through the LaunchBoard.
Earnings Measures
There are three possible measures under earnings, all of which are drawn from the state wage file,
and thus are subject to the same caveats described above. Colleges may select second quarter
earnings as a way to set goals related to bottom‐line outcomes for student salaries. Change in
earnings can be an effective way to show the improvement in earnings, particularly when serving
students who were previously under‐employed or who are being trained for low‐wage but vital
occupations (such as childcare). Attainment of the regional living wage can be used to demonstrate
progress toward getting students into jobs paying sustainable salaries.
Tips for Developing Outcomes Projections for Strong Workforce Program Funding
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Establishing Projections
Colleges are expected to set outcomes projections for all of its selected metrics for 2016‐17, 2017‐
18, and 2018‐19. The projections should provide a realistic assessment of how much the college
expects to move the needle for the metrics it has selected, with the goal of striving for significant
improvement by the end of the three years.
Accessing Data on Strong Workforce Program Metrics
The LaunchBoard includes a Strong Workforce Program tab, which shows college and regional
outcomes on each of the metrics, and encompass both credit and noncredit offerings.
1. The LaunchBoard requires a password. If you do not already have a password, request one
at: https://www.calpassplus.org/User/Login.aspx
2. Open your web browser to the LaunchBoard Strong Workforce Program Tab:
https://www.calpassplus.org/launchboard/SWP.aspx
3. From the drop down menus, select:
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College or Region: [select desired college or region]
Program or Sector: [select desired TOP code or Priority Sector]
Academic Year: [select desired year]
4. Then click View.
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In addition to showing results for selected programs in the selected year, the tab will include data
to support the development of outcomes projections, including:
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Historical trends for the college or region
Comparison to the regional median
Comparison to the statewide median
Comparison to the highest result in the state
Data Availability
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Enrollment and completion data will always lag by 6 months to address the time needed for
colleges to upload information to the Chancellor’s Office.
Transfer data will always lag by two years to address the time needed to determine that
students were enrolled in a four‐year institution after leaving community college.
Employment and earnings data will always lag by two years to address the time needed to
certify that students are no longer enrolled at any community college and the time required
to match student and employment records or to complete the CTE Employment Outcomes
Survey.
Because the CTE Outcomes Survey has historically been a locally‐funded resource, data may
not be available for all years at all colleges.
If the data is not available for a specific year, you can either select an earlier year or click on
the “+” sign to see historical trends with the most recent available information.
The year associated with each metric represents the year in which students were last
enrolled in the community college system.
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