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

Pursuant To WIOA: Providers of training programs who are not currently eligible may seek eligibility pursuant to the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (“WIOA”) eligibility requirements before the effective starting date of this Policy. c. Initial Eligibility Pursuant To WIOA Starting January 1, 2016: Providers of training programs who are not eligible on the effective starting date of this Policy shall seek eligibility pursuant to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (“WIOA”) “Initial Eligibility” requirements. Providers of training programs seeking “Initial Eligibility” receive “Initial Eligibility” for only one (1) full year, after which they may seek “Continued Eligibility”. The provider shall supply verifiable program-specific performance information pursuant to criteria established by the CareerSource Board. d. Application: Except for exempt training providers (registered apprenticeships), all applications for WIOA “Initial Eligibility” must be submitted to each of the CareerSource Okaloosa Walton. The training provider must specifically identify the program(s) it intends to provide to the CareerSource Board in a manner that will permit the Local Board to make a decision on inclusion of the training provider on the Regional ETPL. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 104 | P a g e  e. Registered Apprenticeship: A provider that receives “Initial Eligibility” for any program shall be subject to all the requirements for that program even after such “Initial Eligibility” expires. Registered apprenticeship programs are not subject to the “Initial Eligibility” criteria or application requirements. While registered apprenticeships are automatically eligible, not all registered apprenticeship programs may want to be included on the list. Registered apprenticeship programs shall automatically be included on the State ETPL until such time as the program: 1) loses its registration; or 2) notifies DEO in writing that it wants to be removed from the ETPL. f. Two-Year Renewals: After a training provider has: 1. completed the “Initial Eligibility” period of at least one (1) full year, or; 2. successfully applied under the initial implementation of this Policy as a training provider eligible under V(B)(1), all eligible training providers must submit applications for “Continued Eligibility” every two years to maintain their eligibility. Applications for “Continued Eligibility” must be submitted three (3) months before eligibility expires (except for the initial implementation of this Policy). Once on the ETPL, the “Continued Eligibility” application is required. Removal from the ETPL for a period of time does not return the training program to an “Initial Eligibility” status unless the training provider’s “Continued Eligibility” status was removed. (16) Youth Program Design: Describe the design framework for youth programs in the local area, and how the 14 program elements required in §681.460 of the proposed WIOA regulations are to be made available within that framework. WIOA §129(c)(1). 75 Percent Youth Funds Expenditure Rate Under WIOA, CareerSource was required to spend at least 30 percent of funds to assist eligible out-of-school youth (OSY). Now, under the new WIOA requirements, CareerSource must expend a minimum of 75 percent of youth funds on OSY. This represents a significant shift in the WIOA youth program and will require additional focus on the part of staff. The OSY expenditure rate is calculated after subtracting the funds spent on administrative costs. The CareerSource administrative costs are not subject to the 75 percent OSY minimum expenditure. For example, if CareerSource receives $1 million and spends $100,000 on administrative costs, the remaining $900,000 is subject to the OSY expenditure rate. In this example, the CareerSource would be required to spend at least $675,000 (75 percent) of the $900,000 on OSY. WIOA Youth Program Design The foundation for the framework design of the CareerSource WIOA youth program is services that lead toward successful outcomes for the youth participants. This includes: CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 105 | P a g e  a. An objective assessment; b. An individual service strategy, which must be update as needed to ensure progression through the program; c. Case management; and d. Follow-up services. The CareerSource Board supports the two significant WIOA changes to the requirements for service strategies for youth. The Career Planners will ensure that the service strategy is linked to one or more of the indicators of performance in WIOA sec. 116(b)(2)(A)(ii); and, the Career Planners will also ensure that the service strategy identifies career pathways that include appropriate education and employment goals. For both the objective assessment and individual service strategy, Career Planners may use recently completed assessments or service strategies conducted by another education or training program rather than create new assessments or service strategies if they determine it is appropriate to do so; and the objective assessment and individual service strategy is not more than six months old effective from the date of enrollment. The CareerSource Board must ensure the WIOA Youth Program is linked to youth-serving agencies, including human services agencies. In addition, the CareerSource Board must: a. Provide eligible youth with information about the full array of applicable or appropriate services available through the CareerSource centers or other eligible providers, or one- stop partners; b. Refer eligible youth to appropriate services that have the capacity to serve them on a concurrent or sequential basis; c. Ensure that eligible providers refer youth, who either do not meet the enrollment requirements for the program, to appropriate programs to meet the skills and training needs of the participant. d. Ensure that eligible providers refer youth, cannot be served by the program for further assessment, if necessary, to appropriate programs to meet the skills and training needs of the participant. e. Also involve specific members of the community, including parents and youth participants, in designing and implementing the WIOA youth program. Concurrent Enrollment Career Planners may allow youth to participate in both the WIOA youth program and the adult program at the same time if they are eligible for both and it is determined to be an appropriate CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 106 | P a g e strategy. If such concurrent enrollment occurs, CareerSource must track expenditures separately by program. Note that WIOA eliminated the reference to concurrent enrollment of youth in the dislocated worker program because any youth meeting eligibility for the dislocated worker program would have already successfully attained a job and would most likely be more appropriately served under the dislocated worker program. Youth who are eligible under both programs may enroll concurrently in WIOA Title I (Workforce Development Activities) and Title II (Adult Education and Literacy) programs. Determine Program Enrollment for Youth 18-24 Year Old Young Adults aged 18 to 24 are eligible for the WIOA Adult and Youth Programs and Career Planners must determine whether to serve these individuals in the youth program, adult program, or both. The CareerSource Board provides that a local youth program must determine whether to enroll an 18 to 24 year old in the youth program or adult program based on the individual's career readiness as determined through an objective assessment. How Long Must Youth Be Served Before Exiting? The CareerSource Board provides that WIOA youth are not exited before successfully completing the program due to artificial time constraints, such as, closing the program out at the end of the Program Year or the ending of youth service provider contracts. In order to ensure that youth are not prematurely exited from the WIOA youth program, the CareerSource Board provides that youth programs serve participants for the amount of time necessary to ensure they are successfully prepared to enter post-secondary education and/or unsubsidized employment. While there is no minimum or maximum time a youth can participate in the WIOA youth program, program participation must be linked to a participant's individual service strategy and not the timing of youth service provider contracts or the last day in a Program Year, etc. WIOA Youth Services The CareerSource Board will ensure that all 14 WIOA youth programs elements are available to WIOA youth participants. The Career Planners have the discretion to determine which elements to provide to a participant based on the participant's assessment and individual service strategy. Below are the 14 WIOA program elements, including 5 new youth program elements in WIOA sec. 129(c)(2) that were not included under WIOA. a. Tutoring, study skills training, instruction, and evidence-based dropout prevention and recovery strategies that lead to completion of the requirements for a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent (including a recognized certificate of attendance or similar document for individuals with disabilities) or for a recognized postsecondary credential; b. Alternative secondary school services, or dropout recovery services, as appropriate; CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 107 | P a g e  c. Paid and unpaid work experiences that have as a component academic and occupational education, which may include: 1) Summer employment opportunities and other employment opportunities available throughout the school year: 2) Pre-apprenticeship programs; 3) Internships and job shadowing; and 4) On-the-job training opportunities; d. Occupational skills training, which shall include priority consideration for training programs that lead to recognized postsecondary credentials that are aligned with in- demand industry sectors or occupations in the local area involved, if the local board determines that the programs meet the quality criteria described in section 123; e. Education offered concurrently with and in the same context as workforce preparation activities and training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster; f. Leadership development opportunities, which may include community service and peer- centered activities encouraging responsibility and other positive social and civic behaviors, as appropriate; g. Supportive services; h. Adult mentoring for the period of participation and a subsequent period, for a total of not less than 12 months; i. Follow-up services for not less than 12 months after the completion of participation, as appropriate; j. Comprehensive guidance and counseling, which