Outstanding Performance by Mayor's Office of Employment Development Yields Financial Incentive Award from the Department of Labor

The Maryland State Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation's (DLLR), Office of Employment and Training has awarded Baltimore City's Mayor's Office of Employment Development (MOED) with the State's largest incentive award for outstanding performance under the Job Training Partnership Act for the period of July 1, 1999-June 30, 2000. MOED exceeded all of its performance standards in ten specific areas. As a result, DLLR has allocated a financial incentive award of $213,775 to MOED.

The performance standards are measured by dividing the workforce population into four broad categories: Youth, Disadvantaged Adults, Dislocated Workers, and Welfare Recipients.

In the Youth category, superior performance was recognized for the percentage of young people who were placed in jobs after participating in training services, as well as the number of youth who attained competency in job readiness, occupational, and basic skills.

Adult performance measurements included the percentage of economically disadvantaged participants who were employed three months following a training, in conjunction with their post program weekly earnings. Nearly two-thirds of this group were employed three months after completing their MOED programs.

Workers who were "displaced" or lost employment due to plant closings or down-sizing were measured by the number who obtained employment, their ability to earn a large proportion of their dislocation wage, and their high satisfaction with MOED services. An impressive 98% expressed high satisfaction with the services they received.

Welfare recipients' performance was measured by the number of people moving into unsubsidized employment, as well as employment retention and earnings three months after leaving the program services. 

Baltimore City is proud to have been selected to receive this honor. MOED Director Karen Sitnick states, "Building a strong and responsive workforce in Baltimore City is the mission of MOED in partnership with the Baltimore Workforce Investment Board and our many workforce partners. This award demonstrates the strength of our collective efforts in reaching this goal.

Background:
The Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Office of Employment Training has evaluated the performance of the twelve Maryland Areas for Program Year 1999. The incentive awards are determined by following the methodology described in the Governor's Coordination and Special Services Plan for PY'99.