We Say Value Our Workers -- Why Doesn't Their Training Reflect That?

105504370-1539365899814dsc_0999.jpg

I went to the grocery store at the height of the pandemic, and it was, frankly, a mess. Half the employees were wearing masks, and half weren’t, and that was reflected in the shoppers as well. There were lines taped on the ground to signify...something, but no one was quite sure what it was. When pressed, worker after worker said the same thing -- “I don’t know, they didn’t train us.”

Read the whole piece here

Want to win innovation awards? Let us help!

nascio-logo-300x104.png

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has awarded Indiana Department of Child Services Chief Information Officer, Kevin Jones, with the association’s 2020 Technology Champion Award. Kevin’s nomination submission described him as the “epitome of CIO as problem solver with a personal leadership style grounded in empathy for the 25,000 children in his care and the 4,000 family case workers who support them.”

Indiana Child Welfare is currently undergoing massive transformation and Kevin is leading a holistic approach to change that focuses on people, process and tools. He is leveraging innovations like virtual reality training that simulates a home visit with a vulnerable family. This technology, steeping in immersive learning, is better preparing caseworkers for the field. It is also being used in hiring to determine whether a candidate is a good fit for child welfare. The agency has already seen an 18% reduction in turnover resulting in a cost savings to the state.