WIOA State Plan Common Elements

(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 AJC partner programs will coordinate activities and resources to provide comprehensive, high-quality, customer-centered services, including supportive services to individuals including those populations identified in section II(a)(1)(B). The activities described shall conform to the statutory requirements of each program.

Jobseekers as Customers: Coordination, Alignment, and Provision of Services

For jobseekers— especially jobseekers who are unemployed or who face barriers to employment—this approach means that the State will strive to ensure customers who are receiving multiple services across agencies are not discouraged or disenfranchised by unnecessary bureaucracy. Instead, Maryland customers will feel encouraged and assisted by the workforce system because the WIOA Partners will continue to communicate often and effectively, taking action to align efforts across programs when possible. The WIOA Partners meet on a monthly basis through the WIOA Alignment Group to discuss implementation and alignment efforts, and to address the progress and opportunities for improvement, which would include training opportunities for staff.

Maryland leverages multiple avenues and access points to provide efficient and effective services and systems for customers. To help operationalize alignment efforts, MD Labor, DHS, MSDE, DHCD, and local workforce partners are committed to cross training employees and sharing resources and data, as appropriate and when possible. Collaboration between State and local workforce partners and the co-location of resources will further foster improved customer service, as it will help identify commonalities and ensure that processes are in place to provide a greater number of services to shared customers. The WIOA Partners will explore ways to include incentives for local providers to serve those who are most in need of assistance. The WIOA Partners are further committed to placing jobseekers in the center of service delivery solutions.

Maryland’s WIOA Partners are committed to serving the following target populations, identified by the State as individuals with barriers to employment:

Target Populations: Individuals with Barriers to Employment

• Displaced Homemakers
• Eligible MSFWs
• Ex-offenders
• Homeless individuals
• Individuals facing substantial cultural barriers
• Individuals with disabilities, including youth with disabilities
• Individuals within two years of exhausting lifetime eligibility under Part A of the Social Security Act
• Individuals who are English language learners
• Individuals who are unemployed, including the long-term unemployed
• Individuals who have low levels of literacy
• Individuals without a High School Diploma
• Low income individuals (including TANF and SNAP recipients)
• Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians
• Older individuals
• Single parents (including single pregnant women and non-custodial parents)
• Veterans
• Youth who are in or have aged out of the foster care system

Maryland is dedicated to continued discussions regarding the individual barriers noted on the above list, and is open to exploring whether additional barriers to employment should be included. Maryland allows for Local Areas to include specific additional barriers that the Local Areas may wish to include in their service delivery. These individuals face challenges that require the WIOA Partners to work together to coordinate services and to implement innovative strategies to meet their needs throughout the job acquisition, training, and business recruitment processes.

Maryland’s WIOA system will:

• Incorporate continuous staff training, which is paramount to understanding and properly utilizing the tools available to facilitate assessment, to disseminate information on services available throughout the system, and to refer customers to appropriate WIOA partner organizations.
• Provide multiple access points to increase outreach and balance efficiency among the various persons involved with the customer experience.
• Create a robust menu of services and appropriate referrals that can effectively meet the needs of a diverse customer base.
• Establish relationships, competence, and accountability among all partners involved in the system. Through the Alignment Group, the WIOA Partners will establish deeper relationships and accountability to enhance the customers’ experiences.
• Encourage sharing of information among partners, such as creating a resource map, workforce network blog, WIOA listserv, and a common customer service management system. The Alignment Group will provide guidance to the system.
• Encourage greater business involvement in workforce processes, in Workforce Development Boards, and in the sharing of “industry-related” work skills and behavioral expectations. This includes a greater collaborative role for community colleges and industry organizations in developing programs that meet labor market needs in the Local Area.
• Develop a common intake process that provides the ability to access customer information on services provided and next steps in the process.
• Reduce duplicative processes to expand staff’s ability to serve customers more efficiently;
• Establish guidelines for WIOA Partners to manage and refer customers to other partners;
• Identify liaisons among the various partners to assure that customers experience a seamless flow and referral to appropriate services.
• Develop a mechanism for clear identification of resources and service responsibilities among the partners and within the community.
• Place customers at the center of policy decisions regarding service delivery.

Maryland’s WIOA system can be a pathway to the middle class and a means to maintain and build the skills necessary to remain in the middle class. Maryland is committed to ensuring its target populations are able to access the WIOA system on a priority basis. The State will ensure WIOA priority of service provisions are appropriately followed and monitored through several means. Within the WIOA local plans, Maryland will require Local Areas to provide details on how priority shall be given in the Local Area within the requisite parameters of the law and State policy. Additionally, Maryland’s WIOA Memoranda of Understanding will ensure priority of service is effectively offered. Maryland policy requires that local WIOA Memoranda of Understanding contain provisions regarding a number of key components, including priority of service.   

Supportive Services

To fully address the wide range of barriers that WIOA participants may face, Maryland is committed to offering a diverse array of supportive services as appropriate. Supportive and wrap-around services will provide financial and other assistance to participants who would not be able to successfully participate otherwise. Using a systems approach, the WIOA Partners are committed to working together to ensure supportive service resources are leveraged effectively for jobseekers. By taking advantage of opportunities to braid funding streams within Maryland’s WIOA system, participants may be supported with transportation assistance, suitable attire for work, tools, work or training equipment, child or dependent care, graduation fees, union fees, clothing for interviews or work, and more.

 Maryland’s WIOA Partners recognize that supportive service needs vary widely by participant and geography and, therefore, supportive services must be designed to assist in the removal of the specific barriers that individual participants face. The State will consider customer feedback to drive decision-making to ensure that supportive service funding is allocated in a way that truly meets customer needs.

Additionally, programs working with out-of-school youth ages 16-24 are strongly encouraged to work with Local Management Boards through the Governor’s Office for Children to plan and implement supportive services that respond to the needs of youth in their respective jurisdictions. Local Management Boards are local government designees established in each of Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions to ensure the coordinated implementation of a local inter-agency service delivery system for children, youth, and families. Local Management Boards are able to apply for flexible State funds from the Children’s Cabinet to support programming that aligns with Governor Hogan’s goal of ensuring economic opportunity for all. These flexible State funds may provide necessary supports that could not otherwise be provided with existing, less flexible federal dollars. It is envisioned that collaborative planning and implementation will prevent service duplication and ensure that State funds are used to fill gaps in services. Local plans must address how they will leverage and coordinate supportive services in service delivery.

All of Maryland’s Core Partners are committed to aligning activities and resources, including for those participating in the TAA program. The WIOA Alignment Group meets monthly to discuss continuous coordination of services, referrals, and co-enrollment. In order to ensure, comprehensive, customer-centered services, the partners have adopted strategies, not limited to, but including:

• Co-location of services: when possible, partners are encouraged to coordinate services in a shared physical location to enhance customer access. The Upper Shore and Prince George’s County have been leaders on this effort, establishing AJCs and Local Departments of Social Services at the same site;
• Maryland continues to seed opportunities to invest in the co-enrollment of WIOA Title I and Title II participants through the Career Pathways project (mentioned above) in order to fully integrate adult education and training services;
• The State created a new policy on TAA in 2019 and encourages Local Areas to co-enroll Trade participants in WIOA Title I programming, so customers have a full menu of opportunities available to them; and
• The State allows partner access to the MWE in order for staff at DORS, DHS (TANF), and DHCD to determine if their customers are enrolled in or should be referred to partner programming.