WIOA State Plan Common Elements

The below describes how the State will implement the strategies set out in II(c) above:

GOAL 1: SYSTEM ALIGNMENT –– Create a seamless one–stop delivery system where partners provide worker–centric and student–centric integrated services.

• STRATEGY 1.1: Develop a common understanding among partners as to what the “one stop delivery system” is in Indiana.
  • Work with partners to develop a framework for Indiana for the one stop delivery system, with common definitions.
  • Educate all stakeholders on the framework.

• STRATEGY 1.2: Increase service integration among partner agencies within the one stop delivery system
  • Build upon the work of the Career Council’s System Alignment taskforce in examining the structure and service delivery of Indiana’s workforce agencies, regions, and partners to increase coordination, efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability. This examination will stress the importance of creativity and innovation in thinking beyond bricks and mortar locations, while analyzing and making recommendations on:
    • the value of co–location with other core, mandatory or optional partners;
    • coordination of case management across partners; and
    • coordination of business services across partners.
  • Implement new case management systems across partners. DWD is in the process of implementing a new case management and labor exchange system. This system will also align with the states labor market information data, interactive website and tools for jobs seekers and career counselors. Additionally, VR is continuing development of a web–based case management system to improve the efficiency and enhance the mobile working environment of VR field staff. The system will ensure appropriate system integration and data–sharing to align resources and consumer information to improve the consumer’s experience in VR and increase the success of meeting his/her employment goal. During implementation of both systems, Indiana is assessing ways to leverage the systems for alignment across the entire one stop system and as appropriate share data between the two systems.

o Evaluate the employment and training services being provided to recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), identifying options for consolidating programs and services that would increase coordination, efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability

o Evaluate utilization of SNAP 50/50.

• STRATEGY 1.3: Simplify the process for customers in order for services to be accessible when, where and how they are needed.
  • Build upon the work of the Career Council’s System Alignment taskforce by analyzing and make recommendations on:
    • the ability to leverage technology for virtual one stop;
    • the ability for mobile One Stop services; and
    • common intake/single points of entry.
  • Create clear explanation of services and clear explanation of eligibility for programs.

• STRATEGY 1.4: Ensure the culture of the One Stop system promotes knowledge transfer across partner programs, such that staff embraces the “no wrong door” philosophy and is capable of providing information on services across programs and making appropriate referrals.
  • Provide training to current staff on services across programs
  • Develop cross training materials that can be used in the future on new hires
  • In Region 11, DWD and VR are working on a Pilot to have a subject matter expert on WorkOne services in the VR office and to have a subject expert on VR services in the WorkOne office. Common referrals and communication channels are being established between the offices and staff training is being conducted so the entire VR or WorkOne office will be cross trained.

GOAL 2: CLIENT–CENTRIC APPROACH –– Create a client–centered approach, where system partners and programs coordinate in a way that each individual worker or student has a pathway to improving his or her education, knowledge, skills and, ultimately, his or her employment prospects, with a focus on in–demand careers.

• STRATEGY 2.1: Create a career pathways system that provides opportunities for students and workers across the education and workforce systems to link to the labor markets within each region in Indiana, and their respective high–wage, high–demand careers.

o Key items regarding the development of a career pathways system framework have been completed by the Indiana Career Council, including development of a document that clearly defines elements of a career pathways system, and development of a process document for aligning various pathways programs into an integrated pathways system.

o Through the Education Workforce Innovation Network (EWIN) project, The National Center for College and Career Transitions (NC3T) is leading an effort known as the Indiana Pathways Innovation Network, or IN–PIN. The purpose of this initiative is to bring together employer–led organizations, school districts, adult education providers, colleges, and workforce system partners to develop and support educational pathway programs for youth and adults. IN–PIN helps identify and share promising practices and replicable strategies that can be used to implement and improve pathway programs of study. IN–PIN also will promote the structures and processes needed for these organizations to work together to form a career pathways system.

o The Indiana Pathways Innovation Network (IN–PIN) will hold workshops to provide a framework for communities to build or strengthen pathways systems to support the statewide development of a pathways system.

o A “State of the Workforce” is under development so counselors have the most up–to–date information on in–demand, high–wage occupations.

o Over $4.3 million in state funds and $2.7 million in private match funds were awarded by the Indiana Regional Works Councils through the CTE Innovative Curriculum grants. Dual credits and/or workforce credentials were a component of the programs receiving awards.

o DWD, through the Skill Up initiative, will provide up to $11 million dollars in funding to industry–led regional partnerships for the implementation of a number of evidence–based strategies aimed at closing the skill and attainment gaps.

o Ivy Tech community college, DWD and the Indiana Department of Education are working on an integrated approach for CTE pathways.

o Indiana is receiving federal technical assistance on career pathways in adult education (Moving Pathways Forward), with plans for a local pilot.

o DWD, working with the SWIC’s WIOA Implementation Taskforce, will analyze policy the opportunities to ensure those with barriers to employment and low level learners will have the ability to access sustainable career pathways and seek appropriate credentials at all levels.

• STRATEGY 2.2: Ensure that students and workers at all levels throughout Indiana are provided with meaningful career counseling and career preparation, including information on Indiana’s high wage, high demand occupations.

o Adult career counseling standards that build off of the new k–12 career counseling standards are currently under development. After their development, next steps will be: 1)marketing and implementation of the standards, and 2) broad professional development to all providers, including Adult Education, Work One offices, Ivy Tech campuses, Vocational Rehabilitation, K12, etc.

o A “State of the Workforce” is under development so counselors have the most up–to–date information on in–demand, high–wage occupations.

o Proposed changes to the Core 40 diploma include the addition of the Preparing for College and Careers and a College and Career Readiness sequence.

o Indiana Career Explorer is available to all Indiana residents to provide career interest information.

o “Postsecondary Pathways: Connecting Education to Careers for Student Success” events are being hosted by DWD and the Regional Works Councils, in partnership with the Indiana Youth Institute, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the Center for Excellence in Leadership of Learning at the University of Indianapolis and the Commission for Higher Education, as well as local and regional employers, to address the issues of postsecondary education and workforce development. These day–long, local professional development opportunities are designed to give educators, counselors and other youth–serving professionals the chance to learn directly from employers about available jobs in their region. Employers also inform attendees about the necessary steps for students to take to explore pathways to careers, such as apprenticeships, internships and credentials that take one to two years to earn.

o Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) will be expanded in Indiana. JAG is a state–based, national non–profit organization dedicated to preventing dropouts among youth who are most at–risk. JAG’s mission is to keep young people in school through graduation and provide work–based learning experiences that will lead to career advancement opportunities, or to enroll in a postsecondary institution that leads to a rewarding career. JAG students receive adult mentoring while in school and one year of follow–up counseling after graduation. Indiana’s program consistently graduates approximately 90 percent of participants and many students choose to continue their education after high school.

o Indiana received a technical assistance grant for its Jobs for America’s Graduates programs through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that will provide instruction and marketing materials related to financial capability education through December 2016.

• STRATEGY 2.3: Elevate the importance of work–and–learn models (ICC 4)

o Key items regarding work–and–learn has been accomplished by the Indiana Career Council that will provide a framework for moving Indiana forward. One such items is the development and dissemination of A Guide to Talent Attraction and Development for Indiana Employers: Leveraging Work–and–Learn Opportunities to Attract Qualified Hoosier Talent.

o The State Workforce Innovation Council (SWIC) will continue to stress the importance of work and learn through the Demand Driven Workforce System taskforce, which is a taskforce of the SWIC. One of the objectives of this taskforce is to provide guidance on development of pre–apprenticeships, apprenticeships, and work & learn opportunities.

o Apply for and grant out funding which elevates the importance of work and learn in Indiana:

§ A Sector Partnership National Emergency Grant was awarded to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development by the US Department of Labor. Part of these funds may be used to provide employer incentives for work–based training.

§ WIA incentive funding was dedicated to work–and–learn, with grants being awarded in January, 2015, with a focus on youth and adult education work–and–learn opportunities.

§ Work–and–learn opportunities are one evidenced–based approach that can be funded by DWD’s Skill UP initiative.

§ Indiana intends to apply for NGA’s Center Work–based Learning Policy Academy

o The Lieutenant Governor sponsored a State Fair Summer program, with this year being the pilot year.

o Track work–and–learn: Conversations with Indiana Department of Education, Indiana INTERNnet, Independent Colleges of Indiana, and the Commission for Higher Education have begun to determine ways in which work–and–learn opportunities can be tracked across the state.

o Host work–and–learn events: Indiana, through the Indiana Career Council, the Indiana Works Councils and other partners, is hosting an event on 11/10/15 that will focus on successful programs across the state that are creating learning opportunities for students and educators, through a variety of methods, programs, and experiences.

o Collaborate with WIOA core programs to strategically enhance employer engagement and work–based learning opportunities for individuals with disabilities. This includes expanding VR employer engagement to develop appropriate disability–related information (e.g., disability awareness training, Section 504 overview materials for Indiana based federal contractors, business–to–business resources for beginning disability hiring initiatives, etc.) and resources for employers.

• STRATEGY 2.4: Ensure that those with barriers to employment have increased access to and opportunities for employment, education, training, and support services.

o DWD recently established a priority of service policy that requires that each workforce development area enroll 50% or more of adult participants into one of the priority categories (i.e. recipients of public assistance, other low income individuals, or individuals who are basic skills deficient).

o As stated in strategies 1.2 and 1.3, the State will analyze the value of colocation, mobile One Stops and virtual services, including service accessibility at community based organizations.

o Adult Education is actively reaching out to partner with local literacy organizations to co–enroll literacy level students

o DWD, working with the SWIC’s WIOA Implementation Taskforce, will analyze policy opportunities to ensure that those with barriers to employment have access to an attainable entry level credential.

o DWD is co–enrolling Adult Education students who have not yet achieved a High School Diploma or High School Equivalency in the WorkINdiana program (entry level occupational training) and work experiences.

o Most workforce regions have Adult Education classes co–located in ITCC (statewide community college system). DWD will focus on increasing Adult Education sites whom are engaging in the Rapid Enrollment process with ITCC.

o VR is developing a coordinated process with the Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services and State and local educational agencies in assisting individuals with disabilities, especially youth with disabilities who are considering subminimum wage employment or who are already employed, at a subminimum wage, to maximize opportunities to achieve competitive integrated employment through services provided by VR and the local educational agencies.

o VR is expanding pre–employment transition services to students with disabilities and meeting the 15% spend requirement.

GOAL 3: DEMAND DRIVEN PROGRAMS AND INVESTMENTS –– Adopt a data–driven, sector–based approach that directly aligns education and training with the needs of Indiana’s business community.

• STRATEGY 3.1: Identify Priority Now and Priority Future sectors and occupations in Indiana based on the criteria set out by the Indiana Career Council in a Resolution regarding priority sectors and occupations in Indiana passed at the June 15, 2015 meeting.

• Enhance the occupational projections program with a new emphasis on current demand and greater details on the skills and certifications employers are seeking. DWD desires to provide more actionable information to our state’s employers, job trainers, job seekers, and educators by projecting the trends in our employer workforce demand over time. Through the use of advanced data analytics and data sciences, DWD will enhance insights of employer workforce demand using data already collected by the state workforce agency, other state agencies, and external data sources (where applicable).
• STRATEGY 3.2: Launch and/or expand sector partnerships in and across workforce development regions that complement the State’s priority industry sectors to provide a mechanism for Indiana’s education, job skills development, and career training system to collect information and respond to sector needs (ICC 5.2)
  • Key items regarding the development of sector partnerships have been completed by the Indiana Career Council, including:
    • A regional sector partnership framework has been designed; and
    • The Indiana Sector Partnership Initiative was developed by Education Workforce Innovation Network (EWIN), with input from key stakeholders and the Career Council’s Pathways Taskforce.
  • Apply for and award grant funding for sector partnership activities:
    • Through the EWIN project The Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) issued a grant opportunity to aid regional initiatives in the development of sector partnership strategies. This funding (up to $20,000) may be used for planning and convening activities in support of regional Skill–Up initiatives.
    • A Sector Partnership National Emergency Grant was awarded to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development by the US Department of Labor. Part of these funds may be used for sector partnership planning. We are still in the planning phase for these funds.
    • The Indiana Department of Workforce Development is providing up to $11 million to regional partnerships via Skill UP Indiana. The grant program focuses on the implementation of strategies aimed at ensuring Indiana citizens have the skills necessary to fill the one million jobs projected to be available between now and 2025. Implementation strategies may focus on:
• Designing one or more sector–focused career pathway systems;
• Developing and using a curriculum around the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities identified by a regional partnership;
• Integrating cross–economic sector competency development of employability and technical skills;
• Creating work–and–learn opportunities for youth and adult learners at multiple stages of a career pathway system; and
• Implementing innovative programming that uses prior learning assessments and competency–based education models to meet employer needs.

o Encourage broad definitions of “region,” such as the skill up definition where the partnership is defined as being “in a region that encompasses a contiguous geographic area consisting of a minimum of 200,000 in population or encompass an existing economic growth region(s) as defined by the DWD.”