Okaloosa County BOCC — April 19, 2016 — CareerSource Okaloosa 2016-2020 Plan for County Commissioners Review — reading text

development challenge. The CareerSource Okaloosa Walton Executive Director holds a leadership role with the Okaloosa Economic Development Council; Florida’s Great Northwest; and is supportive of the Walton County Economic Development Alliance. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton also is supportive and involved with the activities of the Florida Veterans programs (Entrepreneurship) and the newly implemented Venture Hive Entrepreneurship program sponsored by the City of Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa Economic Development Council and Gulf Power. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton continues to support entrepreneurial development efforts throughout the region. Florida’s Great Northwest (representing 12 Counties in the Florida Panhandle) is undergoing to strategic planning and restructuring process. LWDBs 1 – 4 are actively engaged in the planning process for this 12 county economic development marketing agency. (3) Coordination of education and workforce investment activities: Please describe how the local board will coordinate education and workforce investment activities carried out in the local area with relevant secondary and postsecondary education programs and activities to coordinate strategies, enhance services, and avoid duplication of services. WIOA §108(b)(10) CareerSource Okaloosa Walton works very closely with our education and economic development partners. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton’s Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, and Business Services Team are involved in industry sector advisory councils tied to secondary career academies and nationally recognized industry certifications that lead to post- secondary degrees and certifications. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 41 | P a g e CareerSource Okaloosa Walton Executive Director meets with our economic development partners when asked so that interactions can occur between local businesses and/or new businesses looking to locate within our two county areas. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton partners with Okaloosa and Walton County Schools, Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC), Northwest Florida Manufacturing Council (NWFMC), the Panhandle Job Fair Foundation. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton is a founding member of the Panhandle Job Fair Foundation. The Panhandle Job Fair began in the spring of 1993 to primarily assist military service members seeking employment opportunities after completing their military careers. It was later expanded to include military spouses and the general public. The Panhandle Job Fair attracts companies nationwide who are seeking well-qualified, educated, and experienced individuals for employment opportunities worldwide. The continued success and growth of the Panhandle Job Fair is based on finding high-quality companies and well qualified job seekers, while keeping costs at a minimum. It attracts over 100 companies and averages 1,000 jobseekers at each fair. In a continuing response to the business community to secure the “skilled workforce”, CareerSource Okaloosa Walton and Okaloosa and Walton School Districts in partnership with the Okaloosa Economic Development Council and the Walton Economic Development Alliance have implemented a program entitled “Educate the Educators”. The purpose of this program is to provide to K-12 educators local labor market information. Labor Market Information (LMI) is described as the body of knowledge that reports information on the number of people employed or unemployed, unemployment rates, average wages, population, income, occupational projections, and other economic variables. At the request of one of the local employer EtE participants, this event will be titled EtE Plus One – adding the invitation for a student to join the event. (4) Coordination of transportation and other supportive services: Please describe how the local board will coordinate workforce investment activities carried out under this title in the local area with the provision of transportation, including public transportation, and other appropriate supportive services in the local area. WIOA §108(b)(10) CareerSource Okaloosa Walton is a member of the Okaloosa-Walton Transportation Planning Organization and the Okaloosa County Transit Cooperative. The Okaloosa-Walton Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) is the local, intergovernmental transportation policy board for Okaloosa and Walton counties in Florida. The board is comprised of local government officials who make decisions regarding transportation at the regional level. The Okaloosa-Walton TPO is required by federal and state legislation to establish a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive planning process. The TPO also works to increase safety, security, accessibility, mobility, and connectivity for people and goods. The TCC is made up of local government staff and other stakeholders. Their knowledge of local projects and issues allow the members of the TCC to provide technical advice to the TPO board. The Okaloosa County Local Coordinating Board comprised of 18 state agency and community representatives of the transportation disadvantaged population, was created in 1990 to identify local service needs and to provide information, advice, and direction to the Okaloosa County Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC), Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 42 | P a g e  LWDA 02 Okaloosa Walton provides support services in the form of gas cards and bus tickets to our Welfare Transition program participants. In addition, bus tickets may be provided to our veteran populations on occasion to assist with job interviews and/or job search activities. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton has excellent relationships with Goodwill Easter Seals, United Way and Catholic Charities, Caring and Sharing (and others) to understand services offered through those community based organizations and to provide information on the support services and transportation assistance that we provide. Referrals are made between organizations for various services dependent upon the specific needs of the participants. The Executive Director of CareerSource Okaloosa Walton is also on the Board of Directors for the Early Learning Coalition and Opportunity, Inc. (homeless coalition). This interaction assists in ensuring subsidized childcare for not only Welfare Transition participants, but also the working poor, are not duplicated. (5) Coordination of Wagner-Peyser Services: Please provide a description of plans and strategies for, and assurances concerning, maximizing coordination of services provided by the state employment service under the Wagner-Peyser Act (29 U.S.C 49 et seq.) and services provided in the local area through the one-stop delivery system to improve service delivery and avoid duplication of services. WIOA §108(b)(10) Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) partner programs (Wagner-Peyser, LVER, DVOP) are located on-site at CareerSource Okaloosa Walton’s One-Stop Career Centers. State Merit staff are co-located to ensure seamless delivery of services and program integration. Merit staff registers and updates Employ Florida Marketplace registration information ensuring data validity. They also notify Veteran and Eligible Persons of Priority of Service, and refer appropriate customers to the Veteran’s Unit if the Veteran signifies that significant barriers to employment are present. After completion of registration and/or validation, customers are referred to appropriate programs and resources to complete the one-stop interaction. DEO staff are available for one-on-one career counseling and resume coaching to offer the customer an improvement in their employment outlook. Employment Security Representatives are on-site to perform Priority Re-Employment and Placement services to assist all claimants receiving Re-employment Compensation in decreasing their time to gainful employment. DEO staff are integrated into the one-stop center along with WIOA and TANF/WT staff In additional the Vocational Rehabilitation and National Caucus on Black Aged have office space at the Fort Walton Beach one stop center to provide employment assistance to disabled and older job seekers. All partners are integrated into operations and function as part of the system as a whole. (6) Coordination of Adult Education and Literacy: Please describe how the local board will coordinate workforce investment activities carried out under this title in the local area with the provision of adult education and literacy activities under Title II in the local area, including a description of how the local board will carry out, consistent with subparagraphs (A) and (B)(i) of section 107(d)(11) and section 232, the review of local applications submitted under Title II. WIOA §108(b)(10) CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 43 | P a g e  Literacy barriers are identified by CareerSource Okaloosa Walton staff and identified customers are assisted in addressing/overcoming barriers to employment or training. Customers are administered the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) to determine their suitability for post-secondary education or job training. Those customers who do not achieve the scores needed to enter training, are referred to Adult Education/Literacy programs in the local area to assist the customer in achieving the required skill levels necessary to enter post-secondary training programs. Customers are administered assessment instruments to determine their suitability and readiness for various career pathway activities. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton has existing relationships with providers of Adult Education and Literacy. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton will follow the state’s lead in establishing Adult Education’s role in one- stop support. Any applications submitted to the Board will be reviewed consistent with the requirements of Title II, Section 232. (7) Cooperative Agreements: Please provide a description of the replicated cooperative agreements (as defined in WIOA section 107(d)(11)) between the local board or other local entities described in section 101(a)(11)(B) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29U.S.C 721(a)(11)(B)) and the local office of a designated state agency or designated state unit administering programs carried out under Title I of such Act (29 U.S.C. 721(a)(11) with respect to efforts that will enhance the provision of services to individuals with disabilities and to other individuals, such as cross-training staff, technical assistance, use and sharing of information, cooperative efforts with employers and other efforts of cooperation, collaboration and coordination. DESCRIPTION OF THE LOCAL ONE-STOP SYSTEM (1) General System Description: Describe the One-Stop Delivery System in your local area, including the roles and resource contributions of one-stop partners. WIOA §108(b)(6) A. Is each of the required WIOA partners included in your One-Stop Delivery System? Describe how they contribute to your planning and implementation efforts.