WIOA State Plan Common Elements

The Governor’s priorities include key actions necessary to strengthen Michigan’s foundation because when Michigan is a successful state, we are a state of successful people.  In alignment with the Governor’s priorities and the Governor’s Workforce Development State Board’s priorities, Michigan’s vision is: 

 “Make Michigan a place where all PEOPLE, BUSINESSES, AND COMMUNITIES have the educational and economic means to reach their full potential.”

 Our vision encompasses key actions related to workforce employment, training and educational programs as identified in the Governor’s strategy for Michigan’s foundation.  Key actions include: 

• Data and evidence-based promotion of opportunities where data is the basis for how we make decisions and measure success;
   
• Collaboration to achieve unity of purposes and greater success by effectively partnering within the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), and partners within/beyond state government to build coalitions to effectively drive strategic focus areas;
   
• Commitment to equality by prioritizing equity; specifically, closure of opportunity gaps for marginalized populations.  This would include, but is not limited to race, gender, geography, socioeconomic status, and LGBTQ+ populations;
   
• Customer focus for all Michiganders, businesses and communities by incorporating and amplifying the voices of those we protect and serve.  To ensure the focus is a people-centered approach in all we do;
   
• Driving down working poverty by increasing accountability through measuring outcomes and results;
   
• Increasing post-secondary attainment rates (degree or certificate) by providing the educational and economic tools necessary to succeed and to fill the current skills gap;
   
• Develop career pathways for every learner to access a combination of high-quality education, training and other services that lead to recognized credential(s) and prepare an individual to be successful in a high-wage, self-sustaining career to build a skilled workforce; 

• Focusing on early childhood education and literacy to improve achievement in Michigan schools by improving efforts to nurture and educate our youth;
   
• Ensuring that training is demand-driven by creating partnerships with education and employers, building a seamless One-Stop system for both employers and job seekers, emphasizing the value of local areas to leverage State resources that help create more and better jobs and training, along with career and technical education opportunities;
   
• Assisting the structurally unemployed by offering services tailored to meet individual needs;
   
• Providing one-stop shopping for veterans; and
   
• Improving employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities and assist the business community to hire and retain workers from the VR talent pool, schools, adult education, and Michigan Works!
   

The Governor’s Administration is committed to providing a quality education from “Cradle to Career” which will close the economic inequity gap with access and unleash Michigan’s economic development potential.  From eliminating barriers for those with disabilities who wish to enter the workforce, encouraging career pathways to prosperity, helping small businesses compete, and providing assistance to obtain post-secondary credential(s), the State of Michigan is committed to being a leader in adopting employment and educational practices within our state and government.  

 This vision and these actions encompass helping all Michiganders and businesses obtain the educational and economic means to reach their full potential, no matter their stage in life.  This priority continues to be built upon through collaboration and cooperation.

 The following key actions, included with Michigan’s submission of our 2020 State Plan, have been accomplished: 

• Collaboration within LEO, and partners within/beyond state government to build coalitions to effectively drive strategic focus areas.
   
• Commitment to inclusion for individuals with barrier to employment.
   
• Emphasized value of regional and local areas leveraging State resources that created better jobs and training, along with career pathways.
   

• Workforce development operations have been combined with Vocational Rehabilitation programs to reduce bureaucracy and inefficiency, along with increased focus on assisting individuals with barriers to employment through partnerships.
   
• Partnerships between education and employers have been created to ensure training is not only demand-driven but leads to a recognized post-secondary credential, building a seamless One-Stop system for job seekers.
   
• LEO is actively engaged in, and continues to work toward, aligning data systems to measure outcomes.  Results have increased accountability.

The Governor’s strategic priorities encompass the real work of state government – protecting the public, educating our youth, and working with business.  This includes a government that works for everyone, a stronger, healthier economy and a foundation of faith in Michigan’s future.  The following strategic priorities were identified by the Governor:

 Priority 1 (Education and Skills):  Improve workforce education and reduce skills gap to address the rapidly changing skills we need to compete for good-paying jobs and the requirement that some form of post-secondary education is required for today’s jobs. 

Priority 2 (Sixty by 30):  Newly established statewide goal to increase the number of Michiganders between the ages of 16 and 64 with a post-secondary credential/obtainment to 60 percent by 2030. 

Priority 3 (Summer Young Professionals Program):  Michigan pilot summer young adult employment program to reduce youth unemployment by introducing under-represented young adults, ages 14-24, to the world of work while providing participants and their families with income.   

Priority 4 (Michigan Reconnect):  Increase training opportunities for adults who have already started their careers and are seeking an in-demand industry certification or associate degree to up-skill and qualify for local in-demand careers. 

Priority 5 (Michigan Opportunity):  Newly developed scholarship program that will provide two years of tuition assistance at a four-year, not-for-profit college or university for students who graduate from a Michigan high school with at least a B average.   

Achievement of these priorities will be accomplished through coordination with the Michigan Works! Agencies (MWAs) and strategies that:  

• Close the skills gap by increasing opportunity for education and career skill training programs, and attract a talented, top-notch workforce.
   
• Connect Michigan businesses to qualified candidates for the growing number of jobs that are currently unfilled.
   
• Expand services to place young adults on the right path to gain the skills necessary to achieve lifelong economic self-sufficiency.
   
• Ensure that every Michigander has an opportunity through a career pathway to skills that lead to self-sustaining employment.
   
• Expand access to students who graduate from a Michigan high school and want to continue their education but:
  • Cannot afford to do so, or
  • Decide that a four-year college or university is not for them but need skills to get a good job. 
     
• Improve local programs for youth that will provide career preparation, employment opportunities, and support services in partnership with One-Stop centers.

Michigan aligns with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in support to improve and strengthen the workforce system for all, including those who face significant barriers to employment, and youth, into high-quality careers, along with assisting employers to hire, train and retain skilled workers.  Michigan envisions a public-private partnership designed to combine services that will place all Michiganders on the right path to gain the skills necessary to achieve life-long economic self-sufficiency.  The State of Michigan is committed to expand economic opportunity and prosperity for all people, businesses, and communities by providing the educational and economic means needed to reach their full potential.  In keeping with these strategic priorities, the following goals have been established:

Goal 1:  All Michiganders will have access to a continuum of high-quality education, training and career pathway opportunities to obtain self-sustaining wages.  Access to a continuum of high-quality education, training and career pathway opportunities to obtain self-sustaining wages will be achieved by: 

• Investing in the closure of inequity gaps by prioritizing closure of socioeconomic/demographic opportunity gaps in all decision making.
• Protecting the health, safety, and economic security for workers by ensuring safe working conditions, fair wages, and labor protections. 
• Removing barriers to employment including housing, transportation, health care, childcare, language, and placement
• Building equitable pathways to high-wage careers by supporting education, training, onramps, and certification(s) to make sustaining wages more attainable.

Goal 2:  Michigan will support business growth by ensuring that employers have access to a diverse and skilled workforce, and opportunities to expand upward mobility, including: 

• Growing skills/credentials to meet current and future employer needs and expanding upward mobility by addressing shortages in growth sectors in every region of the state.
   
• Enabling Michigan’s businesses to grow and thrive by creating the foundation to attract investment, including infrastructure. 
   
• Promoting economic sector diversity by increasing exposure to high-growth, highly resilient sectors.
   
• Catalyze small business and entrepreneurship by addressing leaks in the entrepreneurship funnel to increase new business starts and economic growth.

Goal 3:  Michigan communities to play a vital role in attracting and retaining qualified talent by demonstrating Michigan as a state to live, work and play.   

• Developing vibrant communities by developing and preserving the infrastructure, amenities, and arts/culture that make communities vital.
   
• Make and market Michigan as a state for all to live, work, and play by investing in placemaking, expanding affordable housing, and marketing Michigan to the world. 

These goals reflect Michigan’s commitment to customer-focused services by engaging citizens early about education and training opportunities, to focus and attract qualified talent to support business growth and employers, and market Michigan as a place to invest in both personally and professionally. 

Performance Goals:

With the exception of the Adult Education Measurable Skill Gains, performance data is made up of a rolling four-quarter period, meaning that each measure includes a full year of data, but data crosses program years.  Michigan is currently exceeding the performance target for all measures for Title I programs (Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth) for which we have measures.  Employment for the fourth quarter after exit and credential attainment data will not be available until the end of March.

The calculation of gains for Adult Education Measurable Skills Gain is reported at the end of the year.  For 2018, Michigan exceeded this measure.  For 2019, it is anticipated that Michigan will exceed this measure again.

The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) will report the expected level of performance for the effectiveness in serving employers indicator.  Effectiveness in serving employers will include the following three approaches:

1. Retention with the same employer, measured by the percentage of participants who exit and are employed in the second and fourth quarters after exit.

2.   Repeat business customers based on the percentage of repeat employers using services within the three previous years.

3.  Employer penetration rate based on the percentage of employers using services out of all employers in the state.

Refer to Appendix 1 for Michigan’s performance goals.

 Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) – Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS) and Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP)

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) – The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) confirmed the Measurable Skill Gains negotiated levels of performance for MRS and BSBP as follows:

• PY 2020 – 19%
• PY 2021 – 20%

Levels of performance for all WIOA performance indicators will be negotiated with RSA in PYs 2022/2023. 

Assessment:

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) performance measures serve as indicators to track progress toward meeting the State’s goals and vision for the workforce investment system.  The State uses the performance accountability system to assess the effectiveness of State and local areas in achieving continuous improvement of workforce investment activities in order to optimize the return on investment of WIOA funds.  Both WIOA Title I and Title III performance is tracked by the State’s One-Stop Management Information System.  Reports detailing performance on all performance measures are published quarterly for all local areas.  These reports allow the State and local areas to monitor performance outcomes in order to establish trends and identify measures requiring corrective action.  Performance data is also available at the contractor level.

 The State will determine the level of performance goals for all core programs.  Instructions are issued to all local areas to provide the State with recommended performance levels for all measures for the applicable program year.  These recommended levels must be both reasonable and defendable, given prior performance levels and anticipated economic developments.  The State will request documentation for any performance level that is significantly below prior levels.  The State will compile local level recommended performance levels into a State-wide level.  The State will request a revised state level performance goal if significant differences exists between the compiled levels and the previously negotiated levels.

 Each local area is subject to the same primary indicators of performance for all core programs that apply to the State.  Local areas that fail to meet adjusted levels of performance for the primary performance indicators for any program year will receive technical assistance.  Technical assistance may include one or a combination of the following:

• Assistance in the development of a performance improvement plan,
   
• On-site or web-based technical assistance training, 
   
• Development of a modified local or regional plan, and/or
   
• Other actions designated to assist the local area in improving performance.

 If failure to meet the same performance measure(s) continues for a third consecutive program year, the State takes corrective action(s).  The local area’s circumstances will be reviewed on an individual basis, taking into consideration the nature of the problem and the technical assistance activities undertaken to correct the problem during the prior program year.  Based on this review, a corrective action plan, including a timetable is developed.

 The corrective action may include the development of a reorganization plan through which the State may:

• Require the appointment and certification of a new local board (consistent with criteria established under the WIOA),
   
• Prohibit the use of eligible providers and One-Stop partners identified as achieving a poor level of performance, and/or
   
• Take other actions the State determines appropriate.

 Michigan has implemented a workforce system dashboard that provides information on key performance measures in aggregate, which is then further broken out by each of our local service delivery areas.  The State will also evaluate the collaboration between core programs within each local area based on the percentage of participants co-enrolled among the core programs and will work towards setting targets for continuous improvement.  Local areas will also be evaluated based on the percentage of individuals served with barriers to employment.

 Additionally, the expected level of performance for the effectiveness in serving employers indicator (data) is utilized to assist our business service representatives at both the State and local levels.