Who is Launchpad?

16.11.21 07:51 PM By Patrick
Launchpad’s Workforce Development Cloud is a SaaS (Software as a Service) and Web-based suite of applications designed specifically for workforce development and built natively on the Salesforce platform to connect public sector and nonprofit organizations to the people they serve. The Launchpad platform provides Workforce Development organizations and agencies with all of the capabilities they need to modernize, including case management, self-service re-employment portals, fiscal management for programs and grants, Federal, State & Local Reporting, business services CRM, and is configurable with the only Low/No-Code platform for Workforce Development.

Founded in 2012 by industry executives in workforce development and technology, the goal was to become a one-stop solution to the most common problems faced by non-profit organizations and government agencies. We now help over 150 organizations across 16 states modernize how they deliver services to their community by ALIGNING services, AUTOMATING processes, and ANTICIPATING needs.

Market Forces Driving Change

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated and worsened market forces, impacting the nation’s workforce. According to a September 2020 study by Pew Research Center, younger, lower, and middle-income workers, women, and workers of color have disproportionately been impacted by COVID-19 and its economic fallout. An October 2020 report published by the World Economic Forum stated, “the coronavirus recession is accelerating technological changes that could displace 85 million jobs within the next five years.” Service sector and retail jobs will continue to be lost due to automation, and a shift towards work from home, technical, and trade jobs will be in demand.

The Future of Workforce Development

We believe these market forces will fundamentally transform the future of work and how state labor and workforce agencies deliver workforce services to their communities.

The following are some of our solutions to meet modern needs: 
  1. Deliver a unified experience across WIOA partners by implementing a standardized participant data model with data-sharing agreements. 
  2. Leverage AI to automate eligibility, job matching referrals, and employment plans.
  3. Implement a mobile and self-service approach for job seeker participants. 
  4. Implement a human-services design approach that leverages co-enrollment and braided funding. 
  5. Reduce training costs while improving access by delivering integrated, virtual learning job readiness and training services, closing skill gaps.
  6. Effectively produce the PIRL federal reporting with minimal errors. 

We serve the following Federal, State, Local and Service Provider sectors:
  • Workforce Development - WIOA, TANF, SNAP
  • Health & Human Services - SNAP & TANF
  • Career & Technical Education - Carl Perkins, WIOA
  • Youth Employment - WIOA, Tech Hire
  • Economic Development - Business, Recruitment, Retention & Expansion, Startups, CDBG.
  • Housing & Homelessness: HUD
  • Justice & Re-entry

The Specialized Services Launchpad Provides

Case Management: one of the problems privately-funded and state-funded programs encounter is the complex processes arising from CRM case management. However, Launchpad Case Management CRM is structured to automate these complex processes.

The Common Intake Form is foundational because it gathers essential client information. The data includes personal information, employment history, barriers of employment, skills, demographic information, licenses, certifications, and goals.

Our module then constructs a 360-degree view of the job seeker. Launchpad can predict probable outcomes, the likelihood of being hired, and suggest the subsequent actions based on the constituent’s career goals. Our system then builds and recommends a path for success for each client and can match them with providers based on their location. Additionally, it can automatically make approvals or reviews for contracts.

 

With features like profile notes, call logging, emailing, active history tracking, and task reminders, you can monitor the efficiency and performance of your client as they reach different milestones – project or training completion and application for the job. Finally, you can set up a follow-up meeting after the recruitment process is complete – the app does that too.

 

Business Services: Launchpad’s Business Services CRM gives public sector and nonprofit organizations powerful tools to help employers find and retain employees using tracking and monitoring business activity, communication, engagement, and data management. The Business Services CRM helps employers find and retain employees by capturing Employer Contacts, information on Services such as employee recruitment, job fairs, layoff aversions, Job Matching, and Incentive tracking. This enables agencies to quickly and easily help Employers meet their hiring goals and reduce turnover rate.

Focusing resources on priority industries is critical to business and economic development as well. Our Business Services CRM helps track business demographics and target industries and skills with NAICS and SOC codes and allows you to import data from trusted economic development data systems to build your database further.

 

Grant Management: An optional add-on feature to our Case Management CRM is our Grants and Contracts Management tool. You can automate approvals, manage documents, track grant applications, and even have forms electronically signed. Moreover, files and documents are easily accessed since they are all backed up in the cloud. You can set automatic reminders to renew some documents to ensure all your documents are up to date and in legal compliance. 

Another impressive feature of the Grants & Contract Management solution is that it gives you a single yet comprehensive visibility of grant allocations, spending, contracts, and proposals. You can set durations for funding and eligibility requirements with the Launchpad app. Also, you can monitor the performance of the grant with a set-up reporting activity.

Self-Service Employment Portals: Launchpad's Self-Service Portal is out to improve two things between your company and customers – communication and collaboration. Hence, the portals are designed to be accessible by any customer or partner at any place and time.

 

These portals allow job seekers, employers, training providers, and other collaborators self-service access to Case Management and Business Services. This includes the ability to upload jobs (employers), apply for jobs (job seekers), attend virtual workshops and training, and more. These portals automatically update records on the back end.

 

Reports, Dashboards, and Analytics: Our reports and dashboards help workforce agencies to access real-time data, analytics, and reporting tools for their workforce performance and programs like WIOA, TANF, and SNAP.

Our CRM reporting tool provides an easy drag-and-drop interface with simplified reporting across all levels and fields. Rather than have a redundant data entry and system, you can compile local, state, and federal reports on one platform. You do not need a consultant or programmer anymore to create various ad hoc reports in-house. Also, it allows you to strengthen collaboration with funders by sharing data with stakeholders and funders. 

Featured Customer Story

The Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin has been a customer of Launchpad since 2012. The WDBSCW is a private, nonprofit organization that serves a six-county region in Wisconsin, including Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Jefferson, Marquette, and Sauk counties.

The Challenge: The Workforce Development Board of South-Central Wisconsin did not have an efficient way to track and catalog all their employers’ information. Increasing efficiency in tracking was crucial in helping them better serve their communities.

Launchpad’s Solution: By implementing Launchpad’s Business Services CRM, built on Salesforce, the Workforce Development Board of South-Central Wisconsin had a single platform to track and monitor all communication, collaboration, and critical information with all of their employers. This successful integration created a collaborative working environment, which helped avoid miscommunication and duplicated outreach efforts amongst their employers.

Launchpad’s Business Services CRM also provided a comprehensive guide of placement opportunities for job seekers. Their field staff were better prepared and equipped to support job seekers in their communities by having access to this information.

Launchpad Business Services helped their staff monitor service delivery metrics efficiently and managed customer information and milestones. Including ‘how many people successfully found employment in real-time. This autonomous system has allowed the Workforce Development Board of South-Central Wisconsin to focus more time on their mission instead of searching for data.

Workforce Development Board of South-Central Wisconsin has credited Launchpad Solutions as a key to their success and continuous growth of their business services, which is expected to grow tremendously by 18% by 2026. 

What Customers Are Saying

The Kinexus Group, a member of Michigan Works, had this to say about Launchpad, “The customization of data based on what we needed for external-facing programs transformed the way we track information. Our clients are on average enrolled in 2.2 programs each, and youth can be enrolled in 5 programs or more. We can see it all in one place.  It makes it really easy to manage” - Josh Cosner, Kinxeus Group CIO.

 

“Thank you to each person on the Launchpad team. I cannot describe in words how appreciative we are to have crossed paths and be provided the gift of data integrity for the people we serve and the work we are doing.”

- Amy Rossman, Workforce Development Manager; Chester County Food Bank

 

“As a vendor, they are an ideal partner for the government:  their engineers are highly skilled, and their team is communicative, iterative, and responsive to project goals.”  - Josh Arce, Director of Workforce Development; San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

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