Memorandum ed 2/18/15 (im)

Transcription

1 RICK SNYDER GOVERNOR CHRISTINE QUINN DIRECTOR DATE: Memorandum ed 2/18/15 (im) TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Michigan Works! Agency (MWA) Directors Christine Quinn, Director (SIGNED) Workforce Development Agency (WDA) Key Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Transition & Implementation Steps Although the WIOA does not go into effect until July 1, 2015, and the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking has been delayed until spring, there are activities that local areas can and must undertake in order to ensure a smoother transition come July 1, In order to assist with such activities, the WIOA allows for the use of up to two percent (shared between the state and the local area) of the state s Program Year 2014 Workforce Investment Act (WIA) allocations to support transition costs (see WDA Policy Issuance 14-01, Change 1). If you have not done so already, MWAs are encouraged to use transitional funding to move forward in the transition from WIA to WIOA, consistent with the aforementioned policy issuance. Unless otherwise indicated, local areas shall immediately begin addressing the items below. Please note, this is not an exhaustive list. The WDA anticipates releasing further guidance to the MWAs as additional information is released by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL). The implementation activities provided below are separated by Title. As MWAs analyze and begin implementing the steps outlined below, we encourage all MWAs to identify areas where technical assistance is needed and work with the WDA and the Michigan Works! Association to plan future trainings. Title I Workforce Development Activities Review and determine if a new PA7/PA8 agreement should be executed for your area that is consistent not only with WIOA, but also the organizational structure under which your entity was formed and currently operates. In WDA s review of existing PA7/PA 8 agreements, some only reference WIA and not a successor program, some expired with the repeal of WIA and many are outdated and not Victor Office Center 201 North Washington Square, 5 th Floor Lansing, Michigan TTY WDA is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids, services, and other reasonable accommodations are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

2 Page 2 reflective of the current operating environment. The review and execution of new agreements shall be concluded by July 1, Review local board composition and make necessary changes to ensure membership aligns with the WIOA. WIOA compliant boards must be certified by the WDA by July 1, There will be no grandfathering of Job Training Partnership Act or WIA boards into WIOA. Pull together a cross-section team of core partners to begin developing a robust local strategic plan. At a minimum, the team should include core program representatives and mandatory One-Stop partners. Effective strategic planning should entail developing a vision of how the system will ideally function in your local area to best meet WIOA goals and the needs of your employers and jobseekers. Review your existing local plan and gather necessary information to update, based upon the required elements defined in WIOA. The number of required local plan elements under WIOA is far greater than under WIA. Meet with MWAs within your region and pull together a regional team to begin roughing out the Regional Plan. The Regional Plan shall be an actionable plan and not just a summary of the independent local plans that were developed by the individual MWAs. Rather, a truly meaningful plan for your region with a shared vision and delivery of services. The plan should be the foundation that all other regional implementation strategies are built off of and relate back to. Performance: Review WIOA performance metrics and determine impact on reporting and services. For example, WIOA performance measures utilize outcomes through the fourth quarter after exit. MWAs should begin to review their follow-up policies and procedures to ensure that positive outcomes are tracked and recorded for four quarters after exit. Regional performance reporting is required under WIOA. MWAs should begin discussions within their regions on service delivery and performance implications across the region. One-Stop Delivery System: How will you engage all required and optional One- Stop partners? How will they contribute to the system? What will a WIOA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) template contain? At a minimum, MOUs should include the following components: The services to be provided and how they will be coordinated and delivered through the system How the costs for services and operating costs will be funded including funding through cash and in-kind contributions, as well as infrastructure costs

3 Page 3 Methods to ensure the needs of workers, youth and individuals with barriers to employment are addressed, including access to technology and materials made available through the One-Stop system The duration of the MOU and the procedures for amending the MOU, including assurances that the MOU shall be reviewed at least every three years One-Stop Delivery System Services: MWAs should address the following questions in regards to their One-Stop delivery system: What does our One-Stop look like under WIOA? How does work-based learning, such as apprenticeships, cross over and throughout our programs and partners? What are common intake questions across all programs? How can mandated program services be delivered so they are seamless to the customer? In the absence of a shared data system, how will we know when a participant is being served by a partner program? How can we leverage partners strengths? MWAs are encouraged to go through a comprehensive asset mapping process in order to address the items listed above. Out of School Youth Strategies: How will you increase the number (75 percent expenditure rate) of out-of-school youth served? Who are the partners, existing and new that need to be engaged? MWAs with existing youth contracts in place that do not expire at the end of the program year should end those contracts effective June 30, 2015, and re-bid one-year contracts. At the end of the one year, June 2016, final regulations will be available and MWAs can modify their youth contracts accordingly. In-School Youth: How will you provide services to a smaller in-school youth population with reduced resources? Who are your new in-school youth partners? Review the eligibility five percent limitation as it relates to in-school youth and the barrier needs additional assistance. Do you currently rely on the barrier as a condition of eligibility? If yes, what will be your outreach strategy to target populations with other barriers to stay compliant with WIOA? Paid and Unpaid Work Experience for Youth: WIOA mandates that not less than 20 percent of youth funding supports paid and unpaid work experiences. How will you increase paid and unpaid work experience in your area? How will you capture costs related to this requirement that are not direct participant costs? Who are the partners, existing and new that need to be engaged? MWAs should build those relationships now.

4 Page 4 Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL): WIOA prescribes that local areas may establish criteria and information requirements in addition to state established criteria and may require higher levels of performance than required by the state. Local areas should determine if they will enact this option under WIOA and if so, develop the additional criteria and levels of performance. Coordination from a regional standpoint is preferred. Further, local areas should begin working on local ETPL requirements including identifying eligible providers of training services, including providers with expertise in adult education and literacy activities. Begin reviewing all local WIA policies and flagging those that need updating due to WIOA. Begin drafting policy changes in order to move quickly once USDOL guidance is released. Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Programs: Ensure appropriate processes and materials are in place to meet language barriers. Continue and expand integration of the Agricultural Specialist into the One-Stop. Specialists can assist with recruiting workers from other states and with other business services. Identify and encourage integration of other Migrant Seasonal Farmworker agencies into the One-Stop. Veterans Priority of Service for Covered Persons: Begin developing plans to ensure that the requirements of Training and Employment Guidance Letter No are fully and properly incorporated into all appropriate processes and systems. Review the metrics used by USDOL to measure successful provision of Priority of Service for Covered Persons to ensure the One-Stop Management Information System reporting properly feeds these measures (contact the WDA Veterans Services Division Policy Section for these measures). Please note that for Program Year 2013, Michigan failed 12 out of 12 measures used by USDOL in determining if Priority of Service for Covered Persons was being properly implemented. Determining Veteran Education Benefits: Begin developing a methodology to identify which veterans have veteran education benefits, and in which cases that may limit their ability to utilize other training funds. This is important for ensuring veterans are not incorrectly denied access to training funds or programs. It is important to recognize that many veterans do not have any veteran education benefits as these benefits have specific and complex eligibility requirements, provide a limited amount of funding, and many have use time restrictions.

5 Page 5 Integration of Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) Specialists: Begin considering how to ensure the DVOP Specialists are fully and properly integrated into the local service delivery model. Although the details of the DVOP Specialist job duties may change as a result of WIOA, there will be no change in the basic eligibility requirements for an individual to receive services from a DVOP. Administrative Consideration: The WIOA creates many opportunities for improvement and to create innovative programs; however, current contractual agreements will require revisions. Local areas should begin developing the procurement process for WIOA contracts, which will replace WIA contracts. Local areas should prepare procurement documents in a broad manner so that appropriate adjustments in regards to service and performance, among other items, can be made as additional guidance is released. Title II Adult Education Identify and engage Adult Education providers within your region and begin dialogue with them to ensure familiarization with WIOA and access to all eligible adults that need literacy services in the region. Strategize on how year old high school dropouts (or those not engaged with the K-12 system) will receive services. Include Adult Education partners in discussion with all Core partners to ensure reasonable representation and input on local and regional workforce boards. Include Adult Education partners in the planning and development of the local and regional plans. Ensure One-Stop Service Centers provide seamless services to Adult Education customers. Determine the intake-process: who will do the enrollment, intake, assessment, and identification of career pathways, academic needs, and job placement? Develop a referral system that ensures adults are referred to Adult Education for academic services based on identified needs and their career pathway and out-ofschool youth are referred to the Title I Youth program. Determine how services for Adult Education participants are delivered concurrently, so Michigan Works! can be providing employability skills and job development at the same time Adult Education is providing academic services. Work with Adult Education providers to ensure that training and employment service opportunities are delivered to low level learners (below 9th grade level); even when available jobs are below the targeted median wage performance metric.

6 Page 6 Title III Amendments to the Wagner-Peyser Act What will be your standard approach to professional development/credentialing for staff (for example: BSP/GCDF/CWFD/etc.) or a consistent approach to raise the professional development of service center staff, in particular, for Wagner- Peyser personnel where professional development is a requirement? How will you engage Unemployment Insurance Agency claimants and provide referrals to and application assistance for, training and education resources and programs as mandated in WIOA? The Wagner-Peyser population is held to performance levels under WIOA. MWAs should establish processes to review Wagner-Peyser performance and create policy on service delivery to this population to enhance performance outcomes, where possible. Miscellaneous Items Establish, renew or strengthen relationships with Labor Market Information staff since LMI data is critical when implementing WIOA. Are there new reports that will assist with implementing WIOA? CQ:SB:cg cc: WDA