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

seekers; and as a job-driven strategy for employers and industries. RA can be funded through several mechanisms. Section 122(a)(3) of WIOA provides a new opportunity for RA programs to be more directly connected to the public workforce system. As Registered Apprenticeship programs, they automatically qualify to be placed on the Statewide and Regional Eligible Training Provider List (RETPL), allowing ITAs to support participants in RA programs, and more directly connect those programs to one-stop centers. (14) Other Program Initiatives: Describe the services to be provided that may include the implementation of initiatives such as incumbent worker training programs, on-the-job training programs, customized training programs, industry and sector strategies career pathway initiatives, utilization of effective business intermediaries, and other initiatives in the support of the board’s vision and strategic goals described in Section III. WIOA §134(c). Incumbent Worker Training Incumbent worker training provides both workers and employers with the opportunity to build and maintain a quality workforce. CareerSource may use incumbent worker training to help avert potential layoffs of employees, or to increase the skill levels of employees so they can be promoted within the company and create backfill opportunities for employers. Under section 134(d)(4) of WIOA, CareerSource can use up to 20 percent of its adult and dislocated worker CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 96 | P a g e funds to provide for the federal share of the cost of providing incumbent worker training. Incumbent worker training needs to take into account the following factors: o The characteristics of the participants in the program; o The relationship of the training to the competitiveness of a participant and the employer; and o Other factors the State or CareerSource may determine appropriate (e.g., the number of employees participating in the training, wage and benefit levels of those employees (both pre- and post-participation earnings)), and the existence of other training and advancement opportunities provided by the employer). Employers are required to pay for a significant cost of the training for those participants in incumbent worker training; this can be done through both cash and/or in-kind payments. The wages paid to participants, while in training, may be considered as a source of matching funds (Rules for matching funds are provided in the Uniform Guidance and DOL exceptions at 2 CFR 200.306 and 2 CFR 2900.8). Under section 134(d)(4)(D) of WIOA, the minimum amount of employer share in the incumbent worker training depends on the size of the employer: a. At least 10 percent of the cost, for employers with 50 or fewer employees; b. At least 25 percent of the cost, for employers with 51 to 100 employees; and c. At least 50 percent of the cost, for employers with more than 100 employees. ETA encourages States and local areas that utilize incumbent worker training to ensure contracts with employers provide sufficient information to include participants in reporting. Incumbent workers should be coordinated with the DEO to ensure the appropriate reporting codes are considered. Employed Worker Training Program The employed worker is an employed individual who is served at the local level. These individuals may be served with local level formula adult funds if they do not qualify as a dislocated worker. The funding for this activity comes from the WIOA local adult allocation. The focus on serving the employed worker is the employer. WIOA eligibility requirements must be met for participants. These individuals may be served by documenting that they are in need of services in order to obtain or retain employment that allows for self-sufficiency. Employed workers who currently meet the local definition of self-sufficiency but need services in order to retain their self-sufficient employment may be served if documentation is obtained from the employer stating that the employee(s) will not be retained unless additional training or services are received. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 97 | P a g e  The LWDA 02 Employed Worker training is designed to upgrade skills, provide training involving new equipment, systems, or procedures, and for improving the productivity, increasing quality, and remaining or gaining competitiveness. The CareerSource Board welcomes applications from local businesses to provide training for its currently employed workforce. Employed Worker Training allows the Board to provide training to Employed Workers of local businesses who are currently (at the time of application) earning $16.71 or below per hour (income of the individual only; no determination is made of household income.) In order for the employees of a local business to receive funded training, a determination of eligibility must be completed. As part of the enrollment process, each trainee must complete a WIOA Application. The individual provides most of the information; however, the business may verify or attest to whether the individual is earning $16.71 or below per hour. The current Self-Sufficiency rates for employed workers, adults and dislocated workers, and TANF participants for Region 2 are as follows: a. Adults and Dislocated Workers $16.71 b. TANF Participants $15.50 The Florida’s Great Northwest is designed to create high-wage, high-skill jobs within the 9 counties in Northwest Florida. To realize its goal of job creation, the great majority of its grant funding is tied directly to job creation efforts. The industries targeted for the initiative are the industries the Region will target for skills upgrade. The Florida’s Great Northwest has chosen the following industries as high growth and high demand for the region. The industries targeted for the initiative are the industries the Region will primarily target for skills upgrade: Aviation, Aerospace, Defense and National Security; Life Sciences (Human Performance Enhancement, Medical Device Manufacturing, Medical Technologies, Health Services, and Biotechnology); Information Technology; Engineering; Renewable Energy and Environment; Transportation, Logistics and Distribution; and Construction Products Manufacturing. Layoff-Aversion Incumbent Worker Training Program (LAIWT) The CareerSource considers a layoff aversion exist when: • A worker’s job is saved with an existing employer that is at risk of downsizing or closing; or • A worker at risk of dislocation transitions to a different job with the same employer or a new job with a different employer and experiences no or a minimal spell of unemployment. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 98 | P a g e CareerSource will contact the business after learning of the planned lay-offs. Based on the immediate needs and time table, the Rapid Response Team will design the level of response needed for the business. The Rapid Response Team includes key staff such as the COO, Business Services, Wagner-Peyser, and other designated staff. CareerSource will determine the number of affected workers involved and work with the employer to develop a strategy to avert any layoffs. The CareerSource team will work with business to determine the circumstances surrounding the probable layoffs and how training will prevent or reduce the magnitude of the layoff. The CareerSource will also determine the likelihood of future layoffs and training needs. CareerSource Board has a great relationship with the five area Chambers of Commerce, two Economic Development Councils, SHRM, and other business organizations and regularly brief their members to keep them up to date on workforce programs. Based on funding availability, the CareerSource Board will work with the employer on lay-off aversion strategies. Business Services representatives will also work with the employer to assist completion of an application for IWT funds as administered by Workforce Florida. Quick Response Training The CareerSource mix of One-Stop services include providing labor market information to employers to assist those businesses with monitoring growth, retention/training needs, expansion, and to help prevent business closure. The Governor is committed to increasing training opportunities to individuals through alternate delivery vehicles such as OJT and customized training. CareerSource Boards are encouraged to develop local partnerships with community businesses and industry thus encouraging economic development in their areas. Additionally, Florida’s Quick Response Training (QRT) and Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) programs (identified as Florida Flex), two of the flagship tools at CareerSource Florida, are market relevant providing just-in-time training driven by industries’ needs and industries’ choices in training providers. QRT and IWT serve as powerful tools for workforce investment by leveraging public workforce system funds with private sector resources. The QRT and IWT programs have an outstanding track record of return on investment as it relates to wage income. Region 02 employers have taken advantage of these opportunities in the past and will continue to do so. These short-term, cost-effective training projects are aimed at generating the skills and competencies necessary to support industry now and in the future. A close partnership between CareerSource Business Services and the existing Business Services of the Economic Development Councils combine efforts at identifying businesses that may benefit from QRT and/or IWT. The Business Services Team informs businesses through outreach at service clubs, community events, chamber functions and one-on-one visits, and other methods of the availability of these, value added, business-focused, training programs, such as Incumbent Worker Training, Quick Response Training, Employed Worker Training and On-the-Job Training. The Business CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 99 | P a g e Services Team, the CareerSource Center staff, and the CareerSource Board’s Business Services staff also assist businesses in applying for and completing applications. The CareerSource Board is increasing its marketing of these programs to ensure more businesses are aware of these value added services. Particular emphasis will be placed on small and minority owned businesses and on enterprise zones within our community. On-the-Job Training CareerSource Okaloosa Walton will continue to use OJT as a key method of delivering training services to adults and dislocated workers. WIOA provides for CareerSource to provide up to 50 percent of the wage rate of the participant to employers for the costs of training while the participant is in the program. Additionally, CareerSource has the flexibility under WIOA to increase the reimbursement level to up to 75 percent taking into account the following factors: a. The characteristics of the participants (e.g. length of unemployment, current skill level, and barriers to employment); b. The size of the employer (e.g. small and medium-sized business often have more barriers to participation at lower reimbursement rates); c. The quality of