Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge (JIAC)

Attachment i

JIAC/AM-JIAC PARTNER SURVEY

May 2014

We have been told that you or your organization is involved in a cluster consortium, i.e., a collaborative partnership, in [GENERAL NAME FOR CONSORTIUM (E.G., ADVANCED MANUFACTURING, HEALTH SERVICES, ETC.)].  Please complete this background information about yourself and the organization you represent in the cluster consortium.

1. Your name:

2. Your title:

3. Organization name:

4. Organization type:

MARK ALL THAT APPLY

1 □ K–12 educational institution

2 □ Community college

3 □ Four-year college or graduate school

4 □ For-profit educational institution

5 □ Workforce development agency

6 □ Economic development agency

7 □ WIB

8 □ Chamber of Commerce

9 □ Nonprofit organization

10 □ Trade association

11 □ Utility

12 □ Military

13 □ Local government

14 □ Tribal government

15 □ State government

16 □ Small business

17 □ Disadvantaged business

18 □ Other private, for-profit business

19 □ Employer group

20 □ Venture capital organization

99 □ Other (specify)

5. Are you familiar with the cluster consortium, i.e. the collaborative partnerships among organizations working together in the [NAME OF PROJECT]?

1 □ Yes

0 □ No GO TO 26

6. Are you aware of the JIAC/AM-JIAC grant? In your area, this grant is contributing funds to the [NAME OF PROJECT].

1 □ Yes

0 □ No Only answer items 7, 12, 16, 17, 18, and 26. Do not follow any of the skips next to your answers to those items.

7. To what extent have stakeholders in your region adopted collaboration as a strategy for economic development?

To a large extent		Somewhat		Not at all
1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □

8. Are there active collaborations in your region that focus on sectors, issues, or populations besides those targeted in your JIAC/AM-JIAC grant?

1 □ Yes (Please describe)

0 □ No

9. Did the cluster consortium exist prior to the JIAC/AM-JIAC grant?

MARK All that apply

1 □ Yes, and it has not changed much during the grant period

2 □ Yes, but it was smaller or had fewer partners before the grant

3 □ Yes, but it was larger or had more partners before the grant

4 □ Yes, but it was less organized/weaker

5 □ Yes, but it was more organized/stronger

0 □ No, the cluster formed for/because of this grant GO TO 11

10. For each of the characteristics below, please rate your cluster consortium’s strength prior to the JIAC/AM-JIAC grant.

	SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
	Strength Prior to Grant
	Very Strong			Very Weak
a. Ability to access funding sources	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
b. Networking between cluster partners	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
c. Existence of a common purpose and vision	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
d. Membership of historically underrepresented businesses and organizations in cluster	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
e. Outreach by cluster to underrepresented groups of program participants	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
f. Awareness of the cluster among employers	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
g. Awareness of the cluster among job seekers	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □

11. For each of the characteristics below, please rate your cluster consortium’s strength currently.

	SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
	Strength Currently
	Very Strong			Very Weak
a. Ability to access funding sources	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
b. Networking between cluster partners	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
c. Existence of a common purpose and vision	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
d. Membership of historically underrepresented businesses and organizations in cluster	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
e. Outreach by cluster to underrepresented groups of program participants	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
f. Awareness of the cluster among employers	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
g. Awareness of the cluster among job seekers	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □

12. How long has your organization been involved with the cluster consortium?

| | | YEARS | | | MONTHS

13. Did your organization have a role in deciding how the JIAC/AM-JIAC funds would be spent or invested, implementing grant activities, or both?

MARK ONE ONLY

1 □ Deciding how grant funds would be spent or invested

2 □ Implementing grant activities

3 □ Both

4 □ Neither (Explain)

14. Did your organization receive any funds through the JIAC/AM-JIAC grant?

1 □ Yes

0 □ No GO TO 16

15. Was the funding your organization received under the JIAC/AM-JIAC grant sufficient for the grant activities?

1 □ Yes

0 □ No

16. Did your organization have sufficient and appropriate opportunities to participate in cluster consortium-level decision making?

1 □ Yes

0 □ No

17. Did your organization actively participate in these cluster consortium-level decision-making opportunities?

1 □ Yes

0 □ No

18. Do you feel that your organization was adequately informed of cluster consortium operations during the grant?

1 □ Yes

0 □ No

19. What activities did your organization conduct in the cluster consortium as part of the JIAC/AM-JIAC grant or to support activities funded by the grant?

MARK ALL THAT APPLY

1 □ Basic skills or job readiness training

2 □ On-the-job training

3 □ Incumbent worker training

4 □ Vocational education

5 □ Academic education

6 □ Job placement assistance

7 □ Mentoring

8 □ Recruit students/participants

9 □ Engage other organizations in recruiting students/participants

10 □ Funding/awarding scholarships

11 □ Forge agreements with firms to use program participants as first source of new hires

12 □ Entrepreneurship classes or assistance

13 □ Seminars/ symposiums on applying for SBIRs (Small Business Innovation Research grants or contracts)

14 □ Seminars/ symposiums on applying for STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer Program)

15 □ Instruction on using SAM (System for Award Management)

16 □ Seminars/symposiums on writing proposals

17 □ Curriculum development

18 □ Creation of new certificates

19 □ Transfer of existing certifications/credentials/licenses

20 □ Feasibility studies

21 □ Small business assistance

22 □ Business development

23 □ Export readiness counseling

24 □ Conduct and disseminate market research

25 □ Facilitate collaboration between large and small businesses

26 □ Cluster networking

27 □ Activities to increase awareness of the cluster

99 □ Other (specify)

20. What populations were specifically targeted for each of these activities, if any?

(Only fill rows with responses given in item 19.)	Incumbent workers	Dislocated workers	Unemployed	Long-term unemployed	Students in particular fields	Students in general	Parents/ guardians	People with disabilities	Veterans	Under-represented demographic groups	HUD Zone location
a. Basic skills or job readiness training	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
b. On-the-job training	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
c. Incumbent worker training	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
d. Vocational education	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
e. Academic education	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
f. Job placement assistance	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
g. Mentoring	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
h. Recruit students/participants	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
i. Engage other organizations in recruiting students/participants	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
j. Fund/award scholarships	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
k. Forge agreements with firms to use program participants as first source of new hires	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
l. Entrepreneurship classes or assistance	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
m. Seminars/ symposiums on applying for SBIRs	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
n. Seminars/ symposiums on applying for STTR	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
o. Instruction on using SAM (System for Award Management	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
p. Seminars/symposiums on writing proposals	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
q. Curriculum development	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
r. Creation of new certificates	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
s. Transfer of existing certifications/credentials/licenses	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
t. Feasibility studies	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
u. Small business assistance	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
v. Business development	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
w. Export readiness counseling	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
x. Conduct and disseminate market research	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
y. Facilitate collaboration between large and small businesses	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
z. Cluster networking	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
az. Activities to increase awareness of the cluster	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □
zz. Other (specify)	1 □	2 □	3 □	4 □	5 □	6 □	7 □	8 □	9 □	10 □	11 □

21. Did the activities implemented differ from those originally planned?

MARK ONE ONLY

1 □ Yes. All planned activities and some additional activities were implemented.

2 □ Yes. Some planned activities and some additional activities were implemented.

3 □ Yes. Only some planned activities implemented.

4 □ Yes. The implemented activities were substantially different than those planned.

5 □ Yes. The same kinds of activities were planned and implemented, but the details of them changed.

0 □ No. The activities that were planned were the same as those implemented.

99 □ Don’t know what activities were originally planned.

22. What, if any, efforts were made to promote the inclusion of individuals or groups that are historically underrepresented in your sector, institution, or cluster consortium?

MARK ALL THAT APPLY

1 □ Approached underrepresented organizations about partnering when applying for the grant

2 □ Assigned leadership roles to cluster partners from underrepresented organizations

3 □ Advertising in different forms of media than have been used in the past

4 □ Advertising in the same types of media but with different target audiences (e.g., different TV or radio stations, different magazines or newspapers)

5 □ Inclusion of underrepresented sex in advertising

6 □ Inclusion of underrepresented races/ethnicities in advertising

7 □ Inclusion of underrepresented ages in advertising

8 □ Outreach to schools with underrepresented populations to recruit students/participants

9 □ Outreach to community groups with underrepresented populations

10 □ Arranged for an agency to conduct outreach to underrepresented potential partner organizations

11 □ Arranged for an agency to recruit program participants from underrepresented groups

99 □ Other, Specify___________________________________________________________

0 □ No efforts were made to reach underrepresented groups

23. What data on grant activities does your organization collect for its own use?

MARK ALL THAT APPLY

1 □ Budgets and expenditures of grant funds

2 □ Research and development activities undertaken

3 □ Interest, uptake, or enrollment in grant activities

4 □ Length of participation in grant activities

5 □ Grant activity completion/dropout

6 □ Impact of grant activities on existing activities

7 □ Participant demographics

8 □ Credentials/certifications/licenses obtained

9 □ Transfers to four-year schools

10 □ Participants hired

11 □ Participant earnings

12 □ Participant job retention

13 □ Number of businesses counseled

14 □ New firms created

15 □ Sales levels

16 □ Foreign sales levels

17 □ Number of contracts won by businesses

18 □ Value of contracts won by businesses

99 □ Other (specify)

0 □ We do not collect data for our own use

24. How difficult is it for your organization to collect the data required for grant reporting?

MARK ONE ONLY

1 □ Very easy

2 □ Somewhat easy

3 □ Neutral (or varies a lot across data items)

4 □ Somewhat difficult

5 □ Very difficult

99 □ We are not aware of any of our data being used for grant reporting

0 □ We do not collect data for grant reporting

25. Please indicate your perception of the strength and longevity of the impact of the JIAC/AM-JIAC grant on each of the areas below.

	SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW						SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
	Strength of Impact						Longevity of Impact
	Very Strong			Very Weak			Very Strong			Very Weak
a. Collaborative environment in the region	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
b. Economic development in the region	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
c. Employment opportunities in the region	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □
d. Underrepresented populations and businesses	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □	1 □	2 □	3 □		4 □	5 □

This concludes the survey. Thank you very much for participating.

Prepared by Mathematica Policy Research 16 May 2014