(A) Core Program Activities

Describe the activities the entities carrying out the respective core programs will fund to implement the State’s strategies. Also describe how such activities will be aligned across the core programs and Combined State Plan partner programs included in this plan and among the entities administering the programs, including using co-enrollment and other strategies, as appropriate.

In addition to the specific activities described below, the core and partner programs will also participate on the WIOA Advisory Group, and to the extent appropriate, participate in joint training and planning activities coordinated across programs as outlined in Section (II)(c)(2).

Where appropriate, each core and partner program is addressed specifically below. However, the Idaho Department of Labor is the lead state agency for administering all Title I-B programs, Title III programs, as well as the Combined State Plan partner programs of Trade Adjustment Assistance and Veterans Employment and Training Services. As a result, the activities funded by this agency apply across multiple programs and are addressed concurrently. Therefore this section is organized as follows:

• Idaho Department of Labor Programs - includes WIOA Title I-B and Title III, and Combined Partner programs of Trade Adjustment and Veterans Training & Employment Programs
• Title II - Adult Education
• Title IV - Vocational Rehabilitation Programs
• Combined State Plan Partner - Senior Community Service Employment Programs

Idaho Department of Labor Programs

As stated previously, the Idaho Department of Labor is the lead state agency for administration of four core programs: WIOA youth, adult and dislocated worker programs and the Wagner-Peyser employment service program. The Department of Labor is also the lead agency for the following Combined State Plan partner programs: Trade Adjustment Assistance, Veterans Employment and Training Services and One-Stop partner Unemployment Insurance. The following activities will be funded by the Idaho Department of Labor to implement the State’s strategies across its programs. Activities are organized by the appropriate strategy they address.

• Strategy: Target key industries using a sector approach

Over the past eight years the Workforce Development Council has advanced strategic redirection by adopting a “Business Solutions Initiative” based on a sector strategy approach. This effort includes training American Job Center management staff and selected workforce consultants to reach out and consult with businesses in targeted industries to better understand their workforce needs and help provide solutions by coordinating education and workforce resources.

The state has dedicated the Governor’s Employment Service 10% Reserve Funds to support the following priorities under the Business Solutions Initiative:

o Employment Services staff roles include serving as regional business solutions specialists;

o Enhanced business services activities focused on a sector strategy such as outreach, one-on-one meetings with targeted employers to learn their workforce needs, office team discussions and strategy session on how best to respond to identified employer needs and coordinating workforce needs with education, economic development and workforce partners;

o Staff training for American Job Center workforce consultants and managers on business outreach techniques, promotion of services, and how to effectively work with industry sectors prioritized by the planning process.

o A Customer Relationship Management system, providing automated business services tracking and information management to :

• Streamline service delivery
• Enhance collaboration throughout the state’s One-Stop system

Monitor real-time sector activity, trends and needs at the local, regional and statewide level.

The role of the business solutions specialist is to serve as a single point of contact for employers, and are also as a resource representing all of the Idaho Department of Labor programs and other workforce programs available at the American Job Centers. The business solutions outreach team includes a disability employment advocate and veterans’ employment outreach representative. Members of the business solutions team may help facilitate on-the-job training activities between WIOA career planners and employers in targeted industry sectors.

The statewide one-stop operator has been charged with coordinating the employer outreach among the local one-stop partner programs. Conversations are taking place about the possibility of the business solutions specialists staff supplementing contacts with employers for Adult Education and Vocational Rehabilitation program offerings. The intent is not to supplant existing relationships these program entities have with employers, but to help expand their breadth.

• Strategy: Enhance opportunities for lifelong learning by expanding delivery options

o The Department of Labor is actively working with employers to develop apprenticeships for their in-demand occupations.

o WIOA Title IB participants, particularly dislocated workers, are encouraged to receive work-based training opportunities.

• Strategy: Support a comprehensive education system for all students K-Career that includes rigorous school-based learning and relevant work-based learning.

o The Idaho Department of Labor has been working with the Idaho Office of the State Board of Education to ensure that the WIOA Eligible Training Providers offer high quality education experiences. This ensures that WIOA participants receive rigorous and high quality occupational skills training.

o WIOA career planners are encouraged to prioritize work-based training experiences. The WIOA youth program also requires that at least 20% of youth expenditures be spent on work-based experiences.

• Strategy: Serving rural communities

The Idaho Department of Labor has been directed by the state legislature to maintain a presence in rural communities. This means that One-Stop services will be available across the state to serve job seekers and employers in both urban and rural areas.

• Strategy: Attracting, training, and retaining quality staff

o Department of Labor WIOA career planners, employment services and workforce development staff have the opportunity to become GCDF certified. GCDF or Global Career Development Facilitator is a well-recognized credential for those working in workforce development programs.

o Using funds from a WIA incentive grant, Launchpad Advisory Services for Workforce Development was contracted to provide training in developing a demand-driven workforce development approach. This virtual training was provided to all Department of Labor WIOA career planners, employment services and workforce development management and staff.

o With available state funds and/or technical assistance provided from the regional USDOL, WIOA career planners are provided an annual statewide training conference. These training are also supplemented with regular regional staff trainings.

o Staff working with veterans, migrant and seasonal farmworkers, and other programs receive at least annual program training.

• Strategy: Develop well-aligned career pathways

o Career pathways that align with the targeted industry sectors have been and are in the process of being defined. The Eligible Training Provider policy for WIOA occupational skills training has been vetted by those working on career pathways to ensure training for occupations within the established career pathways is available and prioritized.

o Both major hospitals in the state are working with Idaho Department of Labor business specialists to develop career pathways for new and incumbent workers. One hospital has since embarked on a major initiative, engaging a career pathways consultant and hosting all of the state’s workforce partners in regular meetings toward developing career pathways in the health care sector.

• Strategy: Connecting with Youth

o In order to most efficiently use the youth program funding and respect Congressional intent, the Workforce Development Council determined that beginning in PY2016 only out-of-school youth be served from WIOA youth funds. Further, program enrollment and participation should reflect the incidence of population in the areas where programs operate, with special emphasis on four priority groups:

• Low-income youth involved with the juvenile justice system;
• Low-income youth exiting foster care;
• Low-income youth that are pregnant and/or parenting; and
• Low-income youth with disabilities.

It should be noted that the establishment of these WIOA youth program service priorities does not mean that the program will exclusively serve these population groups. Rather, it will be a concentrated focus of the Idaho youth program to target populations identified by demographic data analysis.

o The Council also determined that that funds required for youth needing additional assistance (Youth-in-Need) should be targeted to youth within the migrant and seasonal farmworker communities. This initiative, like others, require that staff from the core partner programs like WIOA Title IB and Title III work together.

o The shift to serving only out-of-school youth has also required WIOA Title IB career planners to collaborate with partners to ensure that all youth are provided access to workforce development program services - such as the Career Information System available in schools or pre-transition employment services through Vocational Rehabilitation.

Title II Programs - Adult Education

The agency responsible for administering Title II programs is the Idaho Career & Technical Education. ICTE, as well as local Adult Education programs will invest in the following activities to implement the applicable State strategies:

• Strategy: Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Quality Program Staff

o Invest in statewide training initiatives as required or authorized under Section 223 of WIOA and, to the extent appropriate, open such training initiatives to partner programs.

o Provide, in coordination with core and partner programs covered by this plan, cross training on workforce development partner activities and programs.

o Update policies and funding structures to allow for adequate instructor prep time

o Improve efficiencies in, and training about, non-instructional and compliance-related activities (such as data entry and reporting) to reduce the burden of such activities on instructional staff.

• Strategy: Improving Services to Rural Communities

o ICTE will fund, in accordance with Section 223 of WIOA, research, training and implementation of effective distance learning models for adult students. This may include collaboration with Combined State Plan partner programs to identify promising models or utilize existing resources.

o ICTE will encourage local providers to strengthen partnerships and supports in rural areas and will fund (as authorized under Section 223) coordination efforts as appropriate.

• Strategy: Develop Career Pathways aligned with Target Sectors

o ICTE will fund—as authorized under Section 223—research, training and implementation of contextualized instruction. Such activities would incorporate (as appropriate) workplace preparation and occupational skills into literacy, math and English language instruction, and would be aligned with the Career Pathways being developed by the state.

• Strategy: Increase options to integrate adult education and English language training with occupational/training to facilitate entry of students to post-secondary education and technical training programs

o ICTE will fund—as authorized under Section 223—research, training and implementation of college transition programs. Such programs focus on the skills and abilities higher-level Adult Education students need to master in order to enroll in college or training without remediation.

Title IV Programs - Vocational Rehabilitation

Title IV Programs in Idaho are carried out by two agencies: The Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (referred to below as “The Division”) and the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (referred to below as “The Commission.”). This section addresses each agency separately.

The Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

The following activities are funded by the Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to implement the state strategies and support people with disabilities.

• Strategy: Target Sectors/Career Pathways

o The Division will implement a sector strategy and a career pathways model. The career pathways model is currently in development by the Idaho Career &Technical Education and will be implemented upon completion. The Idaho Department of Labor has already established a sector strategy model. The Division will utilize this model to help ensure that counselors are well informed of labor market trends and regional job predictions in order to better match qualified people with disabilities to high quality competitive integrated employment.

• Strategy: Attracting, Training, and Retaining Quality Personnel

o The Division is committed to hiring highly qualified rehabilitation counselors and personnel. In addition to retaining the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) standard, the Division will continue to support training initiatives for all staff in order to maintain skills and promote continuous improvement within the agency despite the removal of dedicated training funds toward this purpose. The Division will coffer paid internships in order to attract high quality talent to the state.

o In order to address retention issues, the Division will continue to periodically evaluate agency turnover and offer training in areas such as resilience, burnout, work-life balance, and core counselor competencies to ensure counselors have the skills required to deliver quality services and mitigate the common factors leading to burnout and subsequent turnover.

• Strategy: Coordinated Training across Workforce Program Partners

o In addition to internal training, the Division will continue to develop training in concert with workforce partners to cross-educate program staff on the benefits and services provided by all partners. The Division, in concert with the Commission, will coordinate disability specific training initiatives for non-Title IV.

o The Division will continue its collaboration with the Commission in serving individuals with multiple disabilities when applicable.

• Strategy: Connecting with Youth and Students

o Under WIOA, the Division has a heightened emphasis on the provision of services to students and youth with disabilities. To meet these new requirements and implement the combined plan strategy, the Division will fund the following required activities:

1. Job exploration counseling with students.

2. Work-based learning experiences in school or after school opportunities or experience outside the traditional school setting (including internships) that is provided in an integrated environment to the maximum extent possible.

3. Counseling on opportunities for enrollment in comprehensive transition or post-secondary training.

4. Workplace readiness training to develop social and independent living skills.

5. Instruction in self-advocacy which may include peer mentoring.

• Strategy: Rural Populations

o The Division will continue to support vendors who offer service provision in smaller communities in order to offset the impact of long distances on consumers of services.

o The Division has identified rural and underserved areas in each administrative region of the state and developed guidance supporting travel by Community Rehabilitation Programs to these remote and underserved areas across Idaho.

o The Division’s rural outreach efforts will extend to all school districts in the state. The Division’s transition coordinator conducted in-person marketing and needs assessments across Idaho during PYs 2016-2017 and will continue to develop, evaluate and modify innovative transition services tailored to the needs of these local areas and communities. As a division of the State Board of Education, the Division will utilize these internal connections to ensure interventions are non-duplicative, and to promote educational initiatives aligned with the combined state strategy and activities of workforce partners.

Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The Commission will generally coordinate with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in regards to the activities listed above, as appropriate. In addition, the Commission will:

• Increase outreach and education efforts to employers, educational systems, and unserved and underserved populations.
• Continue to increase independence and high quality employment outcomes through Vocational Rehabilitation services;
• Collaborate with the Division on shared cases with emphasis on individuals with the most significant disabilities, students, and underserved populations.
• Collaborate with all core partners on co-enrolled participants.
• Provide ongoing staff training to ensure qualified professional staff are knowledgeable in blindness and visual impairments, as well as other disabilities, counseling techniques, vocational rehabilitation, and WIOA.

Combined Partner Program - OAA Title V - Senior Community Service Employment ProgramI

The following activities are funded by the Idaho SCSEP to implement the state strategies and support unemployed individuals 55+.

• Provide paid employment training at community service assignments.
• Employment Training Counselors will provide job skills training.
• Computer skills training offered at main offices.
• Paid supportive services offered to overcome barriers to unemployment.
• Priority of service offered to Veterans.
• Assistance in the development of Individual Employment Plans.
• Pay for annual physical exams.
• Engage employers to hire individuals 55+.
• Access to “Job Ready” for online training and certification

These activities will be aligned with core programs through information sharing, cross trainings and co-location of SCSEP participants at local job service offices.