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

allowable activity and a type of work experience that counts toward the work experience priority (which requires a minimum of 20 percent of funds allocated to a local area to be spent on work experience) they are not a required program element as they previously were under WIOA. Summer Employment Opportunities Administration CareerSource must adhere to the provisions outlined in WIOA sec. 123 for selecting service providers when administering summer employment opportunities. WIOA requires CareerSource to identify youth providers of youth workforce investment activities, including work experiences such as summer employment opportunities, by awarding grants or contracts on a competitive basis. As provided in WIOA sec. 123, if there is an insufficient number of eligible providers of youth workforce investment activities, CareerSource may award grants or contracts on a sole source basis. CareerSource does not need to select the employers who are providing the employment opportunities through a competitive process. Education Offered concurrently within the same Context as Workforce Preparation Activities This describes the new program element at WIOA sec. 129(c)(2)(E): “education offered concurrently and in the same context as workforce preparation activities and training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster.” The new program element requires integrated education and training to occur concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation activities and workforce training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster for the purpose of educational and career advancement. Youth participants will not be required to master basic academic skills before moving on to learning career-specific technical skills. This approach aligns with recent research which found students using an integrated education and training model had better rates of program completion and persistence than a comparison group (Jenkins 2009). CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 113 | P a g e Incentive Payments for Youth Participants Incentives under the WIOA youth program are permitted. USDOL has included the reference to 2 CFR 200 to emphasize that while incentive payments are allowable under WIOA, the incentives must be in compliance with the requirements in 2 CFR part 200. The Uniform Administrative Requirements are consolidated into 2 CFR part 200. For example, under 2 CFR part 200, Federal funds may not be spent on entertainment costs. Therefore, incentives may not include entertainment, such as movie or sporting event tickets or gift cards to movie theaters or other venues whose sole purpose is entertainment. Parents, Youth, and Other Members of the Community Involvement in the Design and Implementation of Local Youth Programs The requirement in WIOA sec. 129(c)(3)(C) for the involvement of parents, participants, and community members in the design and implementation of the WIOA youth program, provides examples of the type of involvement that would be beneficial. USDOL has also included the requirement in WIOA sec. 129(c)(8) that the CareerSource Board must also make opportunities available to successful participants to volunteer to help participants as mentors, tutors, or in other activities. In-School Youth Definition The term ‘‘in-school youth’’ means an individual who is— a. Attending school (as defined by State law); b. Not younger than age 14 or (unless an individual with a disability who is attending school under State law) older than age 21; c. A low-income individual (Also includes a youth living in a high poverty area); and d. One or more of the following (1) Basic skills deficient; (2) An English language learner; (3) An offender; (4) A homeless individual (as defined in sec- tion 41403(6) of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 14043e–2(6))), a homeless child or youth (as defined in section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a(2))), a runaway, in foster care or has aged out of the foster care system, a child eligible for assistance under section 477 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677), or in an out- of-home placement; (5) Pregnant or parenting; (6) A youth who is an individual with a disability; (7) An individual who requires additional assistance to complete an educational program or to secure or hold employment. CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 114 | P a g e Out-Of-School Youth Definition The term ‘‘out-of-school youth’’ means an individual who is— a. Not attending any school (as defined under State law); b. Not younger than age 16 or older than age 24; and c. One or more of the following: (1) A school dropout; (2) A youth who is within the age of compulsory school attendance, but has not attended school for at least the most recent complete school year calendar quarter; (3) A recipient of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent who is a low-income individual and is: (a) Basic skills deficient; or (b) An English language learner. (4) An individual who is subject to the juvenile or adult justice system; (5) A homeless individual (as defined in section 41403(6) of the Violence; (6) Against Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 14043e–2(6))), a homeless child or youth (as defined in section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a (2))), a runaway, in foster care or has aged out of the foster care system, a child eligible for assistance under section 477 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677), or in an out-of-home placement; (7) An individual who is pregnant or parenting; (8) A youth who is an individual with a disability; (9) A low-income individual who requires additional assistance to enter or complete an educational program or to secure or hold employment. A. Definition of the term “a youth who is unable to compute or solve problems, or read, write, or speak English at a level necessary to function on the job, in the individual’s family, or in society.” Describe how the local board defines whether a youth is unable to demonstrate these skills well enough to function on the job, in their family, or in society and what assessment instruments are used to make this determination. 20 C.F.R. §681.290. Eligible youth as defined by WIOA will, upon entering into the CareerSource youth program, are assessed by a Career Planner. The youth will be required to take a TABE test to determine their academic level. The Career Planner will determine skill levels through one-on-one interview and other discussions with the youth; for example, reviewing past work history, etc. Service needs will be CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 115 | P a g e determined through one-on-one interactions with the youth. An individual career plan will be developed for the youth and serve a guide for assigning activities. The primary method for assessment is the TABE test; however, Florida Ready to Work may also be used as a supplemental assessment and remediation tool. An individual who does not achieve a Bronze level on the Work Keys assessment tool should be considered Basic Literacy Skills Deficient. Deficient in Basic Literacy Skills using the Work Keys means an individual who, at a minimum, meets the definition of Basic Skills Deficient; or is unable to compute or solve problems, read write, or speak English at a level necessary to function on the job, in the individual’s family, or in society. B. Definition of “requires additional assistance.” Describe how the local board defines the term “requires additional assistance” used in determining eligibility for WIOA-funded youth programs. 20 CFR §681.300. The CareerSource Board has defined “requires additional assistance” to complete an educational program, or to secure and hold employment as: Youth who have been defined as “At Risk” and in need of additional services to complete training or an education program or need assistance in obtaining or maintaining employment. Below are examples of youth who may meet this definition: a. Youth in households defined as low income or economically disadvantaged; b. Youth failing academically, and/or at risk of dropping out of school; c. Eligible School Dropouts; d. Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) involved youth (Youth living with their parents); e. Youth in a single parent household f. Youth in Foster Care or aging out of Foster Care; g. Youth with disabilities; h. Take Stock-in-Children recipients; and i. Youth at risk of dropping out of school meeting one or more of the following indicators: (1) Youth that has earned three or more F’s for the previous school year; (2) Youth that have more than 21 documented unexcused absences in a school year; CareerSource Okaloosa Walton April 30, 2016 116 | P a g e  (3) Youth two or more years older than their peer group; (4) Youth that have been retained one or more times; (5) Youth that has more than four (4) discipline referrals in a school year; (6) Youth that scored below a 3.5 on the FCAT Writing Assessment; (7) Youth with a Scale Score below a 300 on either the FCAT Reading or Math; and (8) Youth that has attended five (5) or more schools during his/her academic history. REGIONAL PLANNING ANALYSIS The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides for a new regional planning process designed to promote alignment with economic development and education, improved services to employers, workers and job seekers, improved performance in the delivery of workforce services and more efficient delivery of services through coordinated administrative arrangements. The CareerSource Florida Network and its partners have a unique opportunity to engage in regional planning in order to meet the goals of both WIOA and, more importantly, Florida’s vision for talent development. Please describe your strategy toward analyzing potential WIOA planning regions as defined in WIOA section 106(a)(2). Such strategy should include, but not be limited to: (1) An analysis of the regional economy, labor market areas, and industry sectors in a region that include your local area With a dedicated, highly skilled workforce exceeding 700,000, Northwest Florida can accommodate the employment needs of diverse relocating and expanding businesses. Northwest Florida’s workforce includes graduates from the region’s research universities and network of state colleges, community colleges and technical centers, along with recently retired and separating military personnel who choose to remain in Northwest Florida after completing their service at one of the region’s 6 military bases. The strong government and military presence has helped develop several of the region’s key industry clusters, including Aviation, Aerospace,