WIOA State Plan Common Elements

Strengths

• Met or exceeded the common performance measures requirements consistently throughout the implementation of WIA
• Streamlined service delivery to more efficiently serve jobseekers and workers
• Leveraged outside resources to increase and improve services to jobseekers and workers
• Successfully partnered with other service providers including other state agencies, postsecondary education providers, community–based organizations and employers
• Developed and maintained a Management Information System which fulfills the requirements of US DOL and which is utilized in 14 other states

Weaknesses

• Not significantly increased the number of individuals with barriers to employment who receive training and other more intensive services
• Limited success with blending and braiding resources across multiple systems to meet the needs of jobseekers and workers
• Varied success at meeting the workforce needs of all industry sectors, as well as in some geographic areas of the state

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Workforce Development Activities: Adult Education

Strengths

State Performance

• Kansas Adult Education has performed in the top quartile in all WIA performance indicators for the last two years, demonstrating success in serving individuals with barriers to employment, especially those who lack basic skills, are English language learners, or have substantial cultural barriers.
• Over the last five years, Kansas Adult Education has increased the rate of participants in intermediate and higher educational functioning levels who entered higher education within three years of program exit from 23% to 28%.

State Policy and Procedures

• Kansas distributes state and a minimum of 82.5% of federal funding through a formula based primarily on performance on federal and state measures, services to most–in–need learners, and indicators of quality. (Kansas expends 12.5% of federal funding for state leadership activities and 5% of federal funding for administrative activities.)
• Kansas Adult Education has implemented a risk–based monitoring system to effectively identify and offer technical assistance to programs not meeting performance or compliance targets.
• Kansas Adult Education has adopted the College and Career Readiness Standards published by the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education which are clearly aligned with the state’s challenging academic content standards.
• Adult Education program leaders are convened at least quarterly to participate in shared decision–making and professional development.

Local Programs

• Local program providers include two–year colleges, school districts, and community–based organizations (CBOs). CBOs provide critical services to many individuals with barriers to employment.
• Local programs have served participants, including refugees, from over 100 countries.
• Several local programs support the educational and skill achievement of parents and family members to participate in the educational development of their children through partnerships with local school districts in family literacy programs.
• Two local Adult Education programs are participating in federal grants to assist inmate populations obtain skills and industry recognized credentials and successfully re–enter society.
• Two local Adult Education providers employ faculty who are national trainers in the Student Achievement in Reading (STAR) evidence–based reading training.

Weaknesses

State Performance

• Enrollment has declined during program years 2014 and 2015, resulting in service to a smaller percentage of eligible adults. Nationally, Adult Education enrolled about 3.6% of those needing services, while Kansas enrolled about 3%.
• Education gains have been declining over the last five years, especially in the adult basic education intermediate Educational Functioning Level.
• High school equivalency attainment declined following the implementation of the new GED^® Test.

State Policy and Procedures

• Although the Kansas Adult Education Association supports an annual conference for practitioners and state staff offer routine fiscal, data quality, assessment, and accountability training, the professional development system does not yet have a formal vision or framework.

Local Programs

• The rural nature of most of the state leaves many Kansans without immediate physical access to instruction.

Few local programs offer instruction through on–line or other distance delivery methods.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Workforce Development Activities: Vocational Rehabilitation

Strengths

• Services are individualized to address each person’s unique strengths, impediments to employment and vocational goals. An individual plan for employment is jointly developed between each customer and the VR counselor to address specific barriers to employment, the vocational objective, and the services necessary to achieve that objective.
• VR counselors are highly trained to address the complex disability, employment and cultural issues that impact persons served, and to facilitate informed decision–making in partnership with their customers.
• 95% of persons rehabilitated into employment in FFY 2014 were persons with significant disabilities, meaning that they had multiple functional limitations in major life areas such as mobility, communications, self–care, interpersonal skills, work tolerance, work skills and self–direction.
• VR emphasizes the employment potential of youth with disabilities and the importance of them gaining an early attachment to work or postsecondary education resulting in employment. 21% of persons served in FFY 2014 were transition–aged youth with disabilities (21 years old or younger at the time of application). 23% of persons rehabilitated that year were youth.
• Over the past ten years, approximately 75% of persons rehabilitated report their own earnings as their largest source of financial support, a significant milestone toward self–sufficiency and reduced reliance on public benefits.
• VR services are comprehensive and flexible in order to empower each customer to maximize employment.
• The End–Dependence Kansas initiative emphasizes the use of evidence–based practices throughout the VR service delivery system, including community–based service providers, to increase employment outcomes.

Weaknesses

• High turnover among counselors and difficulty recruiting new staff in some areas of the state impact the stability and timeliness of services.
• While also a strength of the program, the requirement that VR counselors have a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling or a closely related field makes staff recruitment a challenge.

A stronger and more direct connection with the employer and business community is needed to increase employment options and opportunities for Kansans with disabilities.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Workforce Development Activities: Trade Act

Strengths

• Met or exceeded performance goals over last three years
• Located TAAZ staff in Local Workforce Development workforce centers to streamline service delivery and minimize wait times for case management services
• Maintained positive working relationships with training providers resulting in efficient processing of tuition invoices and payments
• Hosted WIOA and State Staff Roundtables in each Local Area for training and service delivery discussion
• Achieved highest average placement wage in US DOL Region

Weaknesses

• Effectiveness of outreach to TAA-eligible individuals, i.e. TAA service information may need to be delivered beyond Rapid Response and/or Employer Meetings to those traumatized by job loss
• Data and information sharing with Kansas Department of Labor regarding TRA eligibility could be more efficient
• Outreach and training to new training providers to better understand billing, payment processes and administrative requirements
• Training to training providers regarding requirements to inform TAA case manager of changes in participants’ courses and the need approve those changes with the development of a new training plan

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Workforce Development Activities: JVSG

Strengths

• Met and exceeded the negotiated performance measures, to include the program’s national goal of a 90% intensive service rate; JVSG staff assisting 20% of the Veteran population who utilized KANSASWORKS; Over 85% Entered Employment Rate.
• Successfully integrated JVSG staff with career center staff and streamlined services and processes that makes a veteran’s transition and referral to partnering services fluent and efficient. This includes the development of intake processes that appropriately help determine the Veteran’s needs and to determine which pathway to employment would be most advantageous.
• Utilizing the KANSASWORKS AJL system as our primary case tracker, allowing JVSG to be 100% digital, ultimately creating efficiency and printing cost savings opportunities. Additionally, establishing KNASASWORKS digital referral for better case tracking and case managing. This process also allows for more accurate data-ing and reports.
• Successfully partnered with other Veteran Service Organizations, creating an outreach, referral, intake and co-enrollment process that allows us to not only meet the Veterans training and employment needs, but also and potentially their housing, medical/ counseling and other interim needs that may be preventing them from entering and maintaining long-term employment.

Weaknesses

• The decrease of Veterans seeking/ needing JVSG services; the number of veterans serviced decreased from over 12,500 (as July 2015) to approximately 9,600 (as July 2016). This decrease is due to the decrease Veteran un-employment rates and an overall decrease in the veteran population in the state of Kansas.
• The lack of resources to help Veterans with incarcerations in their history, to obtain meaningful employment to meet their financial needs. Employer incentive funds, outside of Federal Bonding (which only bonds the activity of the Vet, but not offset employer insurance increases due to hiring the Vet), would help leverage hiring and on-the-job training opportunities.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Workforce Development Activities: SCSEP

Strengths

• Services are provided by a Local Area Workforce Development Board, providing participants direct access to all programs and services offered by the local workforce development system
• Provider administrative staff have significant experience in OMB and other federal and state requirements
• The metro service area provides suitable opportunity for Host Site recruitment

Weaknesses

• The SCSEP project has a difficult time recruiting eligible participants in rural areas
• Client files have missing information and has required a corrective action plan for improvement
• Entered Employment and Service Level has dipped below required performance levels
• No other qualified provider responded to a Request for Proposal distributed by Commerce to provide SCSEP services