For Release 8 a.m. CST, July 22, 2002

For more information:
Marc Lowe, (785) 296-5056, mlowe@awts.org
http://www.kansasjoblink.com/

Kansas Job Link Receives 2002 Digital Government Award

TOPEKA, KS - The Kansas Department of Human Resources on behalf of America's Job Link Alliance has been recognized as the winner of the prestigious and highly sought after 2002 Digital Government Award in the State Government Innovation category.

The Kansas Department of Human Resources received the award for their efforts to revamp their unemployment insurance infrastructure to improve services, dependability and response time. The new unemployment insurance system provides claimants and employers with multiple customer service channels to receive service from the Department. The program incorporates Internet and Interactive Voice Response self-service, intelligent call center routing and an integrated customer relationship management desktop. The program also connects the unemployment claims and job search processes with a direct link into KansasJobLink. The new self-service online filing and Interactive Voice Response options now better enable customers to serve themselves, reducing call center workloads and increasing the utilization of call center technologies.

Nominations were viewed and judged on-line by an evaluation committee of leaders in academia, government and other organizations representing:

• Education organizations such as MIT eCommerce Architecture Program; American Council on Education; EDUCAUSE, George Mason University; and New York University
• U.S. Departments of Commerce, Veterans Affairs, Defense, State, and the Office of Management and Budget
• State government IT leaders
• Leading IT Companies such as Accenture and Gartner IT Services and Sourcing

Kansasjoblink.com is a part of the America's Job Link Alliance and is the Kansas State Government's first computer application to provide comprehensive workforce development services across the boundaries of multiple state agencies.

The Digital Government Award recipients were selected from approximately 125 finalists from across the United States. The awards were presented in federal, state and local government categories to honor best practices in existing services delivered via the Internet. Awards were also presented for higher education, most innovative pilot or prototype program, and the new category of Agent of Change that recognizes outstanding individual contributions. The Digital Government Awards are presented each year by MIT and Accenture. This year's awards were presented June 26th during the e-gov conference in Washington D.C.

America's Job Link Alliance

The TABS system will also be shared with other states in the America's Job Link Alliance of which Kansas is a founding member. The America's Job Link Alliance is an innovative approach to building technology solutions while allowing members of the Alliance to maximize the return on their investments in workforce development strategies. The concept behind the Alliance was to create a framework to allow states to accept, modify and implement technology solutions built and tested by others. In return, states agree to share modules, programs, and enhancements to the system, which they have developed, with the other members. This arrangement reduces the development risk and cost for all members of the Alliance. In addition to providing technological solutions, members of the Alliance share marketing ideas, lessons learned, and training materials to improve their business practices and foster innovation.

Current members of the Alliance include the Idaho Department of Labor, the Kansas Department of Human Resources, the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the Nebraska Workforce Development - Department of Labor, the New Mexico Department of Labor, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, and the Vermont Department of Employment and Training.

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