Wagner-Peyser Act

(d) Describe how the State will use W-P funds to support UI claimants, and the communication between W-P and UI, as appropriate including the following:

(1) Coordination of and provision of labor exchange services for UI claimants as required by the Wagner-Peyser Act;

The goal of reemployment in Maryland is to ensure claimants are engaged with their local AJCs beyond the initial mandatory contact for continued eligibility. Labor Exchange staff are an important part of the strategy to keep claimants engaged in the centers. As part of this strategy, Labor Exchange staff provide reemployment services to claimants during the one on one assessment interviews for RESEA. Staff will make appropriate referrals to programs based on assessment of need during the meeting.

The elements which comprise Maryland’s RESEA are AJC Orientation, Labor Market Information provision, Individual Reemployment Plan, Referral to Reemployment and Training Services, and Eligibility Review Interview. As part of the program, claimants are required to complete two additional services within 45 days of the completed RESEA workshop. Claimants and trainers mutually agree upon which of the array of AJC services are most beneficial to assist in a job search. Examples of AJC program referrals may include WIOA training, the POAC, and specific training for ex-offenders, GED^® seekers, seniors, and other workshops (e.g. resume writing and interviewing). The mutually agreed upon service is recorded in MWE and on the claimant’s Individual Reemployment Plan. The trainer follows the Individual Reemployment Plan to assure compliance with the agreement. If a claimant fails to follow through on agreed upon reemployment services within 45 days, they are referred to UI for adjudication.

The ROW provides reemployment assistance to UI claimants not served by the RESEA program. ROW trainers provide services at AJCs. The goals of the program include shortening the duration of UI and connecting UI claimants to Wagner-Peyser programs. The delivery of reemployment services involves a coordinated approach, involving DUI, Wagner-Peyser, and WIOA Title I staff. ROW is open to all jobseekers, whether they are a current UI claimant or employed, dependent on available space.

Each identified profiled candidate is contacted regarding participation in a job finding and career enhancing workshop for a six hour presentation that covers, at a minimum, the job acquisition process, which includes self-assessment, career transition, resume writing, employment related correspondence, and interviewing. Local programs are encouraged to provide well-rounded information with additional topics for customers and partners. Each workshop participant will know by the end of the workshop that successful employment is the ultimate goal, and all AJC staffers are available to assist with their job search. Each workshop completer receives targeted and specific job search assistance, beginning in the workshop, with emphasis on appropriate and pertinent Labor Market Information.

Self-assessment instruments, access to supportive services and partner agencies, and individual and group counseling (career guidance) are available.  The workshop includes referral and access to program staff, training, and additional resources. In addition, local training staff can access lists of workshop completers to provide follow up inquiries to potential dislocated workers. Job matching services, one-on-one conferences, follow-up activities, and meetings are used as tools to help customers obtain rapid reemployment. Each workshop participant is contacted for follow-up assistance and additional services.

Workshops are available that address interviewing skills, application preparation, résumé writing, social media, and job searches on the Internet. Participants can access information and/or receive referrals to upcoming job fairs, employer recruitment events, and links to other AJC partners. Partners participate in the RESEA program and ROWs to provide essential information on-site. Participants who need additional training to obtain employment are assisted through WIOA programs.

With increasing numbers of LEP individuals filing UI claims, Maryland is responding to the need by providing Spanish-language workshops (Spanish is the most common non-English language spoken in the state). Workshop materials have been translated into Spanish, and a Spanish-speaking workshop facilitator has been hired to provide Spanish-language workshops in the areas with the largest numbers of LEP claimants. The Spanish language facilitator will be available to the rest of the State as numbers increase to provide services to claimants. In addition, the Spanish language facilitator has developed value added workshops, such as interviewing strategies and basic computer classes, for RESEA claimants as part of follow up services.

DWDAL and the DUI continue to work collaboratively to ensure that staff questions, concerns, and challenges are quickly identified and addressed. There is great importance attributed to the fact that DWDAL and the DUI’s administration meet regularly to orient themselves toward the highest standards for the RESEA program. Also, the Reemployment Program Manager and the UI Administrator jointly host regular program staff meetings to provide technical assistance, guidance, and training in such areas as UI eligibility issues, fact finding processes, data system operations and reporting, site-specific issues from a more global perspective, and integration of the RESEA program into the AJC fabric. These ongoing meetings are designed to enhance communication, clarify RESEA/ROW reporting errors, and address any program related questions. USDOL recently cited how impressed they were by the level of communication between DUI and DWDAL as it relates to collaborative work with UI claimants.