This page contains definitions for some of the terms used throughout the website. Please feel free to reach out to us via the Contact Us page if you can’t find the definition you’re looking for or if you still have questions.

Age Group

The age group in which the participant falls at the date of program entry or the date of their first service or activity. CAAL-Skills reports participant age according to the following groups:

  • Under 25
  • 25-54
  • 54 and up

Barrier to Employment

For the purposes of CAAL-Skills reporting, a participant is considered to have a Barrier to Employment if that participant identifies or is identified as:

  • Basic skills deficient or having low levels of literacy
  • Having cultural barriers at program entry
  • A displaced homemaker
  • An English language learner
  • An ex-offender at program entry
  • Being within 2 years of exhausting Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
  • A current / former foster care youth
  • A homeless individual or runaway youth at program entry
  • Having been unemployed for 6 or more consecutive months at program entry
  • A low-income individual
  • A migrant / seasonal farmworker or a child of a migrant / seasonal farmworker
  • A single parent
  • Having a disability

Career Service

Basic or individualized services intended to support participants in making informed career decisions and achieving personal employment goals, including:

  • Skills assessments
  • Job search
  • Employment assistance
  • Specialized assessments
  • Career counseling
  • Work experience

Credential Attainment

The percentage of participants who attained a recognized credential within one year of leaving a given program during a specified fiscal year.

Employment Rate

The percentage of participants who were employed in either the second quarter (i.e. six months) or the fourth quarter (i.e. one year) after leaving a given program during a specified fiscal year.

Ethnicity / Race

If the participant identifies as:

  • American Indian / Alaskan Native: A member of an Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation.
  • Asian: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent.
  • Black / African American: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.
  • Hispanic / Latino: A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture in origin.
  • Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
  • White: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.

Fiscal Year

The fiscal year (FY) begins July 1 and ends the following June 30. For example, FY 2019-20 is the period beginning July 1, 2019, and ending June 30, 2020.

The Interactive Dashboard and Workforce Data & Statistics pages display participant data aggregated by fiscal year. The Workforce Data & Statistics page also includes the “Year Total” option, which displays data for all participants regardless of year.

Industry of Employment

Derived from the first two digits of the employer's North American Industry Classification (NAICS) code. If a participant worked in multiple industry sectors during the reporting period, their total wages from all industry sectors are reported under the industry sector in which they showed the largest earnings.

Median Earnings

The typical quarterly (i.e. three-month) earnings of participants who were employed in either the second quarter (i.e. six months) or the fourth quarter (i.e. one year) after leaving a given program during a specified fiscal year.

Participant Characteristic

The Interactive Dashboard and Workforce Data & Statistics pages display participant data aggregated by the following characteristics:

  • Age Group
  • Barrier to Employment
  • Ethnicity / Race
  • Sex / Gender
  • Veteran Status

The “Characteristics Total” option displays data for all participants regardless of characteristic.

Participant Region

The Interactive Dashboard and Workforce Data & Statistics pages display participant data aggregated by the Regional Planning Unit associated with the physical, mailing, or billing address of the participant, depending on availability within the partner source data.

The “Regions Total” option displays data for all participants regardless of region.

Participants Exited

The percentage of participants who left a given program for any reason during a specified fiscal year.

Participants Served

The total number of participants in a given program during a specified fiscal year.

Provider Region

The Regional Planning Unit associated with the physical address of the service or activity provider.

Regional Planning Unit

In support of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), California is divided into 15 Regional Planning Units (RPUs). The RPUs and associated counties are:

  • Bay-Peninsula (San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara)
  • Capital (Alpine, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba)
  • East Bay (Alameda and Contra Costa)
  • Inland Empire (Riverside and San Bernardino)
  • Los Angeles Basin (Los Angeles)
  • Middle Sierra (Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, and Tuolumne)
  • North Bay (Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma)
  • North Central Coast (Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz)
  • North Coast (Humboldt)
  • North State (Butte, Del Norte, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity)
  • Orange (Orange)
  • San Joaquin Valley (Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Mono, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare)
  • South Central Coast (San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara)
  • Southern Border (Imperial and San Diego)
  • Ventura (Ventura)

CAAL-Skills uses “Out of California” for locations that are outside of California’s 15 RPUs and “Region Unknown” for locations that are not known.

Service Type

CAAL-Skills distinguishes between the following three service types:

  • Career Service
  • Supportive Service
  • Training Service

Sex / Gender

Either the gender the participant identifies as or the sex assigned to the participant at birth, depending on availability within the partner source data.

Supportive Services

Services provided to encourage program participation in addition to either career or training services. Such services are highly varied and include assistance with:

  • Childcare
  • Transportation
  • Medical care
  • Housing
  • Technology
  • Personal counseling

Training Completion

The percentage of participants who completed a training service prior to leaving a given program during a specified fiscal year.

Training Service

Services provided to prepare participants to enter the workforce and retain employment, including:

  • On-the-job training
  • Skill upgrading and retraining
  • Entrepreneurial training
  • Adult education and literacy activities
  • Occupational skills training
  • Registered apprenticeship training
  • Career technical education
  • Job readiness training

Veteran Status

If the participant identifies as a veteran of the armed forces.

Workforce Program

The CAAL-Skills data system includes participant data from the following programs:

  • Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative
  • Career Technical Education
  • H-1B Skills Training Grants
  • Helping Justice-Involved Reenter Employment
  • High Road Construction Careers
  • High Road Training Partnerships
  • Incumbent Worker Training
  • Partners for Reentry Opportunities in Workforce Development
  • Prison to Employment
  • Regional Equity and Recovery Partnerships
  • Registered Apprenticeship
  • Trade Adjustment Assistance
  • Welfare-To-Work
  • WIOA Title I Adult
  • WIOA Title I Dislocated Worker
  • WIOA Title I Youth
  • WIOA Title II Adult Education
  • WIOA Title III Wagner-Peyser
  • WIOA Title IV Vocational Rehabilitation
  • Workforce Accelerator Fund

The Interactive Dashboard and Workforce Data & Statistics pages display participant data aggregated by workforce program. The Workforce Data & Statistics page also includes the “Program Total” option, which displays data for all participants regardless of program.