The U.S. Department of Labor announced Monday that it would award Florida, along with a handful of other states, a grant to fund workforce databases. Florida was awarded $1 million and will be expected to achieve multiple goals during its three-year grant period.

From a press release detailing the grant:

Among [the goals] are developing or improving state workforce longitudinal data systems with individual-level information; enabling workforce data to be matched with education data to create longitudinal data systems; improving the quality and breadth of the data in the workforce data systems; using longitudinal data to provide useful information about program operations; analyzing the performance of education and training programs; and providing user-friendly information to consumers to help them select the training and education programs that best suit their needs.

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis spoke of the importance of linking education and employment in the release: “These grants are an important part of the administration’s efforts to increase the availability and use of high-quality data. By developing and improving databases, states will help those seeking training make better informed decisions, all while more clearly demonstrating the link between employment and education in the long-term success of workers.”