Tonya Lee, Assistant Labor Market Information Director at the Alabama Department of Labor, is our guest this week on Making Better Work. Alabama joined the workforce longitudinal data community in 2018, after securing its first ever federal WDQI grant. The state has a bold vision for working with data partners to connect data from across education and workforce agencies, and working with employers to better understand the state’s talent pipeline. Tonya shares these aspirations and discusses the steps the state is taking today. She also reveals the most important lessons she learned from other states in the workforce data community that have been at it much longer. Have a listen! For more information: · WDQI Press Release on AL.com: https://www.al.com/business/2017/06/alabama_department_of_labor_wi.html · Governor’s priority: Data-informed Workforce Policy: https://www.alreporter.com/2018/12/10/moore-working-to-implement-governors-strategic-education-to-workforce-plan/ · Alabama’s Strong Start, Strong Finish Initiative: https://www.alreporter.com/2018/08/14/ivey-reports-successful-first-year-for-strong-start-strong-finish-education-initiative · Alabama Department of Labor LMI Division: http://www2.labor.alabama.gov/ · Alabama Works 2018 Annual Report: https://alabamaworks.com/wp-content/uploads/awc-annual-report-2018.pdf · Find Tonya: [email protected] @AL_Labor Facebook Have you heard? Making Better Work has launched a newsletter. Sign up here or tweet (@kristinwolff) or email ([email protected]) and we’ll sign you up _______ Disclaimer: This podcast was produced by Social Policy Research and Workforce 180 with support from the US Department of Labor. The views expressed are those of the speakers and should not be attributed to the US Department of Labor or other public agencies (state, federal, or local). Mentions of trade names, commercial products or organizations does not imply endorsement of same by the US Government or representative