Chapter 2: Overview of Workforce Development Activities in the State and Background On Client Populations Served (Corresponding to Strategic Planning Elements Required Under WIOA Sec. 102(b)(1)(B)), WIOA Sec. 102 (b)(1)(C), Sec. 102(b)(2)(C)(iii))

With over 38 million people, and about 12 percent of the nation’s population, California’s workforce and education systems are tasked with serving more people than any other state. These services are provided through largely decentralized service delivery structures that include 11,000 K–12 Schools, over 1,000 School Districts, over 1,000 Charter Schools, 113 Community Colleges (in 72 Community College Districts), 58 County Welfare Departments, 58 County Offices of Education, 48 Local Boards, and more than half a dozen state departments and agencies, including the LWDA, HHS, the State Board, EDD, the Department of Industrial Relations Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DIR–DAS), the State Board of Education (SBE), CDE, CCCCO, DOR, the California CDSS, and ETP.

This chapter provides an overview of workforce and education activities in the state, client populations served by state plan partners, and an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of programs and departments that participated in the state planning process. Discussion of the strategic and operational roles and organizational structures of the various entities who are partner to this plan are discussed in later chapters.

The Labor and Workforce Development Agency

LWDA oversees the departments and boards responsible for issues related to workers and their employers. The LWDA is responsible for labor law enforcement, workforce development, and benefit and payment adjudication. Boards and departments under the LWDA that do work directly related to workforce development include the State Board, EDD, DIR–DAS and ETP. LWDA serves as the Governor’s lead agency on WIOA implementation and has been actively involved overseeing the development of the State Plan.

The California Workforce Development Board (State Board)

As the Governor’s agent for “the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California’s workforce investment system and the alignment of the education and workforce investment systems”, the board and its staff provide active ongoing policy analysis, technical assistance, and program evaluation to inform and shape state policy on the design of state workforce policies and their coordination with other relevant programs, including education and human service programs.

As required by federal and state statutes, the State Board has a business majority, and 20 percent workforce representation, which includes 15 percent representation for organized labor. State Board membership also includes representation for the state’s core programs, as well as K–12 and community college representation to ensure coordination between the state’s education and workforce systems (detail on board composition is provided in later chapters and appendices).

The State Board reports to the Governor through the chair of the State Board and the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, who both provide oversight of the State Board and its staff to ensure that policy recommendations are consistent with the Governor’s vision for the state.

The State Board, in consultation with state plan partners, drafts the State Plan and serves as the broker, convener, facilitator, and matchmaker to bring the disparate elements of the state’s workforce, education, human services, and economic development programs into alignment through coordinated partnership. In addition to playing this role, the State Board sets policy for WIOA Title I programs, including statewide policy pertaining to Local Board responsibilities, as well as policy directly relevant to the design and operations of the One–Stop system.

Clients/Service Population: The Board does not directly deliver services to a client population. The board’s primary responsibility is to set policy for WIOA Title I programs and to work with WIOA core program and other state plan partners to align programs and services to build a comprehensive system. In this respect the State Board’s clients are its state plan partners.

Strengths: The board has robust representation of businesses and leading workforce experts in the state, including members from strategic industry sectors such as health care, advanced manufacturing, and green energy.

Weaknesses: With greater emphasis in both state and federal statute on system alignment, sector engagement, skills attainment, and career pathways, the State Board will need to build greater capacity with two objectives in mind: (1) providing greater technical assistance to both Local Boards and other partners involved in ongoing regional organizing efforts, and (2) building capacity to improve policy coordination and program alignment with WIOA core programs and other state plan partners at the state level. As detailed in later chapters, this capacity–building is currently underway.

Local Workforce Development Boards and Areas

California’s 48 Local Boards operate to ensure the provision and coordination of WIOA Title I services in the forty–seven Local Workforce Development Areas (Local Areas) designated as service areas by the Governor. Local Boards provide day to day administrative and policy oversight for the delivery of services to job seekers and businesses. The specific service strategies of a Local Board are designed to reflect regional labor market needs, economic and social conditions, and demographics, and they must be consistent with the policy direction of the State Plan. Accordingly, Local Boards are the central partners in carrying out the State Workforce Development Plan.

The chief local elected official (CLEO) of each of the forty–seven Local Areas appoints a Local Board with a local membership similar to the State Board – including a business majority and 20 percent workforce representation, including 15 percent organized labor. The Local Board develops and submits a local strategic plan to the Governor, appoints and provides oversight for AJCC operators, and selects eligible organizations to provide services for youth and adults. Local Boards in California have over 600 business representatives serving on their boards.

Clients/Service Population: Adult, dislocated worker, youth, and universal access clients number 1.7 million individuals, including about 60,000 clients who receive certificates through AJCCs. Incumbent workers are an emerging client of the Local Boards. Local Boards serve 65,000 businesses annually and partner in the AJCCs with California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs), community colleges, economic development agencies, DOR, adult education providers, and veteran’s services providers.

Strengths: Local Boards have a lot of experience braiding resources and integrating service delivery through the One–Stop system. Local Boards have deep connections to their local communities, and are gaining greater experience working through state and local led regional initiatives, including sector and career pathway strategies as well as initiatives to provide services to target populations.

Weaknesses: Local Boards need to increase client access to training and education programs that align with regional labor market dynamics, including apprenticeship programs and career pathway programs that grant “stackable” credentials. Local Boards would like to see greater investment in the training of frontline staff who engage clients, more technical assistance from the state on how to adopt best practices and build model partnerships, and more coordination at the local and regional level.

Employment Development Department

EDD is the largest public workforce development institution in the country and a member of the State Board. Located within LWDA alongside the State Board, EDD administers the WIOA Title I, federal Wagner–Peyser Act (WPA, WIOA Title III), labor market information, Disability Insurance, Paid Family Leave, Unemployment Insurance (UI), Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), and youth, disability, and veterans programs. EDD is also California’s major tax collection agency, administering the audit and collection of payroll taxes and maintaining the employment records for more than 17 million California workers. One of the largest departments in state government, handling over $100 billion annually, EDD has nearly 9,000 employees providing services at more than 200 locations throughout the state. Those services most relevant to the workforce system include all of the following:

• job search and placement services to job seekers including counseling, testing, occupational and labor market information, assessment, and referral to employers
• recruiting services and special technical services for employers
• program evaluation
• developing linkages between services funded under WPA and related federal or state legislation, including the provision of labor exchange services at educational sites
• providing services for workers who have received notice of permanent layoff or impending layoff, or workers in occupations which are experiencing limited demand due to technological change, impact of imports, or plant closures
• collecting and analyzing California’s labor market information and employment data
• developing a management information system and compiling and analyzing reports from the system and
• administering the “work test” for the state unemployment compensation system and providing job finding and placement services for Unemployment Insurance claimants

Complementary Roles of EDD and the State Board

The primary role of the State Board is policy development, while EDD is responsible for Wagner–Peyser job services, WIOA compliance, local technical assistance, administrative oversight, and the provision of labor market information. The State Board and EDD collaborate closely to implement the Governor’s vision and the policy objectives of the State Plan.

Clients/Service Population: EDD processes over 1.5 million initial unemployment insurance claims per year, over half a million disability insurance claims, and provides job services to 1.5 million people through Wagner–Peyser programs. EDD also operates several programs for targeted populations including job services programs for veterans, the disabled, youth, TAA, and foster youth.

Strengths: EDD’s online labor exchange system, The California Job Openings Browse System (CalJOBS^SM) is accessible to both employers and job seekers throughout the state. CalJOBS^SM contains over half a million job listings and is accessed by more than a million job seekers every year.

Weaknesses: Unemployment Insurance services and Wagner–Peyser job services have not been fully integrated into the AJCC system. EDD will be working to more fully integrate Wagner–Peyser staff into the AJCC system and is developing a plan to comply with mandatory partnership requirements pertaining to how Unemployment Insurance recipients are served.

Employment Training Panel

ETP is a statewide business–labor incumbent worker training and economic development program. ETP supports economic development in California through strategic partnerships with business, labor, and government and through the provision of financial assistance to California businesses to support customized worker training programs that attract and retain businesses; provide workers with secure jobs that pay good wages and have opportunities for advancement; assist employers to successfully compete in the global economy; and promote the benefits and ongoing investment in employee training among employers.

Clients/Service Population: ETP serves over 400 employers a year and 60,000 incumbent workers who receive training.

Strengths: The pay for performance nature of ETP contracts helps facilitate 70 percent retention rate for trained employees, resulting in both layoff aversion and business expansion.

Weaknesses: ETP has tended to grant on the job training (OJT) contracts to single employers and will be looking to increase the use of multi–employer contracts as part of the state’s move toward the use of sector strategies. ETP has traditionally not worked very closely with Local Boards and will enhance partnerships with Local Boards as part of regional organizing efforts around career pathways and sector engagement, as warranted by regional labor market needs.

California Community Colleges

The CCCCO participates on the State Board and on its WIOA Workgroup Committee. The Vice Chancellor for Workforce and Economic Development Division (WEDD) chairs the State Board’s WIOA Workforce Committee while the Executive Director of the State Board recently co–chaired CCCCO’s “Strong Workforce Taskforce” (Taskforce) in an effort by the Chancellor’s Office and the community college Board of Governors to improve career technical education programs delivered through the community college system. The WEDD operates using a “sector strategies” policy framework known as “Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy” (DWM). Critical programs operating under the DWM framework, other CCCCO divisions, and the 113 community college system include the following:

Economic & Workforce Development Program

The Economic and Workforce Development (EWD) program helps community colleges become more responsive to regional labor markets. The CCCCO provides funding for ninety–nine grants totaling $22.8 million and supports the community colleges in their mission to advance and improve career technical education and serve businesses to bolster regional economies. EWD’s industry sectors of focus include advanced manufacturing; advanced transportation and renewable energy; biotechnology and life science; allied health; global trade and logistics; agriculture, water and environmental technologies; energy efficiency and utilities; and informational communication technologies and digital media, retail, hospitality and tourism, and small business.

Apprenticeship Instruction

Apprenticeship programs offer both OJT and classroom training. To provide apprenticeship training for their employees, many employers partner with the California community colleges or with CDE’s Regional Occupational Programs/Centers and Adult Schools. The community colleges have approximately 25,000 apprentices enrolled in over 160 apprenticeship programs comprised of a total of sixty–six trades/crafts titles located on thirty–nine campuses.

Carl D. Perkins Career Technical Education

WEDD administers Perkins Act funds to provide resources to seven Regional Consortium composed of representatives of CTE, workforce development, economic development, and contract education programs based at colleges within an economic region. These consortia partner with workforce professionals, educators and industry, to incubate, sustain, and spin off sector partnerships. Regional Consortia chairs participate with the region’s larger workforce and economic development networks to help community colleges advance a region’s prosperity. Additional Perkins Act funding is provided for local assistance to improve existing community college CTE programs.

Community College Career Technical Education programs

The state’s major investment in CTE ($1.7 billion) comes from credit and non–credit course offerings at California’s 113 community colleges, with over a quarter of all community college full time equivalent students (FTES) enrolled in CTE courses. Community college credit and non–credit occupational programs are generally locally designed and delivered. Courses are part of a pathway leading to a credential, certificate, or transfer to a four–year college or stand–alone classes that can enhance students’ skills in a range of occupational fields.

Community College CalWORKS program

The community college CalWORKs program, partners with state and county human services offices, and state and local workforce development boards. Community college CalWORKs programs provide services including counseling, case management, child care, work study, and job development/job placement services to students on CalWORKs cash aid. At the colleges, community college CalWORKs programs partner with career centers, financial aid, and other student services programs including Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS), CalWORKs, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) Program.

Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS)

In the 2014–2015 FY, the California community college system served over 121,000 students who registered with their colleges DSPS program. The program provides support services, specialized instruction, and educational accommodations to students with disabilities, so that they can participate as fully and benefit as equitably from the college experience as their non–disabled peers. A Student Educational Contract (SEC) is developed for each student which links student´s goals, curriculum program, and academic accommodations to his/her specific disability–related educational limitation. Examples of services available through DSPS are test–taking facilitation, assessment for learning disabilities, specialized counseling, interpreter services for hearing–impaired or deaf students, mobility assistance, note taker services, reader services, speech services, transcription services, transportation, specialized tutoring, access to adaptive equipment, job development/placement, registration assistance, special parking and specialized instruction. There are also five colleges in the state that partner with DOR on College to Career, or C2C, a cooperative program designed to meet the unique needs of students who are challenged with intellectual disabilities and/or autism in postsecondary education and the workforce.

Clients/Service Population: California’s 113 community colleges offer 350 different fields of study, 8000 certificate programs, and 4,500 associate degree programs. More than a quarter of the state’s 2.1 million community college students enroll in a community college CTE course.

Strengths: Community colleges offer low cost education programs that are accessible to the public, including populations with barriers to employment. Many community colleges have strong partnerships with Local Boards and locally administered TANF programs. Under SB 1402 (T. Lieu, Chapter 361, Statutes 2012), and “The Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy” program, regional consortia have been formed to respond programmatically to the needs of some of the state’s leading and emerging industry sectors. Community colleges also have a variety of programs designed to serve populations with barriers to employment including Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS), CalWORKs, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) Program, Foster and Kinship Care Education (FKCE) and Foster Youth Success Initiatives (FYSI).

Weaknesses: Following a nine month taskforce process involving stakeholders, including CTE Deans, local college leadership, leadership from the Chancellor’s Office, and faculty from throughout the system, the Strong Workforce Taskforce issued a report identifying policy recommendations to improve CTE programs by better aligning programs and curricula with regional labor markets, building stronger regional partnerships with K–12, workforce, and adult education providers; providing a more robust supportive services system to ensure student success; creating new and better data partnerships with other programs; improving professional development opportunities for faculty; and, adopting innovative funding strategies to ensure the sustainability of CTE programs.

State Board of Education, California Department of Education, and Local Educational Programs

The SBE is the K–12 policy–making body for academic standards, curriculum, instructional materials, assessments and accountability. The SBE adopts instructional materials for use in grades kindergarten through eight. The SBE also adopts regulations to implement a wide variety of programs created by the Legislature, such as charter schools, and special education. In addition, the SBE has the authority to grant local education agency requests for waivers of certain provisions of the state Education Code, and acts on petitions to unify or reorganize school district boundaries. Finally, the SBE is officially the designated “State Education Agency” that is charged with providing policy guidance to the state and local education agencies regarding all federal education policies and programs such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Carl D. Perkins Career Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006, WIOA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, etc. The SBE has eleven members, all of whom are appointed by the Governor and serve four–year, staggered terms, with the exception of the student member, who serves a one–year term. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction, who heads the CDE, serves as the SBE’s executive officer and secretary.

CDE is the administrative and oversight body for K–12 programs, including career technical education and adult education and literacy programs in California. Four divisions within the CDE have program responsibilities associated, directly and/or indirectly, with WIOA. These divisions include the Career and College Transition Division, the Special Education Division, the English Learner and Support Division, and the Coordinated Student Support Division.

The Career and College Transition Division includes programs for adult education, including CTE. Specifically, the adult education programs in the State of California provide adult basic and secondary education skills including English, math, and ESL foundational competencies needed to enter postsecondary education and citizenship preparation. In addition to the K–12 adult schools, the CDE, through the WIOA, Title II grant, also funds libraries, community–based organizations, correctional institutions, and several community colleges for these programs. CTE integrates core academic knowledge with technical and occupational knowledge to provide students with a pathway to postsecondary education and careers. The federal program to support CTE in California is the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 which the CDE jointly administers with the CCCCO.

The Special Education Division oversees programs operated by approximately 1,100 local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide students up to age 22, who receive services under an Individualized Education Program, with a free and appropriate public education. Students with disabilities age 16–22 must be provided transition services based on their assessed needs, strengths, preferences, and interests to facilitate movement from school to post school activities. These post school activities may include postsecondary education, training, competitive integrated employment, and independent living. Workability I is a state–funded grant program awarded to 280 LEAs to provide an array of transition services to middle and high school students, including work experience for high school students.

The English Learner Support Division oversees the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), English Learner Title III, and Migrant Title I part C programs and funding for the state of California. The division coordinates K–12 state and federal efforts and programs to serve migrant farmworkers, seasonal farmworkers, out of school youth, English learners and immigrant students and their families. The goal of these programs is to provide students with access to the core academic content, and to overcome language barriers and other barriers caused by the migratory patterns of students. These programs are often supported through partnerships with adult education and WIOA. The parents of the K–12 migrant students, English learner students, immigrant students, and out–of–school youth benefit from the partnerships with adult education and WIOA.

Coordinated Student Support Division oversees California’s Educational Options programs which work with at–risk K–12 students, including those habitually truant or at risk of not graduating, students who have been expelled or have been placed in a juvenile court facility, those unable to attend school due to a medical problem, and foster youth. These students generally attend a county– or district–administered school, structured to address the student’s individual challenges. The most common educational school types include county community and juvenile court schools administered by a county office of education, and continuation, community day, and opportunity schools operated by school districts. For students where a classroom setting is not possible or appropriate, schools have a variety of programs available to meet these special needs, including home and hospital instruction and independent study. For these schools and programs, the goal of providing students with the environment, curriculum, and supportive services they need to reach their full academic potential, graduating, and successfully transitioning to postsecondary education or employment, is often supported through partnerships with WIOA Title I Youth Programs and community based organizations.

Clients/Service Population: Transition services are provided to 137,000 Students with Disabilities (SWDs) statewide, including 94,000 served by Workability 1 programs; 23,000 at–risk students are served through county run juvenile justice facilities and county community schools; over half a million students are served under adult education, basic skills, and English as a Second Language programs, including federal WIOA Title II programs, and related state funded programs operated the state’s seventy Adult Education Block Grant Consortia (jointly administered with community colleges); CDE also oversees CTE programs serving 970,000 secondary students and 59,000 adult CTE students.

Strengths: CDE, through the Career Pathways Trust, has distributed $500,000,000 over the past two years through a one–time appropriation to establish regional collaborative relationships and partnerships with business entities, community organizations, and local institutions of postsecondary education to develop and integrate standards–based academics with career–relevant, industry–themed pathways and work–based learning opportunities that are aligned to high–need, high–growth, or emerging regional economic sectors. Additionally, CDE is distributing $900,000,000 through the CTE Incentive Grant Program, which is a three–year (2016–2019) statewide grant with the goal of providing pupils in K–12 with the knowledge and skills necessary to transition to employment and postsecondary education. The CDE has also developed a strong community of practice on secondary transitions and has integrated work–based learning approaches for students with disabilities; ensured WIOA Title II grantees have the flexibility to match curriculum with the goals and objectives of other WIOA funded programs; and implemented an evaluation process for the Coordinated Student Support programs that utilizes information provided by program participants to help improve programs.

Weaknesses: Many students in CDE and local education agencies (LEA) programs need access to supportive services such as counseling, childcare, and transportation services which could be addressed by better coordination at the state, local, and regional level between programs overseen by CDE, human service programs, and other workforce and education programs; CDE also lacks common student identifiers across educational segments which creates obstacles to data matching and tracking individuals into the labor market.

Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development

GO–Biz was created to serve as California’s single point of contact for economic development and job creation efforts. GO–Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, and assistance in accessing state government programs.

The unified state plan focuses on both emerging and established industry sectors, as well as entrepreneurship and small business growth. GO–Biz will provide critical information on employer trends in all of these contexts, in conjunction with local and regional economic development organizations, including Innovation Hubs (iHubs), Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), and Economic Development Corporations (EDCs). Through analysis of these trends, GO–Biz and other key public workforce development institutions will collaborate to align workforce policy with domestic and international trade and business development.

Clients/Service Population: GO–Biz works directly with businesses to help these organizations understand opportunities to start, maintain, and grow operations in California. This assistance includes, but is not limited to: site selection, permit assistance, international trade development, connectivity to strategic partnerships, information on incentive programs, and referrals to local and state business assistance resources. In addition to direct business assistance, GO–Biz also administers and supports programs led by regional business assistance and economic development organizations. The GO–Biz Innovation Hub (iHub) program stimulates partnerships, economic development, and job creation around specific research clusters by leveraging assets such as research parks, technology incubators, universities, and federal laboratories to provide an innovation platform for startup companies, economic development organizations, business groups, and venture capitalists. GO–Biz administered a capital infusion program for California’s Small Business Development Center Network in both 2014 and 2015, supported by one–time funding from the state budget. In addition, GO–Biz began to administer the State Trade Export Promotion (STEP) program in 2015, in partnership with the California Community Colleges, California Department of Food and Agriculture, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and Los Angeles Biz Fed.

Strengths: Through its direct interactions with California businesses of all sizes and industry sectors, GO–Biz helps California businesses communicate their workforce development needs to ETP, Local Boards, educational institutions and training providers. In conjunction with its local, regional and state partners, GO–Biz connects businesses with workforce needs to applicable resources. These partner organizations often possess unique knowledge of emerging economic sectors, entrepreneurial activity, strategic industry partnerships, and overlapping skills requirements across multiple industry sectors. In addition, GO–Biz provides businesses and workforce development partners with information on a variety of business incentive programs that encourage hiring and/or training.

Weaknesses: GO–Biz has the opportunity to increase its reach to a wider audience of business, education and training partners and to coordinate business assistance activities with state, regional and local partners. Under the state plan, GO–Biz will engage workforce development partners at the state and regional level to help align workforce development programs with employer needs.

Health and Human Services Agency

As one of California’s key public workforce development institutions, HHSA represents the Department of Aging, DOR, CDSS and the Office of Statewide Healthcare Planning and Development on the State Board and actively supports job placement and training services for: individuals with disabilities, socially and economically disadvantaged, at–risk youth and other traditionally underrepresented populations with high unemployment rates.

Department of Rehabilitation

The mission of DOR is to work in partnership with consumers and other stakeholders to provide services and advocacy resulting in employment, independent living, and equalityfor individuals with disabilities in California. DOR administers the largest vocational rehabilitation (VR) program in the country. Employment services are provided annually by approximately 1,300 staff in over eighty–five offices in California over an extended period of time to approximately 100,000 individuals with significant disabilities to assist them to prepare for and obtain competitive employment in integrated work settings at or above minimum wage.

Generally, the population provided services through the VR program are individuals with disabilities who are not employed, or who are not employed consistent with their potential (also known as “under–employed”). The distinct needs of DOR participants (also referred to as DOR consumers) vary greatly depending upon individual, disability–related impediment(s) to employment and the consumer’s employment goal. In collaboration with the DOR Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor–Qualified Rehabilitation Professional (SVRC–QRP), consumers engage in an interactive process to evaluate their individual disability–related functional limitations or needs and identify VR services required to prepare for, secure, retain or regain employment that is consistent with their unique strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, interests, and informed choice.

After determining eligibility, through a comprehensive assessment and planning process and in collaboration with theSVRC–QRP, the consumer develops an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) that identifies the employment goal and required VR services to achieve that goal. VR plan services may include, but are not limited to:

• Counseling and guidance.
• Referrals and assistance to get services from other agencies.
• Pre–Employment Transition Services
• Job search and placement assistance.
• Vocational and other training services, including, but not limited to, pre–employment training and soft skills training.
• Evaluation of physical and mental impairments.
• On–the–job or personal assistance services.
• Interpreter services.
• Rehabilitation and orientation or mobility services for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and/or blind or low vision.
• Occupational licenses, tools, equipment, initial stocks, and supplies.
• Technical assistance for self–employment.
• Rehabilitation assistive technology services and devices.
• Supported employment services.
• Services to the family.
• Transportation as required, such as travel and related expenses, that is necessary to enable the consumer to participate in a VR service.
• Transition services for students.
• Work Incentive Planning, which includes providing information on potential employment earning impacts to Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), and Ticket to Work (TTW).
• Expansion of employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, including, but are not limited to, professional employment and self–employment.
• Post–employment services.

Client/Service Population: In federal fiscal year 2014, DOR provided services to approximately 98,000 eligible individuals with disabilities, including 6,500 who were blind or visually impaired; 13,300 with cognitive disabilities; 18,200 with learning disabilities; 4,900 with intellectual or developmental disabilities; 6,500 deaf or hard of hearing individuals; 19,100 with physical disabilities; 26,100 with psychiatric disabilities; 1,200 with traumatic brain injury; and 2,200 individuals with other disabilities.

Strengths: DOR employs qualified SVRC–QRPs with master’s degrees who are trained in assessment, career planning, job placement, and assistive technology services to meet the employment needs of eligible individuals with disabilities. DOR utilizes a consumer–centered approach to service delivery through a team that includes SVRC–QRPs, service coordinators, employment coordinators, and other support staff to deliver effective and timely consumer services throughout the state. The employment coordinators provide labor market analysis, employer engagement, disability sensitivity training, and other supportive services to assist clients in achieving an employment outcome. Coupled with the direct services provided by the team, DOR maintains a network of partnerships with community based disability organizations and other public agencies, including high schools, community colleges, universities, and county mental health agencies to provide a greater range of employment services and opportunities to DOR consumers than would otherwise be available through any single agency. Lastly, given its focus and expertise, DOR has positioned itself to provide California’s leadership voice in state government and administers other programs, including the Disability Access Services, to assist in removing barriers to full inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the workforce, in state government, and in community life.

Weaknesses: The VR program is not an entitlement program. Lacking sufficient funding to serve all eligible consumers in the VR program, DOR is currently operating under an Order of Selection (OOS) process. Federal regulations stipulate that whenever a state has insufficient funds to serve all eligible applicants for VR services, an OOS system must be developed and implemented that will ensure individuals with the most significant disabilities are provided services first. DOR has been operating under an OOS process since September 1995. Currently, DOR is providing services to all eligible individuals with the most significant disabilities (category I) and eligible applicants with significant disabilities (category II). Additionally, services are being provided to eligible applicants with disabilities (category III) who applied on or before November 30, 2015. For individuals with disabilities who do not meet the OOS (category III), there is insufficient number of service providers and community resources, especially in rural areas, that are physically and/or programmatically accessible to support their employment and independence needs.

California Department of Social Services

CDSS oversees the operation of California’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, known as CalWORKs, and the programs operated under Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T), known as CalFresh E&T. These programs are administered directly by California’s counties.

CalWORKs operates in all fifty–eight counties providing temporary cash assistance to meet family basic needs and welfare–to–work services to help families become self–sufficient. CalWORKs programs are able to provide a wide array of services, including education and training, ancillary supportive services such as childcare and transportation support, and help with domestic violence and substance abuse issues.

CalFresh E&T is currently offering employment and training services for non–assistance CalFresh participants, including individuals who are required to be work registrants, volunteers, and able–bodied without dependents in twenty–four California counties.

Clients/Service Population: CalFresh E&T serves over 70,000 Californians. The CalWORKs caseload is approximately 530,000 cases, which equates to about 1.2 million Californians. Approximately 270,000 of these cases are eligible for welfare–to–work programs.

Strengths: CalFresh E&T has strong relationships with Local Boards in the counties where it operates and the program is good at ensuring access to mental health and substance abuse services. CalWORKs has a robust subsidized employment program and has a lot of flexibility in the types of services it can provide. CalWORKs has an existing relationship with community colleges to provide support for CalWORKs recipients enrolled in academic and career pathway programs. While maintaining the work–first policies of TANF, recent changes in CalWORKs have increased the emphasis towards a work–focused, skills attainment, and barrier removal agenda to ensure that TANF recipients are positioned to achieve long–term successful outcomes and upward mobility.

Weaknesses: CalWORKs serves a higher percentage of needy families than the rest of the nation. CalWORKs is designed primarily to combat child poverty by continuing to aid children even when the adults cannot (e.g., due to time limits or exemptions) or refuse to participate in the welfare–to–work program. CalWORKs serves many exempt adults with significant barriers to employment.

Department of Industrial Relations – Division of Apprenticeship Standards

The DIR–DAS administers California apprenticeship law and enforces apprenticeship standards for wages, hours, working conditions and the specific skills required for state certification as a journeyperson in an apprenticeable occupation. DIR–DAS promotes apprenticeship training through creation of partnerships, consults with program sponsors and monitors programs to ensure high standards for on–the–job training and supplemental classroom instruction. Through this effort, the retiring skilled workforce is replenished with new skilled workers to keep California’s economic engine running strong.

Clients/Service Population: DIR–DAS serves industry, educational institutions, government, and apprentice and journey level workers. California leads the nation with 53,366 apprentices registered in over 540 programs recognized by DAS.

Strengths: The apprenticeship model of skill development, “earn and learn”, has a proven track record of placing workers in high–wage, middle–skills career pathways. The apprenticeship system of training is efficient and cost–effective and results in higher retention rates, lower turnover, and reduced costs for recruitment of new employees. The curriculum and on–the–job training are guided by industry and meet industry needs. Apprenticeship connects employers with public education facilities for related classroom instruction.

Weaknesses: The majority of existing apprenticeship programs are established for occupations in the construction and building trades. Women and minorities continue to be underrepresented in many apprenticeship programs.

WIOA Section I66 Indian/Native American Programs

The WIOA Section 166 Indian/Native American (INA) Program supports employment and training activities for Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people, helping more fully develop their academic, occupational and literacy skills to help them compete more effectively in the job market and achieve personal and economic self–sufficiency. There are eight WIOA Section 166 INA Employment and Training grantees in California that collectively receive $5.67 million to provide services to Indian and other Native American populations in California:

• Northern California Indian Development Council, Inc.
• Ya–Ka–Ama Indian Education and Development, Inc.
• United Indian Nations, Inc.
• California Indian Manpower Consortium
• Tule River Tribal Council
• Candelaria American Indian Council
• Southern California Indian Resource Center, Inc.
• Indian Human Resource Center.

The State Board is committed to ensuring the AJCC provide Indian and Native Americans equal access to the WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth programs and will work with Local Boards to include in their local plans their strategies to collaborate with their area Section 166 grantee(s) to provide Indian and Native Americans equal access to AJCC services and WIOA service provider opportunities and will engage the INA grantees and EDD in discussions about aligning client tracking and reporting systems.

Clients/Service Population: Section 166 INA Program serves Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians who are unemployed, or underemployed, or low–income individuals, or a recipient of a lay–off notice.

Strengths: The INA programs promote the economic and social development of Indian communities. Services are provided in a culturally appropriate manner, consistent with the principles of Indian self–determination.

Weakness: The funding allocated to INA programs is insufficient to meet the needs of the population and in most areas of California there is a weak system for co–enrolling the INA population with the AJCC system. Many INA grantees are located in rural areas and lack access to technology and support services including transportation.

Section 167 Farmworker Service Programs

The National Farmworker Jobs Program is a nationally–directed, locally–administered program of employment and training services for migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Created under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, and currently authorized section 167 of WIOA, the program seeks to counter the chronic unemployment and underemployments experienced by migrant seasonal farmworkers (MSFW) who depend primarily on seasonal jobs in California’s agricultural sector. There are five WIOA Section 167 farmworker service programs represented statewide by La Cooperativa Campesina de California: collectively, they receive $19.38 million from the Department of Labor for PY 2015–16.

• Center for Employment Training, Inc.
• California Human Development Corporation
• Central Valley Opportunity Centers, Inc.
• County of Kern, Employers’ Training Resource
• Proteus Inc.

These programs provide services throughout California but especially in rural areas where farmworkers live and work. Training services include English as a Second Language (ESL), General Education Development (GED), adult and family literacy, basic education, vocational education, and employer–based training. Related services such as childcare, transportation, emergency services, housing, counseling, job placement, and follow–up services enhance these training efforts.

The State Board is committed to ensuring the America’s Job Center of California^SM (AJCC) provide Migrant/Seasonal Farm Workers equal access to the WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth programs and will work with Local Boards to include in their Local Plans their strategies to collaborate with their Section 167 grantee(s) to provide MSFW equal access to AJCC services and WIOA service providers. The State Board will encourage AJCC’s to do the following:

• Share employer, labor market information and job training opportunities within the local region
• Support growers by listing farm–related job openings within the agricultural community
• Co–recruit, co–enroll, and co–case manage MSFWs who can benefit from workforce development services at the local level and develop opportunities for leveraging funding to acquire the support service needs of MSFWs and other low–income individuals in job training and long term employment sustainability., and
• Share staff training and bi–lingual resources to co–develop a strong comprehensive workforce staff service network at the local level across program titles for all local partners.

Clients/Service Population: WIOA Section 167 grantees serve eligible migrant/seasonal farmworkers and their dependents. Eligible farmworkers are those individuals who primarily depend on employment in agricultural labor that is characterized by chronic unemployment and underemployment.

Strengths: WIOA Section 167 grantees have well–developed relationships with Local Boards and the AJCC system, provide occupational skills training, related supportive services, and housing assistance to the MSFW population. Many Section 167 grantees also qualify as Eligible Training Providers, list programs on the State ETPL, and also receive referrals from AJCCs.

Weakness: The funding allocated to MSFW programs is insufficient to meet the needs of the population and many MSFWs have limited English language capacity and do not have access to supportive services, including transportation and child care, which limits opportunities for them to attain skills, credentials, and degrees from the “mainstream” educational system.

Job Corps

Job Corps is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive residential education and job training program for at–risk youth, ages 16 through 24. Through a nationwide network of campuses, Job Corps offers a comprehensive array of career development services to prepare young people for successful careers. Job Corps employs a holistic career development training approach which integrates the teaching of academic, vocational and employability skills, and social competencies through a combination of classroom, practical and work–based learning experiences to prepare youth for stable, long–term, high–paying jobs.

Job Corps’ focus is consistent with the State Plan. Through local and regional planning guidance, the State Board will ensure that Local Boards work with Job Corps and coordinate regionally with California’s Job Corps centers in San Bernardino, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose.

Clients/Service Population: Job Corps serves young men and women age 16–24 who are out of school and have barriers to employment.

Strengths: Job Corps is a comprehensive program which provides high school diploma and equivalency programs, occupational skills training, work readiness, and housing and supportive services to young men and women enrolled in the program.

Weakness: While California has six Job Corps Centers, not all local areas can access services.

SENIOR COMMUNITY SERVICE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM • The Senior Community Service Employment Program is housed within the California Department of Aging and funding is provided at the local level through 14 subrecipients, including i. Marin, Alameda, Fresno-Madera, Kings-Tulare, Ventura, and Los Angeles County Area Agencies on Aging, ii. Sourcewise iii. San Joaquin, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, San Diego and Stanislaus County Departments of Aging, and iv. City of Los Angeles, Department of Aging. • In addition, there are 8 national SCSEP grantees with projects in California: i. AARP Foundation ii. Experience Works, Inc. iii. National Council of the Aging, Inc. iv. Senior Service America, Inc. v. Asociación Nacional Pro Personas Mayores vi. National Asian Pacific Center on Aging vii. National Indian Council on Aging viii. SER – Jobs for Progress National, Inc. The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) provides part-time work-based training opportunities at local community service agencies for older Californians who have poor employment prospects and are unemployed. SCSEP assists individuals in finding employment opportunities in the community through a variety of supportive services such as personal and job-related counseling, job training, and job referral. SCSEP providers also educate employers about the benefits of hiring older workers. The Senior Community Service Employment program was not required to participate in the development of the WIOA unified plan. The SCESP state plan includes a commitment to coordinate with the America’s Job Centers of Californian and requires their state funded grantees to participate in negotiating the Memorandum of Understanding for the AJCC system. The SCSEP State plan includes a commitment to leverage funds by co-locating SESP participants at AJCCs, but does not include a commitment to cost sharing. The California MOU Directive requires the SCESP as a required partner in the AJCC system, and directs local boards to provide basic and individual career services and training services to customers referred by SCSEP. Clients/Service Population: SCSEP serves low-income residents of California who are over 55. Priority is given to individuals with barriers to employment. Strengths: Provide part time subsidized employment to older adults. Weakness: Not all Workforce Development areas have SCSEP programs and funding is limited.