Harvard Kennedy School’s Government Performance Lab (GPL) began with a focus on social impact bonds and pay for success contracts. It now exists to help state and local governments do their work better, whether internally or with outside contracts. A team will soon be in North Carolina “to support the state’s Workforce Development Boards in using data to help better connect unemployed and underemployed individuals with workforce services that support increased employment and wages.”
North Carolina’s Department of Commerce requested the GPL’s assistance North Carolina operates 80 Career Centers across the state to serve the varied needs of the state’s workforce and employers. Individuals receive job search assistance, support for training, and additional support depending on their needs. The GPL will be providing technical assistance to the Department of Commerce as they work together to strengthen service delivery at local Career Centers through better use of data on the educational, employment, and wage outcomes of individuals served. The GPL will also assist the Department of Commerce in monitoring the impact of changes to ensure individuals are connected to the jobs they need and are equipped with the skills necessary to support the state’s employers.
