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Council witnesses say better outcomes data needed so employers can reliably pick training partners
Summary
Speakers at the D.C. roundtable urged creation and public release of employer‑facing, program‑level outcomes so businesses can identify which providers deliver placement, credentialing and wage gains — a priority for the Workforce Investment Council and the Education‑to‑Employment Pathways work.
At the April 20 roundtable convened by Councilmember Anita Bonds, workforce leaders and education researchers identified data gaps that limit employers’ ability to identify effective training providers and inhibit systemwide coordination.
Why it matters: employers told the committee they need program‑level employment and wage outcomes and clearer information on program length, curricula and credentials. City agencies and the Workforce Investment Council said they are building tools to provide those employer‑facing reports, but witnesses stressed the work must include measures of long‑term employment and wage gains.
What witnesses described - Employers’ needs. Tanya Barranchi of the Federal City Council and City Works DC said employers asked for a simple, industry‑specific dashboard that shows curriculum, training length, credentials and placement outcomes; when providers used an industry‑aligned “readiness rubric” for hospitality candidates, the employer‑rated job‑readiness score rose from about 5% to over 90% at hiring events. - WIC and ETEP work. Drew Hubbard, executive director of the Workforce Investment Council, said the WIC is modernizing the eligible training provider list and launching CareerADDC to streamline provider applications and require quarterly performance reporting. He described plans to connect those reports to the education‑to‑employment (ETEP) data system being built at the deputy mayor for education. - Equity and outcomes. Amelia Kalma of the DC Policy Center said long‑term disparities are stark: "young adults born in DC earn $37,000 less per year than their non native peers," and unemployment for DC‑born young adults is higher (23% vs. 3% for non‑native residents). She urged that any data system track long‑term earnings and retention to assess whether programs reduce racial and place‑based disparities.
Next steps described WIC officials said they will continue piloting CareerADDC and require quarterly provider reporting so the district can produce employer‑facing dashboards. Panelists urged that dashboards include: program length, industry skills, certification rates, job placement by industry, and available wraparound supports.
Ending Panelists said better, timely data would let employers form stable partnerships with training providers and let funders prioritize programs that close gaps in placement and wage outcomes for DC residents.
