WIOA State Plan Common Elements

(F) Partner Engagement with Other Education and Training Providers. Describe how the State’s Strategies will engage the State’s other education and training providers, including providers on the state’s eligible training provider list, as partners in the workforce development system to create a job-driven education and training system.

Training without the close involvement of industry and business will likely be to no avail. Maryland has embraced employer and industry driven models to training through the EARN Maryland program and through the State’s investments in RAs.

EARN Maryland

EARN Maryland is the State’s nationally-recognized workforce program. The program is industry-led, designed to address business workforce needs by focusing on industry sector strategies that produce long-term solutions to sustained skills gaps and personnel shortages. The success of the program is seeded in collaboration among a diverse group of partners, including employer and industry partners, nonprofit and community-based organizations, and workforce, economic development, and education partners. Based upon employer-identified training needs, Strategic Industry Partnerships provide education and skills training to unemployed and underemployed Marylanders, including support for individuals with specific barriers to employment. EARN also provides career advancement strategies for incumbent workers.

Since the program began in 2014, EARN has been recognized as a national best practice for its innovation and implementation of sector strategies. In 2015 and 2016, the National Skills Coalition and Urban Institute praised EARN as a leader in industry-led workforce initiatives.  In 2017, EARN was highlighted at the National Conference for State Legislatures as a model to be emulated. Additionally, at the request of the National Skills Coalition, EARN Maryland staff provided technical assistance to states seeking to emulate this national best practice. In 2018, EARN was named one of the Top 25 programs in Harvard’s 2018 Innovations in American Government Award competition, which highlights exemplary models of government innovation.

As of October 2019, over 7,400 incumbent workers have participated in training, earning a new skill, certification or credential. Employer partners identify many benefits to their employees participating in EARN training, including increased cost savings, productivity and retention.

Recognizing the success of the program, Governor Hogan has more than doubled the appropriation for EARN since taking office in 2015. Specifically, $3 million annually has been earmarked in FY 2018, 2019, and 2020 to promote training in Cyber and Information Technology. Additionally, $1 million annually in FY 2018, 2019, and 2020 was allocated for green jobs training. While this funding will sunset in 2020, EARN will receive funding through the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) beginning in FY 2021. Passed during the 2019 Legislative Session, the CEJA will provide $8 million to MD Labor to support clean energy job development utilizing Pre-Apprenticeships and RAs. Finally, in FY 2020, $500,000 was earmarked to benefit employers and residents in and around the State’s 149 Opportunity Zones. These key investments by Governor Hogan will allow a larger number of employers to benefit from this industry-driven program, and ensure a more highly-skilled workforce.

Due to the critical role of employer and industry partners in the implementation of the program, EARN partnerships are encouraged to grow their employer network. As of October 2019, over 1,000 employers have participated in the program. In 2017, the Business Economic and Community Outreach Network (BEACON) performed a survey to ascertain the effectiveness of the program from the perspective of EARN employer and industry partners. When asked to rate the competitive advantage of EARN participants, nearly 75 percent of survey respondents stated that they have a significant competitive advantage over their peers, with 25 percent responding that EARN participants have at least some competitive advantage. Over 97 percent of respondents expressed that their participation in EARN is worth the investment. Finally, nearly 93 percent of employers expressed that their participation in EARN has had a positive impact on their business. To this specific question, respondents cited that the program has helped their business to increase efficiency and effectiveness in meeting the mission and goals of the organization, expand and increase the diversity of the talent pool from which they hire, and increase exposure in the community and to candidates. The results of this survey solidify the impact of the industry-led model in improving business outcomes and best serving Maryland’s workforce.

In 2019, the Department continued its partnership with the Maryland DHS’ Food Supplement Employment Training (FSET) Program. Funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, the program connects people who receive monthly food supplement benefits (SNAP, food stamps) to job-driven training programs. The program requires a cost-match with non-federal funding. Participating programs will be reimbursed up to 50 percent of allowable program costs, thus increasing the State’s and other non-federal funders’ investment and increasing the number of Marylanders to receive in-demand skills training. Because EARN is a state-funded program, EARN Maryland partnerships have the means to provide the cost match. Eleven EARN grantees have taken advantage of the program, including the Jane Addams Resource Corporation, Civic Works, Humanim, Job Opportunities Task Force, NPower, Per Scholas, and the Maryland Food Bank.

On October 26, 2017, the State Workforce System released Policy Issuance 2017-09: WIOA Title I Training & Maryland’s Eligible Training Provider List. The policy was the result of over a year’s worth of convening stakeholders, public comment, and technical assistance. Both EARN partnerships and RAs were represented in the discussions and policy formulation. Previously, EARN partnerships had not been included on the ETPL. Based on the feedback from EARN partnerships, community colleges, and others, the State established a process that would allow EARN Maryland performance outcome reports to count as past performance data submitted for initial eligibility. It is the State’s hope that as the new policy is implemented, more EARN partnerships will be able to take advantage of this additional funding stream, and, more importantly, WIOA customers would be trained in in-demand occupations leading toward employment opportunities.     

RAs

Since becoming a part of MD Labor DWDAL in 2016, the Office of Apprenticeship and Training has made a concerted effort to utilize this time-tested model as the State’s premiere workforce solution. The structure of RA is flexible and innovative, allowing for businesses to create a structured training model to connect highly skilled workers to the employer. The Apprentices benefit through the OJT, which allows them to earn an income while they learn the skills needed for the job.

Leveraging federal funding for the acceleration and expansion of apprenticeship opportunities, the State hired additional staff charged with building partnerships with new, existing and inactive sponsors and/or businesses. Industry engagement and participation are also key to the successful expansion of RA in Maryland. Outreach to chambers of commerce and industry associations, and State and Local Boards are occurring. The connections with these industry groups nurtured several opportunities to engage industry to develop multi-employer programs and program templates. Lastly, relationships are being leveraged with sector partnerships through EARN.

In January 2017, there were no RA sponsors on the State’s ETPL. Due to the effort of the Office of Apprenticeship and Training, and as a result of intensive outreach, over 55 joined the ETPL to leverage WIOA funding.