Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

• 811 pages enacted July 22, 2014

• Notice of proposed Rules and Regulations by January 18, 2015

• National Skills Coalition calls WIOA “a familiar framework” – could be called a WIA “restart” – not a whole new approach

What Does WIOA Do? • Strengthened and

simplified performance measures

• Better alignment across programs through unified or combined state plans

• Required convening of sector partnerships

• Promotion of best practices, including career pathways, integrated training models, credential attainment, and sector partnerships

4 Priority Areas for WIOA Implementation

• Sector Partnerships

• Career Pathways

• Data and Credentials

• One Stops

Key Highlights – New State Plan due 7/2016

• Ensures that “CORE” programs are coordinated by requiring a single 4 year State plan

• Core Programs include:WIA Adult, Dislocated Worker and

Youth Adult Education and Literacy

(DOE)Employment ServicesRehabilitation Services

Key Highlights – Local Areas

• States to identify “regions” in consultation with local boards and CLEOs

• Regions can be single areas, multiple areas and interstate areas

• Requires Regional planning, information sharing, coordination of service delivery, development of regional sector strategies, regional labor market data, establishment of administrative costs arrangements, etc.

Key Highlights – Local WIBs

• Local WIB membership• Majority business and business chair• 20% labor, (including a labor-management

representative), education, economic development, CBOs and core providers

• Does not require all one stop partners to be on the board

• Eliminates the youth council (but could exist as a standing committee)

• Suggests standing committees: One Stop partners, Youth Services and Services to individuals with disabilities

Key Highlights – Local Plan

• To align with state strategy• Analyses of economic conditions and labor

market and strategies to meet employment needs for skills shortages

• Establish sector strategies and partnerships• Better coordination with economic

development, secondary and postsecondary (for career pathways)

• Integrated technology based intake system

WIOA and Sector Partnerships

• WIOA defines “industry or sector partnerships” using SECTORS Act definition

• Requires state plans to describe how employers will be engaged – including through industry or sector partnerships

• New performance measure on employer engagement (to be defined by DOL)

WIOA and Sector Partnerships

• New requirement for local WIBs to “convene, use or implement” sector partnerships

• Opportunity to use Governor’s 15 % reserve to develop or expand sector partnerships

WIOA and Career Pathways

• State board must develop strategies to support the use of career pathways

• Local board must lead efforts to develop and implement career pathways, include descriptions in local plans

• 15 % funds may be used to develop career pathways programs

WIOA and Career Pathways • Clarifies that concurrent

enrollment and ABE that helps individuals transition to postsecondary education and training or employment is permissible

• Title II language promotes integrated learning models

• New performance measures designed to improve service delivery for low-skilled adults moving along a career pathway

WIOA and Data and Credentials

• Single set of performance measures across all core programs

• Common measures: employment, earnings, credential attainment, employer engagement

• Performance measures for all programs must be calculated using UI wage records

Performance

• Replaces the WIA common measures

• Increases the number of performance measures

• Changes the time frames for employment retention and wages to 2nd and 4th quarters after exit

• Industry recognized credentials both percentage and number are new

• Youth literacy and numeracy no longer a measure

Performance of Training Providers

• Increased measures +• Required to relate to in-demand

industry sectors• Training related employment• Numbers of students with barriers to

employment• Average cost per participant• Youth providers continue to be

competitively procured

Key Highlights – One Stops

• Partners required under current law+– Second Chance Act– TANF

• Partners are required to use a portion of funds to maintain the one stop including infrastructure costs• Requires Employment Services to

be co-located at one-stops

State Integration Group

• The state has formed a WIA/ES integration group) due to USDOL requirement in the state plan for integration of facilities as well as management information systems

• Maher and Maher consultants visited Gwinnett GDOL and the ARWB Duluth offices and will present an integration plan

• Complexities of metro area versus rest of state in facilities designed to accommodate more than one WIA person

Adult/DW activities

• Consolidates core and intensive as “career services” – to be conducted by ES

• “WOIA funds should be focused on training and not career services” - issue is how to correctly assess and prepare individuals for training and employment

• Designation of a business liaison – establishing networks on small employers

• Establish industry partnerships• Priority continues on low income and basic skills

deficient• Increases incumbent worker training to 20%

Age eligibility up to 24Change to 75% out of school/25% in

school funding (big change from current state focus on in school youth and the current 30% out of school WIA requirement)

20% funding requirement for work experience

Will require most local areas to change youth service plan

Key Highlights – Youth Service

Funding

• Even though 6 year amounts are included, the allocation amounts are decided in the appropriations committee

• Allows 100% transfer of funds between Adult and Dislocated Workers

State Set-Aside

• Back to 15% off the top – may mean less to local areas depending on total allocations

• GDEcD to focus on establishment of apprenticeship programs with employers, similar to Quick Start model

Opportunities to Weigh In

• WIOA’s passage will kick off a flurry of activity at the state and agency levels

• WIOA signals policy shifts and adoption of best practices, but includes few requirements, so there will be many opportunities to weigh in and shape implementation

Opportunities to Weigh In • 1-2 year transition period,

states will be developing new state plans

• Federal agencies will solicit public comment on regulations

• Advocacy on federal funding

• Opportunities to define how career pathways, sector partnerships, other strategies are implemented at state and local level

Vehicles for Weighing In

• WIOA Resource Page – www.doleta.gov/WIOA

• Questions submitted to email at DOL.WIOA@dol.gov

• Town Hall meetings (SETA September 14-17)

• NSC Skills Summit– February 8-10, 2015