WIOA State Plan Common Elements

• Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers Programs (Activities authorized under chapter 2 of Title II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2271 et seq.))
• Jobs for Veterans State Grants Program (Programs authorized under 38, U.S.C. 4100 et. seq.)
• Senior Community Service Employment Program (Programs authorized under Title V of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3056 et seq.))

For a more detailed description see Section VII Program Specific Requirements for Combined State Plan Partner Programs.

All core and partner programs benefit from and participate in the coordination, alignment and provision of services to employers through the public workforce system as detailed in Business Outreach below.

Business Outreach

The Workforce Systems Partners under WIOA will implement a collaborative and coordinated business outreach process to streamline employer engagement among partners; share a common procedure for approaching new businesses; and maintain current business relationships. The Partners will also explore options to coordinate the collection of employer data and the analysis of outcomes.

To arrive at the goal of coordinated business outreach, the Partners will implement the following strategies.

Use a coordinated Employer Needs Assessment (ENA) form and outreach process

Use of a common form will allow the data gathering and assessment of employers to be aligned among Partners. Gathering standardized data will facilitate identification of employer needs and increase responsiveness among the Partners to those needs. Within the first year of this combined state plan the Workforce System partners will develop and implement policies and procedures on the use and sharing of the ENA data across programs and with respect to the varying service models employed by the partners. For example, the Titles I and III programs currently conduct direct employer engagement activities through designated business relations employees. In contrast, the vocational rehabilitation program utilizes about 120 outside competitive contractors with expertise in addressing barriers to employment of jobseekers with disabilities; disability focused work incentive programs, customized and supported employment strategies and assisting employers in identifying and providing reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities.

Coordinating employer contact is not intended to constrain access to employers. The coordinated contact approach is intended to expand access to employers enabling the workforce system to represent their customers equally and vigorously. Regardless of who interacts with an employer, the employer’s needs will be met by including the customers from all programs as potential employees.

Opening the dialogue between the Partners and creating a streamlined approach to business outreach will provide the opportunity for key stakeholders to discuss options for creating inclusion and targeted training programs that will enhance employers hiring capabilities, as well as providing people with multiple barriers to employment opportunities to become employed. This improved engagement will also provide additional paid job opportunities for youth while in school or immediately after, up to age 24. This can include, but is not limited to internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing and/or training courses.

In addition, the strategy will increase the collaboration and leveraging of services for employers among the Partners. Employers previously served by one partner will have access to a larger network of support and work-ready jobseekers. Employers will experience a more focused and collaborated effort between agencies. This collaborative effort will increase employer knowledge and maximize their usage of the various incentive programs the state has available for businesses to hire people with disabilities and those with significant barriers to employment.

Develop an ongoing cross-training program for Partner employer development specialists

To strengthen knowledge of Partner services and their customers’ employment needs and strengths, and to enhance coordination, the Partners will conduct regular cross-training and engage in continuous improvement meetings on an annual basis. The Partners will designate individual(s) to participate in the “train-the-trainers” process. Trainers will learn the basics of each Core Partners’ programs and services and the ENA during the first year of implementation. Training will include enough relevant information to give trainees the tools necessary to speak to an employer about the other Partner programs/incentives, piquing interest and facilitating the introduction of Partners into the relationship for specialized knowledge. Individuals speaking to employers about other partner programs will not have the authority to commit services or funds without prior approval of the partner.

Training on each program is not intended for the purpose of non-program staff determining eligibility for an agency’s program that does not fall within their job duties. (i.e., Workforce Center staff would not complete eligibility for Kansas Rehabilitation Services, etc.) Trainers will be responsible for disseminating the information to their respective agency and serving as trainers for all staff with business outreach responsibilities. The Partners will build this cross-training into their standard new hire training and on-boarding processes. Partners in local areas will meet regularly to ensure open communication and high-quality cross-training is maintained.

Explore the option of using a common database for employer tracking

During the first year under this Combined State Plan the Core Partners will explore the potential option of using a common database for employer tracking. One such option is the employer portal in KANSASWORKS.com.

A common database could be used to track employer outreach, employer profiles, job openings, partner services provided and job order outcomes. Should such a common database be implemented, data entered on the employer’s account, with regard to jobseekers, would include name and participant ID only when appropriate releases have been signed by the customer. No job seeker information such as SSN, health information or barriers to employment may be entered on an employer’s account.

Such a coordinated database would allow Partners representing veterans, people with disabilities, minorities and jobseekers with multiple barriers to employment to further assist Federal Contractors with regulatory compliance. Other features to be considered in a common data base would include the ability to provide timely EEO reports to assist employers with regulatory compliance and the ability to comply with veterans’ preferences that pertain to Titles I and III. Furthermore, job orders in KANSASWORKS.com are open to veterans to comply with preference for the first 72 hours after being entered as required by United State Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Service.

These strategies will increase the collaboration and leveraging of services for employers among the Partners. Employers previously served by one partner will have access to a larger network of support and work-ready jobseekers. Employers will experience a more focused and collaborated effort between agencies. This collaborative effort will increase employer knowledge and maximize their usage of the various incentive programs the state has available for businesses to hire people with disabilities and those with significant barriers to employment.

Any costs associated with this process will require negotiation and approval of the Partners prior to implementation.

Updates to KANSASWORKS.com

KANSASWORKS.com is the web-based, all-in-one labor exchange and case management system currently used by Titles I and III. Over the next two years, Kansas will work to:

• Embed the ENA into the system so workforce system partners can complete the form electronically, eliminating the need for printing and reducing costs for all Partners
• Enable document upload capabilities to employer accounts so document storage can be maintained within the single system further increasing the ability to share information within the workforce system
• Add functionality to the system to track the effectiveness of the coordinated contact approach among Partners. The functionality should capture information on the progression of an employer with notes, services and/or contact from a single Partner to having notes, services and/or contact with multiple Partners. This will be used to produce a report that includes data points on the number of employers with activity within a user-selected time period (i.e. 6, 9 or 12 months, etc.), a list of the partners that entered a note, service or contact on the employer accounts within the time period selected and the number of job orders that were filled during the period of engagement with a single partner vs. the number of job orders that were filled during the period of engagement with multiple partners

Benefits of collaborative approach

This level of collaboration between the Partners will increase the number of jobseekers with multiple barriers to employment in successful employment. The Partners will regularly (annually) measure the degree of use and satisfaction of employers within the system, as well as the increased level of people with disabilities and significant barriers to employment who are working with those employers.