WIOA State Plan Common Elements

(A) State Agency Organization. Describe the organization and delivery systems at the state and local levels for the programs covered in the plan, including the organizational structure. Include an organizational chart.

Four Maryland State agencies are responsible for administration and oversight of the State’s WIOA System:

• Maryland Department of Labor (MD Labor) – Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning (DWDAL) and Division of Unemployment Insurance (DUI);
• Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS);
• Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS), Family Investment Administration (FIA); and
• Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

This section details both the state and local organization and delivery systems for the Maryland’s WIOA programs.

Organizational Charts are included below to supplement this explanation:

MD Labor DWDAL:

MD Labor DUI:

MSDE DORS:

DHS:

DHCD:

MD Labor – DWDAL

MD Labor’s organizational structure includes the Office of the Secretary, Office of the Deputy Secretary, and seven Divisions. As one of the seven Divisions, the DWDAL is responsible for administering the majority of programs set forth in this Combined Plan.

DWDAL’s administration activities include:

• Overseeing the state’s designated Local Areas;
• Providing guidance to Local Boards on the Development of regional and local plans that support WIOA implementation;
• Developing policies and procedures to guide the overall workforce system;
• Managing the statewide information and technology system for case management, performance reporting, and labor market information – the MWE; and
• Providing technical assistance related to programming and system improvements.

The Governor designated 12 Local Areas in Maryland, as shown in the map below. Each Local Area operates at least one comprehensive AJC, as well as one or more affiliate centers or specialized service access points. A network of 30 AJCs currently serve Maryland job seekers and businesses. A list of AJCs by county is available at the following link: http://www.dllr.state.md.us/county/.

DWDAL works collaboratively with the business-led Boards responsible for governing the implementation of workforce system services delivered in and through local AJCs within their Local Areas.

DWDAL’s Organizational Composition

The DWDAL Office of the Assistant Secretary (OAS) ensures Division initiatives and program activities are aligned with the strategic vision for the State’s workforce system. The DWDAL OAS coordinates the work of four Offices: 1) the OWD; 2) the Office of Workforce Information and Performance; 3) the Office of Adult Education and Literacy Services; and 4) the Office of Correctional Education.

DWDAL - Office of the Assistant Secretary (OAS)

• The Policy Unit identifies and prioritizes policy needs and leads an inclusive policy development process that incorporates broad stakeholder input to produce clear, practical guidance. In addition to policy development, the Policy Unit supports strategic planning activities within DWDAL and works closely with the Maryland Workforce System’s Chief Learning Office to enhance system cohesion through consistent implementation of system-wide policies and best practices.
• The Professional Development and Technical Assistance Unit is led by the Chief Learning Officer, whose position is jointly funded by MD Labor, the DHS, and DORS. The role of this Unit is to establish, maintain, and promote a high quality, coordinated professional development system for Maryland’s workforce system that is collaboratively developed, cohesively designed, and collectively managed.
• The New Americans Unit expedites immigrant integration into the economic and civic life of the state through outreach and community engagement efforts. Through such efforts, the New Americans Unit shares information on training and employment opportunities with immigrants who call Maryland home and promotes adult literacy and English language acquisition for immigrants, including foreign born professionals. The New Americans Unit partners with MORA to jointly co-sponsor the Maryland Skilled Immigrant Task Force. The Task Force works to create a win-win environment in which immigrants are able to secure jobs that match their professional and educational backgrounds while simultaneously meeting the hiring demands of the business community along with DHS MORA. The Task Force focuses on the issues of LEP, addressing challenges associated with complex licensing and credentialing processes, limited experience of Maryland’s workforce system in working with foreign-born individuals, and the lack of social capital on the part of immigrants.
• The Special Grants Unit oversees the implementation of multiple grant-funded programs that support innovative, integrated workforce system solutions. The Special Grants Unit, administers the EARN Maryland (EARN) program, the State’s nationally-recognized, industry-led workforce development model that uses sector strategies to produce long-term solutions to skills gaps and personnel shortages. The unit also oversees multiple grant initiatives designed to address Maryland's serious opioid crisis.
• Communications and Outreach Unit works in coordination with other DWDAL units, other Divisions within MD Labor, and external State agencies and other organizations to ensure that accurate, clear, and consistent messaging regarding DWDAL programs and services is effectively relayed to businesses, jobseekers, and the public.
• The Monitoring and Compliance Unit provides fiscal and programmatic monitoring of local workforce and adult education entities to ensure compliance with applicable federal and state law.
• The Fiscal Administration Unit ensures the effective, prudent and efficient use of public resources in accordance with the laws and regulations established by both the Federal government and the State of Maryland. The Unit does this by establishing and adhering to fiscal controls, administrative systems, and processes. The Fiscal Administration Unit provides meaningful fiscal information to the Division's leadership team that empowers them to align strategic business decisions with the multiple sources of available funding. The Unit manages and assists in maintaining solvency of the funding for all DWDAL programs.

Office of Workforce Development (OWD)

The OWD is comprised of 12 units. Some of these units oversee the implementation of multiple programs, while other focus on a single program. Their specific functions are as follows:

• The AJC Operations Unit provides centralized oversight of MD Labor’s Labor Exchange Administrators (LEAs). LEAs manage employment and training programs and services throughout the State’s AJCs. The AJC Operations Unit administers jobseeker services through Wagner-Peyser and WIOA Title I Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs funding.
  • The Dislocation Services Unit (DSU) provides centralized oversight and administration of Rapid Response and Trade Program services:
    • Rapid Response services are designed to reduce or eliminate the time an individual receives UI benefits by quickly connecting businesses and workers impacted by a dislocation event with workforce system resources. Maryland Rapid Response teams work with businesses and jobseekers to customize services, providing them onsite at an affected business or at an alternate location and accommodating work schedules, as needed.

• • The Trade Program provides aid to eligible workers who lose their jobs, or whose hours of work and wages are reduced, as a result of increased imports or production transfers abroad. The Trade Program provides trade-affected workers with opportunities to obtain the support, resources, skills, and the credentials they need to return to the workforce in a good job. Trade program services include employment and case management services, training, job search allowances, relocation allowances, reemployment and Alternative / Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance wage subsidies for older workers, and income support in the form of Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA).

• • The Reemployment Services Unit provides centralized oversight and administration of the RESEA program and the ROW:

• • The RESEA Program: 1) assists UI claimants in becoming employed sooner; 2) reduces the number of weeks that UI benefits are paid out to claimants; 3) improves the solvency of the UI trust fund; and 4) reduces fraudulent UI claims and overpayments. The DWDAL and DUI jointly administer the RESEA program, which is available in all Local Areas across the State. State workforce staff funded under the RESEA grant coordinate and facilitate RESEA workshops in AJCs throughout the State, making it easy for participants to smoothly transition from developing an Individual Reemployment Plan (IRP) to accessing services that will help them quickly regain employment.
  • The ROW Program is a full-day workshop offered to UI claimants identified using Maryland’s WPRS, not chosen for RESEA to shorten the duration of UI benefits received through reemployment efforts.
• The POAC Unit assists recent college graduates and jobseekers otherwise prepared for or with work experience in professional, executive, technical, managerial, and/or scientific occupations to find appropriate employment opportunities.  POAC provides employers with access to an e-service program where they can use active marketing approaches to promote employment opportunities.
• The Veteran Services Unit operates the JVSG. The JVSG Program offers employment and training services to Veterans with significant barriers to employment and connects employers with work-ready Veterans.
• The Foreign Labor Certification ProgramUnit assists applicable employers, who have obtained USDOL approval to begin the hiring process of permanent or temporary foreign workers. The program assists employers across Maryland in navigating federal program requirements, including application processing, data collection, wage and prevailing practice surveys in specific employment areas where foreign workers have been brought to Maryland.
• The Tax Credit Unit administers federal and state tax credit programs that offer income tax incentives to employers for hiring members of targeted population groups, such as ex-offenders or certain individuals with disabilities.
• Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker (MSFW) Unit ensures migrant and seasonal farm workers receive the same employment services that non-migrant seasonal farm workers receive at Maryland AJCs.
• The Reentry Services Unit works to increase the employability of Maryland citizens with criminal backgrounds. The unit provides technical assistance to jobseekers, staff, and employers to increase the number of individuals hired with criminal history and barriers to employment. As part of the unit’s responsibilities, unit staff work with local AJCs to administer the federal Bonding Program.
• The Youth and Disability Services Unit provides coordination and technical assistance support to the Local Areas and partner service providers responsible for serving WIOA Title I youth program participants and AJC customers with disabilities.
• The Business Services Unit strategically utilizes the resources and expertise of the State and local WIOA partners and other organizations to develop business solutions that meet employer workforce needs, and help companies stabilize and grow throughout the business life cycle.
• The Apprenticeship and Training Program Unit works collaboratively with the Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council to: 1) register apprenticeship programs that meet federal and state standards; 2) issue certificates of completion to apprentices; 3) encourage the development of new programs through outreach and technical assistance; 4) protect the safety and welfare of apprentices; and 5) assure that all programs provide high-quality training.
• The Senior Community Service Employment Program Unit assists job seekers 55 or older who are unemployed, meet established low-income guidelines, and desire an opportunity for training an employment, to access training and employment services. SCSEP participants receive training in workplace skills and access to unsubsidized employment, either with nonprofit or government agencies – known at “host agencies” - or private sector employers.

Office of Workforce Information and Performance (OWIP)

OWIP’s mission is to collect, analyze, and produce labor market and workforce information as a service to businesses, jobseekers, students, and workforce entities. OWIP is organized into three units that manage: 1) performance and data quality; 2) the MWE, and 3) Labor Market Information.

Additionally, OWIP manages and maintains the Workforce Information Database, the production of industry and occupational employment projections, and other workforce information and economic products and services.

Office of Adult Education and Literacy Services

The Office of Adult Education and Literacy Services provides services to Maryland’s adult learners, as required under WIOA Title II. The Office selects local providers of adult education instructional services via a statewide competition. Instructional services include Adult Basic and Secondary Education, English Language Acquisition / Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education, Family Literacy, and High School Diploma preparation.

Maryland’s current providers include a wide-range of community colleges, local public school systems, community-based organizations, public libraries, and the state’s Correctional Education program. A complete listing of local providers of adult education authorized under Title II can be found at: www.dllr.state.md.us/gedmd/programs.shtml. The Office provides monitoring, technical assistance, professional development, and assistance to these providers, and serves as the State’s contact for adult education with the United States Department of Education. The Office administers Maryland’s GED^® and National External Diploma Program^®, which help adult learners and out-of-school youth to obtain their Maryland High School Diplomas. A complete listing of GED^® testing sites in Maryland is found at www.dllr.state.md.us/gedmd/ged.shtml.

Correctional Education

The Office Correctional Education provides educational opportunities for incarcerated men and women that enable them to become independent and productive workers, citizens, and parents. Correctional Education, with the oversight of the Correctional Education Council and in partnership with the DPSCS, is responsible for the academic, occupational, and transitional programs provided in Maryland’s correctional institutions.

The academic program begins with basic literacy and continues along a learning continuum through high school equivalency completion. Special education services are also available to eligible students. Upon attainment of the Maryland High School Diploma through passage of the GED^® examination, students may participate in one of 23 occupational programs or postsecondary education courses. Many of the occupational programs provide unique opportunities for the justice-involved individuals to obtain nationally recognized credentials, with the goal of reaching economic self-sufficiency.

Occupational Programs Offered by Maryland Correctional Education:

• Architectural CADD
• Automotive Body Repair
• Automotive Maintenance and Inspection
• Building Maintenance
• Fabric and Upholstery Cleaning
• Furniture Upholstery
• Graphic Arts and Design
• Introduction to Word and Excel
• Office Practice and Management
• Office Technology
• Pre-Apprenticeship Carpentry
• Pre-Apprenticeship Electrical
• Pre-Apprenticeship Facilities Maintenance
• Pre-Apprenticeship HVAC/R
• Pre-Apprenticeship Masonry
• Pre-Apprenticeship Plumbing
• Pre-Apprenticeship Sheet Metal
• Pre-Apprenticeship Welding
• Print Communication
• Roofing
• Small Engine Repair
• Warehouse/Distribution
• Woodworking/Finish Carpentry

Transitional programs also provide students with skills for developing short and long-term employment plans including job search strategies and soft skills training for job readiness. In short, the program seeks to provide educational opportunities to support the inmate’s successful reentry and reintegration into the community.

MSDE - DORS

DORS administers Maryland’s VR program. DORS provides services and supports to assist eligible students, youth, and adults with significant disabilities transition to postsecondary education, training, and employment. VR services and Pre-Employment Transition Services are provided by the following branches:

• The Office of Field Services provides services such as career counseling, assistive technology, vocational training, work readiness training, job development services, and Pre-Employment Transition Services. Staff members are located in 24 field offices located throughout the state, some of which are co-located with AJCs.
• The Office for Blindness and Vision Services specializes in services to individuals whose primary disability is blindness or vision loss, to assist them in achieving their goals of employment and of independence in their homes and communities. The Office oversees the Maryland Business Enterprise Program (BEP) for the Blind, a program that prepares individuals who are legally blind to operate vending, gift, or food service businesses in public facilities, in accordance with the Randolph Sheppard Act.
• The Workforce and Technology Center is a comprehensive VR facility that offers career assessment services, career and skills training, job placement assistance, Assistive Technology services, and other medical and support services. A complete listing of DORS Regions and Offices is available at the following link: http://dors.maryland.gov/resources/Pages/locations.aspx.

DHS –FIA

Maryland refers to the TANF program as the TCA program. The TCA program is implemented through LDSSs, located in all of the State’s 24 jurisdictions. The locations of LDSS offices and contact information can be accessed at http://dhs.maryland.gov/local-offices.  Through LDSS service points, workforce system customers may access or receive referrals to education, job training, job placement, and other services to help them overcome employment barriers and obtain self-sustaining employment.

MD LABOR-DUI

DUI administers Maryland’s UI compensation program, as well as some components of the Trade Program. DUI processes UI claims and serves qualified UI recipients. DUI staff work collaboratively with DWDAL-OWD staff responsible for delivering RESEA and ROW programs, to assist unemployed Marylanders in determining their eligibility for and access to UI benefits.

The Community Service Block Grant

The Community Service Block Grant is administered by the Maryland DHCD, Division of Neighborhood Revitalization and their local grantees in the State’s CAAs.  The program's primary objective is to develop viable communities, principally for persons of low- to moderate-incomes, by providing decent housing and suitable living environments, and through the expansion of economic opportunities.

The Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO) Program

The REO program provides funding authorized as Research and Evaluation under Section 169, of WIOA for justice-involved youth, young adults, and formerly incarcerated adults. The REO grants are available to organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit status, including women's and minority organizations; state or local governments; or any Indian and Native American entity eligible for grants under Section 166 of WIOA to develop or expand programs to improve employment opportunities for adults ages 18-24 who have been incarcerated in the youth or adult criminal justice system, and adults ages 25 or older, released from prison or jail within two years of enrollment. Maryland currently has five REO grantees, all operating in Baltimore, City. Goodwill Industries International, Inc.; Living Classrooms Foundation; and Volunteers of America Chesapeake, Inc. are serving adults. Family Health International and Structured Employment Economic Development Corporation are serving young adults.