Sharing Metrics and Return on Investment with Employers
How organizations track, analyze, and share metrics with employers to communicate return on investment and reinforce the benefits of workforce collaboration.
Business Career Services Illinois
- Metrics are recorded in Career Connect, a platform used to create employer profiles, track interactions, and document services provided, and shared with employers to highlight the impact of workforce development partnerships.
- BCS shares success stories, such as hires and training completions, to illustrate Return of Investment (ROI).
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Deb Lawrence in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Cara Collective
- Employers receive data on retention rates, candidate success stories, and the financial benefits of partnerships, such as reduced turnover and tax incentives.
- Cara uses success metrics, like a 70% same-firm retention rate, to reinforce the value of ongoing partnerships.
- Cara shares Social Return on Investment (SROI), highlighting community economic impact.
- The organization collaborates with external programs like the Cook County Court System’s Rehabilitation Alternative Probationary (RAP) program to showcase long-term participant success rates (e.g., a 91% reduction in recidivism for graduates).
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Tim Loeffler in 2025. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
City Colleges of Chicago
- In some instances, data is shared with employers to demonstrate program effectiveness. For example, bi-weekly, Olive-Harvey offers training for a commercial learner’s permit. This class has been found to consistently have an 80% passing rate for all participants. This information is shared with employers to help them evaluate program design.
- When recruiting new employers, Olive-Harvey shares metrics from previous successful engagements with employers, such as the retention, hiring, and/or completion rates of apprenticeship programs.
This content is based on interviews and/or email correspondence with Joachim Borha in 2024 and 2025. This content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services
- Metrics tracked include enrollment, training completions, job referrals, hires, wages, and retention.
- Sharing this data with employers is inconsistent and often informal.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Lisa Hampton, Chadra Lang, and Mark Sanders in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development
- Employers are involved in discussions about expected ROI during training needs assessments to highlight potential benefits.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Lijia Evariz in 2024. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
Cook County Bureau of Economic Development
- Data collected is primarily from a funder perspective, with limited information on how employers transition from initial conversations to active partnerships.
- Metrics focus on the measurable impact of workforce programs, such as retention rates, skill upgrades, and the financial return from tax credits. Cook County provides data that highlights the practical benefits of hiring from target groups and engaging in subsidized wage programs, offering tangible evidence to support sustained employer partnerships.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Michael Thompson in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Harper College
- Employers are informed about apprenticeship benefits through a dedicated slide in the program presentation, emphasizing recruitment cost savings, retention improvements, and talent development.
- Various facts are presented to the employers, such as: “Retention rates for apprentices are high due to long program durations (2-3 years), leading to employer investment in long-term employee development.”
- Employers receive ongoing updates on student progress. These updates reinforce program success and encourage continued participation.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Besa Sadiku in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Illinois Division of Rehabilitative Services
- Successful placements (90-day retention) are documented in WebCM.
- Success stories and anecdotal evidence of inclusive workplace outcomes are occasionally shared with employers and featured in the agency’s annual report.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Biswa Phuyal in 2025. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
Northern Illinois University Workforce Policy Lab
- ROI data is primarily national-level, with limited Illinois-specific reporting.
- Employers are shown cost-of-turnover tools to compare apprenticeship benefits.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Jennifer Foil in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Per Scholas
- Metrics shared with employers include average alumni wages two years post-graduation, demonstrating career advancement.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Kelsey Briggs-Dineen in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Pyramid Partnership Inc
- Metrics such as placement rates and retention statistics are shared during quarterly review meetings.
- Employers receive detailed reports that highlight the impact of their collaboration with Pyramid Partnerships.
- Anecdotal success stories are included in reports to provide qualitative insights.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Kelly Brown in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
RiseKit
- RiseKit shares metrics with employers to help them understand and improve placement outcomes. For example, employers receive reports that show the number of applications received per open role and the percentage that matches the applicant’s qualifications to the position requirements. RiseKit can then work with employers to develop strategies to increase the applicant pool or percentage of qualified applicants.
This content is based on interviews and/or email correspondence with Josh Glantz in 2024 and 2025. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
scaleLIT
- Metrics include tracking placements and making sure that services align with employer outcomes.
- Practices include offering money-back guarantees for training outcomes.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Becky Raymond in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Corporate Coalition
- Companies that have participated in the Fair Chance Hiring Cohort often share internal success metrics, such as increased retention and improved DEI outcomes.
- The Corporate Coalition highlights data points from past cohorts, including participation numbers (14 companies and 59 employees trained).
- Employers are encouraged to share their own experiences and outcomes to build credibility for fair chance hiring.
- Materials like the Fair Chance Hiring Flyer highlight key metrics from past cohorts, including participation numbers, retention rates, and workforce engagement outcomes, demonstrating the impact of fair chance hiring.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
World Business Chicago
- WBC is developing a system to track employer engagement, including metrics on participation in workforce programs, sector representation, and talent pipeline success. These metrics will inform future business outreach strategies.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Tana Francellno in 2024. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Points of alignment
This section provides an overview of practices that are similar across organizations.
Point #1
Organizations share metrics and return on investment data with employers in many ways. In some instances, standard metrics are shared with employers on a regular cadence, whereas other organizations provide employers with information informally when needed.
Point #2
Metrics typically focus on the measurable impact of workforce programs, such as employment retention rates, skill upgrades, wages, and the financial return from tax credits.
Point #3
When recruiting new employers, workforce organizations typically present metrics from previous successful engagements, such as the retention, hiring, and/or completion rates of an apprenticeship or training program.
