The short answer
Illinois measures workforce program success on the six federal WIOA indicators. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (Illinois workNet) agrees to a target for each one with the U.S. Department of Labor, then reports the real numbers each fall. The state targets are then split across its local boards. Each local board agrees to its own levels with the state, so a provider is judged on its local board's numbers first.
In Program Year 2024 (July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025), Illinois served 8,331 adults, 5,094 dislocated workers, and 5,618 youth in WIOA Title I programs. It met 14 of the 15 targets it reported. The full table is below.
What are the six WIOA indicators Illinois reports?
- Employment rate, 2nd quarter after exit. The share of people who had a job in the second full quarter after they left. It is checked against state wage records.
- Employment rate, 4th quarter after exit. The same check two quarters later. This one shows who kept the job.
- Median earnings, 2nd quarter after exit. The middle wage for the quarter among those who were working.
- Credential attainment rate. The share of people in training who earned a credential during the program or within one year of exit.
- Measurable skill gains. The share of people who showed real progress toward a credential or a job during the year.
- Effectiveness in serving employers. Measured for the whole state as staying with the same employer.
For youth, the two employment measures also count going into school or training. The six-indicator guide explains who is counted in each one, and the two places programs most often lose credit they earned.
What Illinois agreed to, and what it delivered
Every two years the state and the U.S. Department of Labor agree on a target for each indicator and each program. The Department then adjusts the target for the economy and for who the state served. Here are the PY2024 targets, the PY2024 results, and the level Illinois agreed to for PY2025.
| Indicator | PY2024 target | PY2024 actual | Result | PY2025 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult (8,331 served, 4,544 exited) | ||||
| Employment rate, 2nd quarter after exit | 76.5% | 79.8% | Met | 76.5% |
| Employment rate, 4th quarter after exit | 77.5% | 78.8% | Met | 77.5% |
| Median earnings, 2nd quarter after exit | $9,000 | $10,402 | Met | $9,000 |
| Credential attainment rate | 74.0% | 76.2% | Met | 74.0% |
| Measurable skill gains | 62.0% | 68.8% | Met | 63.0% |
| Dislocated Worker (5,094 served, 2,974 exited) | ||||
| Employment rate, 2nd quarter after exit | 79.5% | 81.3% | Met | 79.5% |
| Employment rate, 4th quarter after exit | 80.0% | 80.9% | Met | 80.0% |
| Median earnings, 2nd quarter after exit | $11,800 | $11,468 | Missed | $11,800 |
| Credential attainment rate | 73.0% | 74.1% | Met | 74.0% |
| Measurable skill gains | 62.0% | 70.7% | Met | 63.0% |
| Youth (5,618 served, 2,854 exited) | ||||
| Employment or education rate, 2nd quarter after exit | 76.0% | 78.0% | Met | 76.0% |
| Employment or education rate, 4th quarter after exit | 76.0% | 77.8% | Met | 76.0% |
| Median earnings, 2nd quarter after exit | $5,000 | $6,098 | Met | $5,000 |
| Credential attainment rate | 70.0% | 71.4% | Met | 70.5% |
| Measurable skill gains | 59.0% | 69.7% | Met | 60.0% |
Here is where it fell short. Median earnings for dislocated workers came in at $11,468. The target was $11,800. Federal rules give some room. A program passes if its average across the indicators reaches 90 percent of the targets. It also has to keep every single indicator above 50 percent of its level two years in a row. A state that falls short can lose part of its governor's reserve funds.
What the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (Illinois workNet) adds on top
- Local boards with their own levels. 22 Local Workforce Innovation Areas; Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership is the largest. A provider's number is judged locally before it rolls up to the state.
- Illinois JobLink as the system of record. Staff enter services, exits, credentials, and skill gains there. State monitors check the paperwork behind those entries.
- The annual narrative report. Each fall the state files a WIOA annual narrative with the Department of Labor. It explains the results, the state's goals, and how the local areas did.
- Effectiveness in serving employers. Illinois reports this one for the whole state, not by program. That is why it is not in the table above.
What does this mean for a Illinois program or provider?
Your program is judged on the federal layer, at your local board levels. That means wage records two and four quarters after exit. It means credentials earned within a year. It means skill gains documented before June 30. A skill gain recorded July 1 counts for the next program year. A credential earned 13 months after exit counts for nobody.
Most of a program's number comes down to what it documents on time and enters in Illinois JobLink correctly. Programs that track the windows per cohort are the ones whose reported results match what they produced. The deadline calculator shows when each window closes for a given cohort.