2 Year Modification

Kansas PYs 2018-2019 Published

WIOA State Plan Common Elements

Section Published
Located in:
  • III. Operational Planning Elements
    The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an Operational Planning Elements section that support the State’s strategy and the system-wide vision described in Section II.(c) above. Unless otherwise noted, all Operational Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs. This section must include—
    • a. State Strategy Implementation
      The Unified or Combined State Plan must include—
      • 2. Implementation of State Strategy
        Describe how the lead State agency with responsibility for the administration of each core program or a Combined Plan partner program included in this plan will implement the State’s Strategies identified in Section II(c). above. This must include a description of—

III. a. 2. 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.

Current Narrative:

(F) and (G) Leveraging Resources to Increase Educational Access and Improving Access to Postsecondary Credentials

Both state and federal resources are leveraged to improve access to workforce development programs provided by educational institutions. In addition to the projects already described, Kansas has been awarded the Disability Employment Initiative grant to, in part, fund postsecondary credential training for jobseekers with disabilities. Postsecondary partners have competed for and received funding to support tuition assistance for jobseekers including offenders and other individuals with barriers to employment. Kansas WIOA Core Partners, educational institutions and other partners will continue to aggressively seek additional resources to improve access to education, postsecondary credentials and college credit.

The development and expansion of credit-bearing Career Pathways certificates across Kansas’s community and technical colleges has been a key strategy for enhancing the training and job skills of the Kansas workforce. Currently, the community colleges offer more than 16 Career Pathway certificate programs. These certificates are completely contained within a two-year Career and Technical Education degree. This means a working learner can continue to make progress toward a higher level credential without losing time or money having to take classes that are required in the higher level credential but different from those in the Career Pathway certificate.

Local Title II providers will work with the State and local boards to clearly define career pathways across the state that promote transition of adult education students into industry recognized credentials, licenses and portable stackable certificates. In Kansas career pathways in k12, community and technical colleges, and universities are aligned.

Kansas will leverage existing education and training resources across all core partners and with community and technical colleges, including providers on the state’s eligible training provider list to improve the job-driven education and training system currently in place in the state.

(F) Leveraging Resources to Increase Educational Access

Board of Regents Adult Education: Federal

Federal TANF and SNAP funds support AO-K, Partners for Success, and Partners in Change programs which include postsecondary instruction or transition to postsecondary education.

The Kansas Board of Regents administers the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education grant for Kansas. One of the areas in which colleges can seek Perkins program improvement funding is activities to prepare special populations for high skill, wage, or demand occupations that will lead to self-sufficiency. Colleges may apply for program improvement funds to:

  • Establish or refine non-discrimination policies/procedures
  • Implement strategies to overcome program enrollment and completion career pathways
  • Reduce barriers
  • Employ classified/supportive personnel/aides
  • Expand/align student services (assessment, counseling, financial aid, job placement)

Board of Regents Adult Education: State

  • Funds granted by the State Legislature (Excel in CTE) provide free college tuition for in-school high school students in postsecondary technical education courses and incentives to school districts for students earning industry-recognized credentials in high demand occupations.
  • The AO-K proviso pays tuition for technical courses for adults without a high school diploma who are enrolled in adult education.
  • The Kansas Career Technical Workforce Grant is available to students enrolled in an eligible career technical education program operated by a designated Kansas educational institution that has been identified as offering a technical certificate or associate of applied science degree program in a high cost, high demand, or critical industry field.
  • The Kansas Board of Regents administers the Kansas Nursing Initiative which was developed to address the growing nursing shortage in the state, providing needed resources to nursing education programs to enable them to increase their capacity of nursing students. Funding can be used for scholarships for nursing educators and for faculty salaries and supplies subject to annual appropriation from the Legislature. $1.8 million is annually available to both public and privately-funded educational institutions with registered nursing programs.
  • The University Engineering Initiative Act (UEIA) aims to increase engineering graduates in Kansas with legislative appropriations for a total of $105M over 10 years available to three state universities for increased enrollments, better connections for students at critical stages with Kansas companies, and increased opportunities for scholarships and internships.

Board of Regents Adult Education:Local

Some colleges have granted tuition waivers for non-technical courses to adults enrolled in AO-K.