DOL grants to support innovation in the workplace

Posted by Justin Hesser on December 22, 2011

Business owners frequently analyze their internal systems to determine if there is anything that needs improvement. It's this type of analysis that leads many to turn to the beneficial technical advances offered by services such as custom application development.

Now, many public employment organizations might be able to lean on federal grants to turn productivity-improving concepts into reality. The Department of Labor announced $98.5 million in grants from its Workforce Innovation Fund, which would allow certain institutions the funding they need to improve their level of service.

The funds will be specifically earmarked for state and local organizations or boards that promote workforce training or public employment initiatives. Conceptually, these organizations – many of which are responsible for empowering public workers and linking the unemployed with jobs – might benefit from additional funding that can pay for important system upgrades.

These improvements may include technical tools – such as database software – or moer dramatic organizational changes, according to a DOL press release.

"The mission of the public workforce system is to find good jobs for everyone," Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said. "These grants will significantly enhance the capacity of our public workforce system by identifying, evaluating and expanding successful programs."

Other businesses could similarly accomplish these goals by looking at internal processes and identifying potential areas of improvement. To this end, researching the best software developing companies to find one that can craft database software or other business productivity programs may yield significant benefits for businesses. These measures can tighten up part of the business that were once considered a time drain and allow managers the opportunity to better track and analyze important data.