Located in:
- II. Strategic Elements
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a Strategic Planning Elements section that analyzes the State’s current economic environment and identifies the State’s overall vision for its workforce development system. The required elements in this section allow the State to develop data-driven goals for preparing an educated and skilled workforce and to identify successful strategies for aligning workforce development programs. Unless otherwise noted, all Strategic Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs.
- b. State Strategic Vision and Goals
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include the State’s strategic vision and goals for developing its workforce and meeting employer needs in order to support economic growth and economic self-sufficiency. This must include—
- b. State Strategic Vision and Goals
II. b. 2. Goals
Describe the goals for achieving this vision based on the above analysis of the State’s economic conditions, workforce, and workforce development activities. This must include—
Current Narrative:
WIOA as implemented in Kansas assures participants, including in-school and out-of-school youth, will be able to access all services for which they are eligible through all WIOA core partners and combined state plan partner programs. As it was prior to WIOA, programs such as SCSEP, TAA, and JVSG are fully integrated and available programs of WIOA Titles I & III where customers are provided with the same services as any other eligible job seekers.
As reflected in the goals, vision and value statements listed below, job seekers with barriers to employment are the target of our workforce system; we value employment as a path to self–sufficiency and independence for all participants. For a more detailed description of physical and programmatic access see Section III(b)(8).
Goal One: An Efficient Workforce System with Accountability
• Utilize the WIOA mandated functions of the State Board to assist the Governor in aligning the Kansas Workforce System
- Develop, implement and modify the WIOA State Plan
- Review statewide policies, statewide programs and recommendations of actions to be taken to align workforce development programs
- Ensure workforce program alignment supports a comprehensive and streamlined Kansas Workforce System
- Provide ongoing orientation and continuing education for all KWSB and local workforce development board members
- Align local board policy with state board policy.
- Implement Continuous Improvement processes across WIOA Core and Required Partners, under the oversight and direction of the Partner program’s designated agency, to achieve consistent, high quality service delivery.
- Ensure the local workforce development systems provide physical and programmatic access to and opportunities for the employment, education, training, and support services for individuals, particularly those with barriers to employment.
- Establish processes to assess quality of customer service experience for jobseekers and workers, workers and employers.
- Develop objective criteria and procedures for use by local workforce development boards in assessing the effectiveness and continuous improvement of one–stop centers, including the programmatic and physical accessibility of the one–stop delivery system.
- Develop policies relating to the appropriate roles and contributions of entities carrying out one–stop partner programs including approaches to facilitate equitable and efficient cost allocation in the Kansas Workforce System. (Pertains to Titles I and III only.)
• Ensure system connection linking workforce, education and economic interests
- Utilize sector strategies to drive partnerships.
- Promote partnerships between local workforce development boards, WIOA Partners and other community–based organizations.
- Support collaborative/joint agency participation in state and federal initiatives.
- Provide recommendations to WIOA partners for improving coordinated service delivery.
- Ensure physical and programmatic access to workforce development programs.
- Promote use of the Kansas Workforce System by local board members, employers, local workforce development board staff members and other WIOA Partners
- Communicate services available through the Kansas Workforce System
- Utilize information from various labor studies and sources to communicate workforce needs
• Develop benchmarks using comprehensive performance metrics encouraging WIOA workforce system goal attainment, ensuring data integrity and promoting consistent reporting statewide.
- Develop and update comprehensive State Performance Accountability Measures, including but not limited to:
- - Requirement that 40% of WIOA adult and dislocated worker funding be used by local areas for training services as defined in Sec. 134 of WIOA, regardless of other funding available to the local area.
- - WIOA and Wagner–Peyser performance accountability measures reported quarterly.
- - Outcome metrics approved by Kansas Postsecondary Technical Education Authority for Community and Technical Colleges
- - Number of participants with barriers to employment, as defined in WIOA, who received education, training and/or support services
- - Number of job openings recorded on KANSASWORKS.
- - Number of job placements filled with qualified applicants.
- - Number of participants earning a Kansas WORKReady! Certificate.
- - Number of participants earning industry-recognized credentials in high demand sectors.
- - Number/percentage of participants employed in critical (job–driven) industries.
- - Number of veterans served.
- - Number/percentage of participants employed at or above median state wage as determined by State Department of Labor and/or Kansas Census.
- - Number/percentage of participants enrolled in apprenticeship programs in job–driven industries.
- - WIOA and Wagner–Peyser performance accountability measures reported quarterly.
- Develop strategies for technological improvements to facilitate access to and improve quality of services provided by the Kansas Workforce System, including youth and individuals with barriers to employment as defined by WIOA.
- Determine strategies for aligning technology and data systems across one–stop partner programs to enhance service delivery, improve efficiencies and measure progress.
Vision We seek to grow the economy by investing in Kansans so that every business, worker, and jobseeker has the skills to compete and prosper. Values and Goals
- 1) We value employment as a path to self–sufficiency and independence for all adults in Kansas. Our goals are to:
- a) Provide high quality, comprehensive customer–centered career, employment, education, training, and supportive services so jobseekers and workers can succeed in the labor market.
- b) Provide high quality, comprehensive customer–centered career, employment, education, training, and supportive services so incumbent workers can retain and advance in high quality jobs and high demand careers.
- c) Develop a qualified labor pool so Kansas businesses can compete in the global economy.
- d) Improve the skills of jobseekers and workers through access to education and training leading to industry-recognized credentials through the use of career pathways, apprenticeships, and other strategies.
- e) Encourage paid work–based learning experiences for youth so they may explore career options, develop the universal interpersonal and customer service skills needed in the workplace, and become self–reliant through employment as adults.
- b) Provide high quality, comprehensive customer–centered career, employment, education, training, and supportive services so incumbent workers can retain and advance in high quality jobs and high demand careers.
- 2) We value the contributions that all individuals, including those with significant barriers to employment, as defined by WIOA, can make to the Kansas economy. Our goals are to:
- a) Vigorously represent the ability of qualified jobseekers with significant barriers to employment to meet the workforce needs of Kansas employers.
- b) Ensure the local workforce development systems provide physical and programmatic access to and opportunities for the employment, education, training, and support services for individuals, particularly those with barriers to employment.
- c) Ensure that performance measures or targets will not be used to exclude an individual from services for which he or she is otherwise eligible.
- d) Analyze current and proposed policies for their potential impact on services for individuals with barriers to employment to ensure an inclusive service delivery system.
- e) Provide employers access to a qualified and diverse labor pool to meet their workforce needs.
- b) Ensure the local workforce development systems provide physical and programmatic access to and opportunities for the employment, education, training, and support services for individuals, particularly those with barriers to employment.
- 3) We value accountability and continuous improvement of the workforce system. Our goals are to:
- a) Require each Core Program at the state level to establish a Continuous Improvement Plan under the oversight and direction of the Program’s designated agency.
- b) Encourage collaboration and explore opportunities for innovation through a Continuous Improvement Council.
- c) Ensure that high–quality comprehensive data inform decisions made by policy makers, employers, workers, and jobseekers.
- d) Assess the levels of participation in the workforce for individuals with barriers to employment.
- b) Encourage collaboration and explore opportunities for innovation through a Continuous Improvement Council.
- 4) We value collaboration that respects and leverages the unique mission and expertise of all partners to ensure the best possible services to jobseekers, workers, and businesses. Our goals are to:
- a) Incorporate meaningful stakeholder involvement in planning, policy making, and continuous improvement. Stakeholders include, but are not limited to, youth, jobseekers, workers, businesses, local partners and advocacy organizations.
- b) Use local area subcommittees, e.g. youth committees, partnership councils, to facilitate collaboration.
- c) Use Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) to establish clear roles and responsibilities which facilitate coordinated delivery of partner services.
- d) Establish robust, ongoing professional development processes to ensure cross training among partners.
- e) Promote a “no wrong door” approach to services by providing customers with easy access to information throughout the system.
- f) Recognize the effort and expertise that dedicated professionals contribute to the workforce system.
- b) Use local area subcommittees, e.g. youth committees, partnership councils, to facilitate collaboration.
- 5) We value the power of technology. Our goals are to:
- a) Use technology to ensure an interoperable system so that reporting on performance accountability measures is efficient and service delivery is enhanced.
- b) Enable businesses to readily identify and hire skilled workers.
- c) Enhance the quality of the customer experience by reducing duplicative information collection.
- d) Provide user–friendly information to customers about careers, workforce services, and education and training.
- b) Enable businesses to readily identify and hire skilled workers.
Provide education and training activities that effectively use technology, including distance learning, linked social media, telephone, instant messaging, and video chat to increase the amount and quality of learning.