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  • III. Operational Planning Elements

    The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an Operational Planning Elements section that supports the State’s strategy and the system-wide vision described in Section II(c) above.  Unless otherwise noted, all Operational Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs.  This section must include—

    • a. State Strategy Implementation

      The Unified or Combined State Plan must include–

      • 2. Implementation of State Strategy

        Describe how the lead State agency with responsibility for the administration of each core program or a Combined Plan partner program included in this plan will implement the State’s Strategies identified in Section II(c). above. This must include a description of—

III. a. 2. C. Coordination, Alignment and Provision of Services to Individuals

Describe how the entities carrying out the respective core programs, Combined State Plan partner programs included in this plan, and required and optional one-stop partner programs will coordinate activities and resources to provide comprehensive, high-quality, customer-centered services, including supportive services (e.g. transportation), to individuals, including those populations identified in section II(a)(1)(B), and individuals in remote areas. The activities described shall conform to the statutory requirements of each program.   

Current Narrative:

The delivery of services is available and accessible to all customers, including veterans, migrant and seasonal farm workers, individuals with disabilities, returning citizens (ex–offenders), welfare–to–work participants, and the general public.  In addition to administering Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Wagner–Peyser, and Adult Education programs, the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity-Workforce Development (LEO) administers: 

  • Partnership.Accountability.Training.Hope (PATH) – Provides job assistance and training to parents receiving cash assistance. 
     
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Provides employment and training activities and supportive services for individuals subject to the work requirement for able–bodied individuals without dependents receiving food assistance.
     
  • Trade Act – Provides training to workers who have lost their jobs as a result of an increase in imports or shift of jobs to foreign countries.

 

  • Veterans – Provides specialized services that promote employment and training for veterans.
     
  • Jobs for Veterans’ State Grant – Targets certain categories of veterans and spouses of veterans.
     
  • Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers – Provides specialized services to migrant and seasonal farm workers that are delivered through the Agricultural Employment Specialists in collaboration with Michigan Works!
     
  • Foreign Labor Certification – Assists employers in filling their personnel needs that cannot be met with United States (U.S.) workers, while protecting U.S. workers from competition from low–wage foreign workers.
     
  • Michigan Offender Success – LEO works with the Department of Corrections to coordinate prisoner re–entry services in the workforce system.
     
  • Fidelity Bonding Program of Michigan – The program assists high–risk job seekers in obtaining employment by providing an incentive for employers to hire job seekers who are qualified but may be considered high–risk.  A fidelity bond is available to any job seeker who has a bona–fide offer of employment.  Those eligible include people with poor credit records including bankruptcies, economically disadvantaged youth and adults who lack a work history, welfare recipients, recovering substance abusers, ex–offenders, those dishonorably discharged from military service, youth in apprenticeships, and those who cannot be commercially bonded.
     
  • The Martin Luther King Jr. – Cesar Chavez – Rosa Parks Initiative Programs are designed to assist students along the academic pipeline from the seventh grade through graduate work.
     
    Additional State strategies and collaborations include the following:
     
    Serving Youth in Need:  In order to meet the Governor’s goal of serving under-represented young adults by providing employment programs and an introduction to the world of work, while providing participants and their families with income, services and strategies must be dedicated to the youth population.  Because the need is great and WIOA funding is limited, it is necessary for our system to leverage resources and services from other organizations.  LEO, in conjunction with the Michigan Works! Agencies (MWAs), provides linkages between workforce development, education, juvenile justice, and social service agencies as well as coordinating with local employers to provide under-represented and “at–risk” youth entry–level jobs, internships, mentoring, on–the–job training, and work experience in high–demand occupations.
     
    Youth services provided by the MWAs’ One–Stop system include intensive case management, mentoring, advocacy, referrals to shelter and housing, health care, supportive services, childcare, transportation, job training, and education.  At–risk youth’s employment and life barriers are identified and addressed in Individual Service Strategies, which lay out plans for overcoming identified barriers.  The Individual Service Strategies also set participation benchmarks and goals designed to lead to self–sufficiency, including continuing education and employment.
     
    Furthermore, the following strategies help promote collaboration and service to those youth most in need:
     
    Summer Young Professionals Program:
    Michigan aligns with the WIOA in support of an increased focus on work experience for youth and envisions a public-private partnership designed to reduce youth unemployment by introducing under-represented young adults ages 14-24 to the world of work while providing participants and their families with income.  Combined services will place young adults on the right path to gain the skills necessary to achieve life-long economic self-sufficiency.  As such, Michigan will be piloting this statewide summer youth employment program in 2020.
     
    Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates:  The statewide Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates program helps Michigan’s young people who are at risk of dropping out of high school, or who have already dropped out, graduate and make successful transitions to post–secondary education or meaningful employment.  Students enrolled in the program are youth who have barriers to success, including deficiencies in basic skills, transportation, income, and economic status.  Many are from families with low educational attainment levels.
     
    Pathways to Potential:  Pathways to Potential is a program designed to provide students and their families with the help they need to eliminate barriers so students can succeed.  LEO works in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (Family Independence Program) to provide a customer–centered service delivery model that interacts with clients in the communities it serves, including those in remote areas.  The Pathways approach targets five outcome areas:  attendance, education, health, safety and
    self-sufficiency, while relying on support networks and partnerships.
     
    Summer Youth Employment Program for Foster Youth:  The LEO Chafee–funded Summer Youth Employment Program provides meaningful summer employment opportunities for youth in foster care.  The program may include any combination of allowable WIOA youth services that occur during the summer period, as long as it includes a work experience component.  Eligibility for the program is restricted to Chafee–eligible foster youth, ages 14 and older, without a goal of reunification or likely to remain in care until age 18 or older.  The Summer Youth Employment Program participants are provided work experience and employment development for a minimum of six weeks, for at least 20 hours per week at no less than minimum wage.
     
    YouthBuild Programs:  YouthBuild programs are in operation in Michigan, predominantly in urban areas.  Programs are located in Benton Harbor, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Jackson and Saginaw.  The program provides a means for job training by providing pathways to education, jobs, entrepreneurship, and other opportunities.  This leads to productive livelihoods and community leadership, while providing positive energy to young adults to rebuild their communities and their lives. The MWAs partner with YouthBuild programs in their perspective areas which allows additional opportunities for all youth.
     
    Partnership.Accountability.Training.Hope. (PATH):  With the passage of federal Welfare to Work legislation in 1996, cash assistance evolved from an entitlement to a safety network program designed to provide families with temporary financial assistance while they secure employment.  However, many families seeking cash assistance through the Michigan Family Independence Program face significant barriers in securing and retaining employment.  From childcare to transportation and literacy, career coaches cite a long list of barriers that can keep families from achieving self–sufficiency.
     
    PATH is a robust, results–oriented work participation program designed to identify barriers and help clients connect to the resources they need to obtain employment and is administered by LEO through the Michigan Works! One–Stop centers.  Funds are awarded by formula to each of the MWAs.  The PATH formula allocation is based on the relative number of Application Eligibility Period (AEP) attendees and PATH participants in the local area, compared to the total number of AEP attendees and PATH participants statewide within the recent 12-month period.  The PATH program features a 21–day assessment period during which barriers to employment are identified and career coaches work individually with clients to connect them with resources to address these barriers.
     
    The MWAs may also enter into agreements with their local Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) offices for the purpose of providing additional Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding for employment–related support services.  The funds are transferred to LEO via an Interagency Agreement and then allocated to the local MWAs.  
     
    Individual participants who are eligible may also be referred to education and training activities funded through the WIOA to maximize the effectiveness of resources.
     
    Food Assistance Employment and Training Program (FAE&T):  The FAE&T Program provides participants opportunities to gain skills, training, or experience to improve their ability to obtain self-sustaining employment.  Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) subject to the ABAWD work requirement may choose the option of finding a job on their own and working a minimum of 20 hours per week, to participate in self-initiated community service with a local MDHHS office, or to be referred to an MWA for employment and training services through FAE&T.  For individuals referred to an MWA, an Individual Service Strategy is completed, and supportive services are available.  Intensive case management services designed to support ABAWDs’ efforts toward employability will be provided, as appropriate, throughout the duration of their participation in employment and training activities.  Participants, who are eligible, may also be referred to education and training activities funded through the WIOA to maximize the effectiveness of resources.  Funds for the program are awarded by formula to eleven MWAs, and allocations are based on the total number of food assistance households during a recent twelve-month period.
     
    In addition to serving ABAWDs, the Food Assistance Employment and Training Plus program (FAE&T Plus) extends employment and training services to include individuals with minor children by connecting with third party partners to deliver these services with non-federal funding.  The program design focuses on employer demand while offering skills training and credentials required to obtain self-sustaining employment.  The State qualifies for a 50 percent reimbursement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for all qualified expenditures.

 Refugee Services:  The Office of Global Michigan (OGM) (previously Michigan Office for New Americans), Office of Refugee Services has provided additional employment support services to refugees that receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cash assistance through the Family Independence Program.  The number of refugees coming into the country is highly variable, but GM identified eight counties in Michigan as serving the majority of refugees.  The MWAs work with their GM refugee contractor to provide employability support services for MWA-referred refugees.

 The State allocates funding to support Refugee and Immigrant Navigators.  Refugee and Immigrant Navigators are housed in the Michigan Works! One-Stop centers to provide support and resources to the influx of immigrants and other persons granted legal authorization to work in the United States from distressed locations outside of North America.

 Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA):  LEO has an integrated strategy to align services between the WIOA Rapid Response (RR) and TAA programs.  To increase alignment among the programs and better serve our dislocated workers, a new section called the TAA/RR Section has been created under LEO and relocated to the Talent Development Division.  This adjustment will increase collaboration among the programs.  This recent shift within the LEO has allowed for both the TAA and RR programs to align within a single section to ensure an all-inclusive approach is provided statewide.

 TAA/RR State Coordinators continuously coordinate the WIOA employer-based training initiatives to ensure support of the demand-driven model and coordination of TAA and the WIOA Dislocated Worker programs.  The goal of all concerned parties is to provide dislocated workers with an array of support, resources, and technical assistance to effectively assist in the transition to reemployment.

 Wagner–Peyser Programs:  Michigan is creating and implementing new policy directives for its Wagner–Peyser program in order to meet the demands of job seekers and employers.  In addition, the State and its partners are creating new and stronger partnerships in order to improve service delivery, to avoid duplication of services, and to enhance service coordination, including co–locating agencies within the One–Stop centers.  New directives include: 

  • Wagner–Peyser services will be aligned with Adult and Dislocated Worker services to refer job seekers for training support services and a more intensive level of service which Wagner–Peyser dollars do not fund.  Adult and Dislocated Worker providers have established relationships with local community colleges and universities to provide training in high–demand occupations.
     
  • Providing the Unemployment Insurance Agency Work Test for claimants to ensure they are able to work, seeking work, and have not refused suitable work.  This is completed when the claimant registers for work at an MWA by entering their profile on the Pure Michigan Talent Connect – Michigan’s labor exchange system.

 Providing re–employment services to profiled claimants selected by the Unemployment Insurance Agency.  Profiled claimants are those claimants who will most likely exhaust their unemployment benefits before finding employment.  Re–employment services provide a more guided approach to accessing employment and training services offered by the MWAs to assist the claimant in returning to work more quickly.  The services offered include employability workshops, creating an Individual Service Strategy to guide the customer through their job search, and providing labor market information. 

  • Partnering with the Unemployment Insurance Agency to deliver the Re–employability Eligibility Assessment (REA) pilot program.  This program provides one–on–one service to claimants who will more than likely exhaust their unemployment benefits prior to obtaining employment.  This is similar to the re–employment profiling component mentioned above; however, claimants are to receive up to three REAs if employment has not been acquired.  These REAs consist of re–employment services that are more intense and include
    follow–up case management services.
     
  • Assisting highly–skilled talent in finding demand–driven careers by providing employability workshops to enhance the quality of job seekers’ career searches and provide the connection to employers through job fairs, employer of the day events, and industry fairs.

 Adult Education and Family Literacy Act Programs:  Adult education plays an integral role in the workforce system in Michigan by providing educational services for adults with low-basic skills.  Collaboration and partnership at the local and state levels among the core partners is essential and will be further supported with the creation of LEO.  Adult education providers partner with the local One-Stop centers to identify the needs of local employers, develop integrated education and training programs, and offer workforce preparation services.  The partnership with Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS) and the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP) is essential to ensure access to supportive services for individuals with a disability.  LEO also partners with Michigan Department of Corrections in the administration of corrections education, and the Michigan Department of Education for career and technical education programs for adult learners under the Section 107 Special Programs.  The Office of Adult Education has recently partnered with the Agriculture and Foreign Labor Services staff to discuss strategies for increasing the number of migrant and seasonal farm workers enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) and adult education programming.

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) – Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS) and Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP) 

The focus for MRS and BSBP is to provide individualized services and support to individuals with disabilities.  VR staff are disability subject matter experts who collaborate with core and combined program partners to support and provide impactful services.  

  • Coordination between programs is supported at the state and local levels through informal working alliances and formal agreements, memorandums of understanding, and cost sharing.   
  • As required, MRS and BSBP efforts are focused on unserved, underserved, and emerging populations of individuals with disabilities identified in the Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment.  Additionally, MRS and BSBP will collaborate, to the extent allowable, with the other core programs to service marginalized populations experiencing multiple barriers to employment.