PROBLEM: the Lack of a Common System to Track the Use of Self and Core Services in Worksource

WASHINGTON STATE WORKSOURCE TRACKING SYSTEM (WTS) IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background ……………………………………………………………………………1

Overview ...……………………………………………………………………………..1

Planning ………………………………………………………………………………..2

Configuration Equipment & Cost ……………………………………………………5

System Oversight, Problems and Enhancements ……………………………………6

Appendices

Equipment Guide

Planning and Implementation Checklist

Printer Setup

Print Card Macro

Customer Flow Diagram DRAFT WTS Manual August 8, 2002

The WorkSource Tracking System (WTS) is the product of a cooperative effort between Washington State Workforce Development Councils and the Employment Security Department to devise a common mechanism to track self-service activities provided through the State’s one-stop service delivery system – WorkSource. This implementation guide is intended to address the basic planning considerations and technical information necessary to implement WTS at the local level. The guide also establishes common system parameters, data fields and definitions necessary to provide statewide information on WorkSource use and activities.

I. BACKGROUND It is estimated that nearly 90% of the services provided through WorkSource are universal self-service activities – services available to everyone requiring no formal registration, including Internet access, self-directed research, Unemployment Insurance information, self-employment information and an array of business services. The lack of a common method to track the use of these activities hinders the ability to effectively address system-wide needs and promote overall system success. Inconsistent data collection and presentation methods complicate local and state management decision- making, cause duplicative local efforts, and understate the costs, efforts and results of the one-stop system.

In recognition of the potential benefits of a common tracking system, a committee representing local Workforce Development Councils, the Employment Security Department, the Workforce Development Executives of Washington and other WorkSource Operators was formed to examine existing tools and recommend options to more effectively track and report universal program activities.

II. SYSTEM OVERVIEW WTS is an Internet-based system initially developed by the Tri-County Workforce Development Council to track customer volume, self-service patterns, and overall system usage. WTS allows multiple sites to access one centralized database, making maintenance, upgrades, site and system reporting simple, efficient and cost effective. WTS is flexible, allowing each WorkSource site to maintain its own unique identity and information, and is fully compatible for interface in the future with the state’s Skills, Knowledge, and Information Exchange System (SKIES).

The system software (MYSQL for the database, PHP for scripting) is in the public- domain resulting in a number of advantages, including:

. Portability. Virtually any Internet Service Provider (ISP) can provide hosting service. Individual one-stop partnerships can easily adapt the system for local circumstances and/or needs. . Inexpensive and simple to edit. Most enhancements are easy, timely, and available to all statewide users.

1 DRAFT WTS Manual August 8, 2002 . Stability. As “freeware”, it is constantly being upgraded and maintained by thousands of programmers world-wide. . No licensing fees.

Reports: WTS offers comprehensive reporting. Reports can be easily created and customized to meet local needs and improve local programs. Summary reports are available for general program and activity management, customer activity, and local system use.

In addition to its local functionality, WTS is designed to help better understand statewide WorkSource use and activities. To ensure consistency in statewide information, minimum data elements have been established for WTS users and activities. Job Seekers are required to provide first and last name and social security number. Business customers are encouraged to submit company name, FEIN/UBI/SSN industry type (as defined by ONET), and size of business.

Activity data is organized and reported according to the following ten categories. It is anticipated that these categories, and associated sub-activities, will evolve as the system matures:

Job Search Research Resources Interview Group Internet Industries Telephone Practice Activities Job Leads Employers Copier session Workshops Job Referrals Wages Fax Employer Classes Job Occupations Books, Magazines, interview Counseling Training Newspapers Resume programs/funding Video Cover Letter Other Labor Market Application Development Self- Self Employment Unemployment Business Other Assessment Information/Materials Insurance Services Locally Choices CT Access/Information Defined Skills Interests Aptitude

III. SYSTEM PLANNING As with most technology based initiatives’, pre-planning is essential to achieve the best and most efficient use of WTS. Key local planning considerations to successfully implement and use WTS, include: Customer Flow: How customers and staff interact with WTS is fundamental to the design and success of the system. Given the uniqueness and variability of local WorkSource sites, and the flexibility of WTS, establishing a statewide standard for

2 DRAFT WTS Manual August 8, 2002 customer flow is not recommended. Local sites are advised to convene work teams to map customer flow and staff impacts as a first step in the local design process. To facilitate your local planning effort, the following are some examples of how Customer Flow has been addressed around the State: Tri-County: On the first visit to a Tri-County WorkSource Center, the customer is encouraged to “sign up”. At this time, with some staff assistance, Name, ID number, and other demographic information are collected and stored in the system. Staff intervention takes approximately 5 – 10 minutes and includes instructions about the use of the Personal ID Card (Swipe Card) and a general orientation to programs and services. A Personal ID Card is provided to the customer with the customer’s name printed on the front of the card. The customer’s ID number is encoded on the magnetic stripe on the back of the card and serves as the unique identifier for tracking purposes. Sign-up and card printing takes approximately 1 – 2 minutes. On subsequent visits to a Tri-County WorkSource Center, the customer signs in by swiping his/her card in the card reader, or keying in his/her ID number and selecting the activities he/she intends to use during the visit. This process takes less than one minute -- usually less than 30 seconds. The sign in procedure may be performed at a special "kiosk" sign-in station, or at any resource room computer which have all been configured to use WTS as the default desktop interface." Seattle/King County: On the initial visit to a Seattle-King County WorkSource site, the customer is greeted at the front desk. At this time, a staff person (may or may not be staff at front desk) educates/orients the customer to the WorkSource system and includes instructions about the use of the Personal ID Card (Swipe Card), the value in collecting the swipe card data, and encourages customer participation. The staff person collects and inputs the initial data from the customer, including name, social security number and/or student ID number and other demographic information. A Personal ID Card is provided to the customer with the customer’s name printed on the front of the card. The customer’s ID number is encoded on the magnetic stripe on the back of the card and serves as the unique identifier for tracking purposes. On subsequent visits to the Seattle-King County workforce site, the customer signs in by swiping his/her card in the card reader, or keying in his/her ID number and selecting the activities he/she intends to use during the visit.The sign in procedure will initially be performed at a special "kiosk" sign-in station. As customer flow is further assessed, participation levels, cycle time and customer feedback will be evaluated to determine the need for adding additional kiosks or configuring resource room or other publicly available computers. Staffing: Customer flow and other local orientation decisions will dictate most programmatic staffing requirements. In addition to program staff decisions, some specific technical staff support is required. Local Site Administration: It is recommended that an individual be appointed at each site to update available services, maintain existing users, set up and maintain user access

3 DRAFT WTS Manual August 8, 2002 accounts for staff, and create/generate local reports. While this does not require any specialized computer skills or knowledge per se, some minor training will be required to perform the necessary activities. Information Technology: As with any hardware or software added to an in-house network, there is some work required to install and configure WTS. However, only the normal support associated with adding computers/programs to a local area network is anticipated. The recommended specialized equipment (Elo touch screen monitors, Eltron card printer/encoders, magnetic card readers) is widely used and well supported. The drivers install with ease, and the need for trouble shooting and/or repairs is expected to be minimal.

4 DRAFT WTS Manual August 8, 2002

IV. SYSTEM CONFIGURATION, EQUIPMENT & COST As with customer flow, the flexibility of WTS means that there is no “one best way” to configure the system. All that is actually needed to operate WTS is a personal computer and access to the Internet. Number of computers, use of touch screens, swipe cards, encoders and printers, are discretionary decisions to be made at the local level. To reduce overall costs, simplify local administration, and promote system consistency, WorkSource sites will share the same Internet Service Provider, Data Base Server and Managing System Programmer. Other points to consider in configuring the system and estimating costs include:

 The primary function of sign–in computers is Internet access. As such, sign-in computers do not need to be state-of-the-art. Surplus computers can be used for these stations with good success. A minimum of 300 MHz processors with at least 64 MB RAM is recommended. Typical small to medium traffic centers (150-250 customers per day) can be successful with one sign-in station. It is recommended that Resource Room and other public access computers also be configured for sign-in to expedite traffic and smooth customer flow. With good Internet speed, the sign-in process should take less than 30 seconds per customer.

 Touch-screen monitors are intended for kiosk-style sign-in stations only. These are not necessary at other resource room computers.

 To reduce or eliminate potential bottle-neck problems, busy centers should configure more computers for sign-in.

 Swipe cards and touch screens make the system easier for the customer, so these options are highly recommended.

 Adding card readers at many or all publicly accessed computers is a relatively inexpensive system enhancement that should improve flow and increase overall efficiency.

 Adding card printer/encoders to the network through the use of a print server, or considering multiple devices in busy centers, is likely to improve staff and system efficiency.

 Consideration should be given to a "spare" printer/encoder in each region to help with workflow and to provide backup for other local centers in case of equipment breakdown.

V. SYSTEM OVERSIGHT, PROBLEMS AND ENHANCEMENTS A WTS Steering Committee consisting of local, state and WDEW staff has been established to manage system development, problems and concerns. The Committee serves as the single point of contact for all questions and concerns related to WTS, ensures system functionality, and is responsible for recommending and implementing all system-wide WTS enhancements.

1 DRAFT WTS Manual August 8, 2002 EQUIPMENT GUIDE - Estimated shared and local system equipment and costs are: Equipment Est. Cost Suggested Vendor Notes WTS Ver. 1 Software $0 No cost for version 1 – available via shared server. DB Server and Set-Up $250 In-Command Interactive This is a shared server used by all WTS users. http://www.in-command.com The total cost of the DB server is 702 N. First Avenue, Suite C approximately $2,000 plus $350 in Yakima, WA 98902 configuration costs. WDEW serves as the 509-576-8370 contact to obtain these services. Sign-In Computer $800 May be existing surplus units. Encoder/Printer $2,150 Barcode Discount.Com Monochrome. Only required if swipe cards are http://www.barcodediscount.com to be used. 2017 W. Cullom Street Chicago, IL 60618 1-800-485-3730 Card Reader $75 Retail Edge Store Only required if swipe cards are to be used. http://store.yahoo.com/retailedge/info.ht ml High Meadow Business Solutions PO Box 1546 Manchester Center, VT 05255 1-800-755-9692 17” Touch Screen Monitor $615 NaviTech Corporation Discretionary item to be determined locally. http://www.navitech.com 200 S. Meridian, Suite 270 Indianapolis, IN 46225 1-800-794-9747 Print Server $120 Hewlett Packard Only required if swipe cards are to be used.

Cost Per Equipment Item Suggested Vendor Notes Swipe Card 2 Color- $0.20 Plastic Printers.com Only required if swipe cards are to be used. printed http://www.plasticprinters.com Cards are printed on one side with background 2750 Millard Avenue design only, and delivered in bulk quantities. Hastings, MN 55033 Depending on quantity ordered, the cost can 1-866-808-7472 vary from $0.17 to $0.30. The best price is in quantities over 20,000. There will be some minimal design, set-up charges for different designs (under $200, one time) and printing on front and bank, and/or with more than two colors will affect the cost of cards. Details can be found at http://www.plasticprinters.com Printer Supplies $75 Estimated Programming $2,000 In-Command Interactive This is an estimated cost and includes shared (per year) http://www.in-command.com and local costs. Updates/enhancements will be 702 N. First Avenue, Suite C prorated among all participating sites. Yakima, WA 98902 509-576-8370 Server Co-location fees $500 In-Command Interactive A co-located server will be used for all sites. (includes ISP Hosting http://www.in-command.com This is an estimated cost and includes backup, Charges, server backup, 702 N. First Avenue, Suite C maintenance and support costs. These services maintenance and support Yakima, WA 98902 will be provided through a contract with (per year) 509-576-8370 WDEW and costs will be prorated among all participating sites based on traffic.

3 DRAFT WTS Manual August 8, 2002 WTS PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION CHECKLIST

Customer Flow  How is WST going to be set up in each office? How does it differ for WorkSource Centers? Affiliate sites? Self-Service sites?

 How/when will customers be introduced to the system? Who will provide the introduction? When?

 What considerations do we need to make to avoid “bottleneck” problems?

 How might we use the initial WTS personal data capture interview as an opportunity to introduce customers to WorkSource services and products?

Staffing  Who will configure the PCs and printers?

 How will the resource room computers be configured?

 Who will be responsible for the technical administration and maintenance of the system?

 Who will be responsible for the updates of available services? When and how will those updates be determined?

 Which staff will be responsible for entering initial customer data and producing swipe cards? Will additional data entry staff be required to launch the system? Who is responsible for replacing loast cards?

 Who needs training? What types of training? Technical? Programmatic? How long and how often? (GroupTraining of staff and site administrators should require no more than one hour per class, and can easily be done in large groups. Hands-on is not necessary, but can be helpful. There is no technical or programmatic training needed)

System Configuration  Will the system use swipe cards (recommended)? If so, how many cards do we need? How many card readers do we want? Where will they be located?

 Do we want to use touch screens? If so, where are they going to be placed? How many will we need? Will we need Kiosk housings for these?

 Do we have Internet access and jacks available at locations chosen for sign-in kiosks or other machines?

 How many printers do we need? Where will they be located? Will they attach to the network or stand-alone?

4 DRAFT WTS Manual August 8, 2002 Elton Printer Setup

After installing the Eltron Printer driver, go to “Properties” in the Printers window.

Under “Documents Default”  Set the Ribbon setting to “K”  Set the Monochrome Conversion set to “LINE ART.”

Under “Device Settings,”  Has magnetic encoder = “YES”  Magnetic Encoder settings\Advanced Settings HiCo\LoCo-Set to “LOW COERSIVITY (for Brown encoder stripes).

WTS CUSTOMER FLOW– CENTRAL KIOSK SYSTEM

INITIAL COLLECT/ Enter WorkSource YES ORIENTATIO NEW INPUT PRODUCE N TO /ISSUE CUSTOMER WORKSOURC CUSTOMER SWIPE CARD E/WTS DATA

SWIPE CARD AT KIOSK

This model relies on the use of a prominently located KIOSK (s) that includes a card reader and touch screen monitor. Upon entering WorkSource, the Returning Customer swipes his/her magnetic card through the card reader initiating WTS. WTS then welcomes the customer and displays the array of currently available services. The SELECT customer indicates the desired services by using the touch screen SERVICE( s) monitor. WTS confirms the selections and records the customer’s AT KIOSK service choices.

A WorkSource employee greets the New Customer, explains available services and WTS. The WorkSource employee collects the basic information necessary to create a WTS record (name and social security number as a minimum) and inputs the data. A magnetic card is created and the customer proceeds to the swipe card KIOSK. PROCEED TO SERVICE(S)