Located in:
- II. Strategic Elements
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a Strategic Planning Elements section that analyzes the State’s current economic environment and identifies the State’s overall vision for its workforce development system. The required elements in this section allow the State to develop data-driven goals for preparing an educated and skilled workforce and to identify successful strategies for aligning workforce development programs to support economic growth. Unless otherwise noted, all Strategic Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs.
II. c. State Strategy
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include the State's strategies to achieve its strategic vision and goals. These strategies must take into account the State’s economic, workforce, and workforce development, education and training activities and analysis provided in Section (a) above. Include discussion of specific strategies to address the needs of populations provided in Section (a).
1. Describe the strategies the State will implement, including industry or sector partnerships related to in-demand industry sectors and occupations and career pathways, as required by WIOA section 101(d)(3)(B), (D). “Career pathway” is defined at WIOA section 3(7) and includes registered apprenticeship. “In-demand industry sector or occupation” is defined at WIOA section 3(23)
2. Describe the strategies the State will use to align the core programs, any Combined State Plan partner programs included in this Plan, required and optional one-stop partner programs, and any other resources available to the State to achieve fully integrated customer services consistent with the strategic vision and goals described above. Also describe strategies to strengthen workforce development activities in regard to weaknesses identified in section II(a)(2)
Current Narrative:
Vermont will be using the following strategies to advance the State’s goals and meet the objectives highlighted in the questions above:
Strategy A: Publish and share information describing education, training, and skill development opportunities with the public and related service delivery providers in a customer-friendly format.
Strategy B: Collect and review labor market, education and training, and workforce service delivery data by gender, age, race, ethnicity, and disability status.
- Ensure that data supports ongoing analysis whether these strategies are addressing the employment and training needs of Vermonters with barriers to employment, including displaced homemakers, low-income individuals, minorities, individuals with disabilities, youth, older individuals, ex-offenders, homeless individuals, youth who have aged out of the fostercare system, individuals who are English language learners, individuals with low levels of literacy, farmworkers, single parents, veterans, long-term unemployed individuals, and New Americans.
Strategy C: Develop common intake, communication, and referral processes to increase co-enrollment in and alignment of workforce service and support programs.
- Expand physical colocation of WIOA partner programs and service providers.
- Develop and conduct semi-annual opportunities for communication, service coordination, and cross-training of workforce service delivery providers at the regional and state level.
- Share information about available support services, eligibility information, and referral protocols among workforce service providers.
- Provide virtual workshops for partner staff and service providers to facilitate greater alignment and integration of JVSG, TAA, RESEA, SNAP, and TANF programs into the one-stop system.
Strategy D: Develop and coordinate shared professional development opportunities, best practices, and approaches to counseling individuals in entering and advancing along career pathways.
- Increase awareness among secondary school and career and technical education (CTE) counselors about the variety and availability of employment opportunities available to ensure that students’ personalized learning plans are informed by broad exposure to careers, including non-traditional careers for women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities.
Strategy E: Increase outreach and delivery of workforce services to at-risk youth, ex-offenders, women, veterans, minorities, individuals in recovery, New Americans, individuals with disabilities, and mature workers to support their initial, continuing, and extended participation in the labor market.
- Increase access to employment services by providing them in places more convenient to the customer.
- Promote the coordination of and expansion of publicly availably transportation options for working Vermonters.
- Improve physical and programmatic accessibility of all WIOA partner program services and spaces.
- Promote program and community-partner collaboration to develop cohort specific programs serving at-risk youth.
- Explore opportunities to jointly pursue Second Chance Act grants to support re-entry of former inmates into successful, long-term employment.
Strategy F: Expand the use of progressive employment practices.
- Expand coordination and availability of transition support for individuals moving from secondary to post-secondary education and training to enable successful entry into future employment in a career pathway with opportunities for advancement.
- Offer additional support to employers who hire individuals overcoming barriers to employment.
Strategy G: Prioritize participant enrollment in education and training programs that result in measurable skill gain and attainment of a high school diploma or post-secondary credential.
- Maximize the use of work-based learning and training to help jobseekers build and master skills.
- Increase the number of registered apprenticeship opportunities in the State
- Establish a pre-apprenticeship registration program that outlines how credits and hours earned will be recognized when enrolled in subsequent registered apprenticeship program.
Strategy H: Support sector partnerships that inform the development and expansion of career pathways and alignment of education, training, and recruitment activities.
- Support partnerships among primary, secondary, and post-secondary education and training providers, including career and technical education centers and adult education providers to establish and expand career pathways, especially for in-demand and higher-wage industries and occupations.
- Expand development of career pathways, pipelines, and ladders that extend from introductory and entry-level to middle-management.
- Expand partnerships with employers and industry and economic development leaders to develop training programs that meet the employment needs of local businesses.
- Prioritize career pathway development in the manufacturing, health care, human services, construction, business services, information technology, and hospitality sectors with development of new registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs by 2023.
Strategy I: Assist employers in accessing and retaining qualified workers.
- Increase the coordination and availability of services offered to employers.
- Adopt a “no wrong door” approach with the business community to reduce redundancy, confustion, and streamline service and funding access.
- Encourage and assist employers in providing information about available employment opportunities in publicly accessible spaces.
- Develop common, easily accessed tools and resources to assist employers in receiving workforce services.
- Provide relocation information and employment assistance to in- and out-of-state jobseekers to connect them with available jobs.
- Expand efforts to effectively serve employers through Creative Workforce Solutions (CWS)
- Increase outreach and explore best practices for enhancing and systematizing Rapid Response, Layoff Aversion and Trade Adjustment Assistance activity.