WIOA State Plan Common Elements

1. Vision

Indiana will be a national workforce leader, connecting employers and skilled workers, supporting the critical-need jobs of today while preparing for emerging industries – to drive economic mobility and opportunity for all Hoosiers.

2. Goals

(A) Goals for preparing an educated and skilled workforce, including preparing youth and individuals with barriers to employment and other populations.

Indiana has established the following pillars and corresponding goals for achieving the State’s strategic vision for its workforce development system. Specific action steps, populations served, and participating partners are detailed in Section II.c. 2.

PILLAR I: REMOVING BARRIERS FOR WORKERS

Goal 1: Harness opportunities through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which includes the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program (BEAD), the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for populations that have been historically excluded from the labor force.

• Develop employer-based recruitment, training, and retention incentives and barrier mitigation support strategies to increase hiring of traditionally underserved populations
• Deliver supportive services and direct assistance to address barriers to employment such as childcare, transportation, and work-based learning costs
• Coordinate strategic alignment across all impacted programming from K-12 through workforce initiatives for target population groups

Goal 2: Remove barriers for workers including providing affordable and accessible childcare.

• Develop a cross-system, one-stop referral process for individuals experiencing childcare and other barriers, including, but not limited to: adequate housing; clothing; food; transportation; limited English-speaking ability; lack of education, work experience, credentials; involvement in the justice system; Veterans with barriers (such as recent separation or disability).
• Provide low- or no-cost training for childcare workers to increase talent development in the caregiver economy
• Support development of employer-based childcare solutions

Goal 3: Create digital equity through digital skills training.

• Increase access to digital skills training for at-risk population groups to mitigate the digital divide
• Increase work-based learning and information technology apprenticeships in collaboration with employers to provide accessible entry points into high growth careers
• Adopt digital literacy screening and training referrals as a common practice during case management across Core and Partner programs

PILLAR II: PREPARING FUTURE SKILLED WORKERS

Goal 1: Prioritize for emerging industries specific to federal opportunities and strategic industries.

• Coordinate cross agency workforce strategy, marketing, and implementation planning
• Develop a supply and demand model for workforce investments in partnership with employers
• Create career pathway models for critical need, middle- to high-skill, good jobs requiring K-16, workforce training, and/or apprenticeships

Goal 2: Meet people where they are for career pathway planning to customize to their unique potential and experience.

• Increase career navigation resource access and provide unique-to-the-individual career pathway mapping within youth, adult, and dislocated worker education and training programs
• Increase 1:1 contact between students/jobseekers and career navigators
• Deliver a marketing campaign to promote awareness of education and training availability within a one-stop, web-based portal

Goal 3: Develop additional workers with skills-based technical training and/or a high-quality credential, certification, or degree to fill in-demand jobs.

• Revise Indiana’s in-demand occupational rankings for career awareness, policy, and funding alignment to critical need, in-demand jobs
• Promote and provide no cost, high quality, skills-based training and credentials to eligible Hoosiers
• Identify and provide outreach to unemployed, underemployed, and incumbent workers including those at risk of displacement due to automation, with high quality education and training aligned to in-demand jobs

(B) Goals for meeting the skilled workforce needs of employers.

PILLAR III: HELPING EMPLOYERS FIND AND/OR DEVELOP SKILLED WORKERS

Goal 1: Deliver bespoke customer service and solutions to key employers.  

• Establish a dedicated Talent Agency offering
• Support sector partnerships for the BIL including BEAD, the CHIPS & Science Act, the IRA, and other critical needs jobs
• Develop an improved system for employer-based feedback to validate, in-demand skills, credentials and career pathway progression for increased employer to education and training provider alignment

Goal 2: Increase quality job exposure and experience though apprenticeships, work-based learning, and employer supported training programs.

• Develop and promote an employer toolbox for off-the-shelf work-based learning programming for the youth through adult continuum
• Identify preferred apprenticeship and work and learn models based on employer input
• Increase employer outreach, participation, and successful employment placement

Goal 3: Continue to champion and promote skills-based hiring practices through career coaching for underserved jobseekers and employer hiring and training models.

• Establish common skills language library
• Increase number of career coaches and business services teams trained in skills-based hiring practices
• Deliver no-cost employer / HR training and virtual resources for skills-based talent development strategy

3. Performance Goals

WIOA mandates six performance measures for its Core Programs. Performance measures are calculated using the following methodology:

• Second Quarter Employment after Exit: Measures the percentage of participants who are in unsubsidized employment during the second quarter after exit from the program. For youth, the measure also includes the percentage who were in education or training activities during the second quarter after exit.
• Fourth Quarter Employment after Exit: Measures the percentage of participants who are in unsubsidized employment during the fourth quarter after exit from the program. For youth, the measure also includes the percentage who were in education or training activities during the fourth quarter after exit.
• Median Earnings for Second Quarter after Exit: Measures the median earnings of participants who are in unsubsidized employment during the second quarter after exit from the program.
• Credential Attainment Rate: Measures the percentage of participants who obtained a recognized postsecondary credential or a secondary school diploma, or its recognized equivalent, during participation in or within one year of exit from the program.
• Measurable Skill Gains: Measures the percentage of participants who, during a program year, are in an education or training program that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential or employment and who are achieving measurable skill gains, which are defined as documented academic, technical, occupational, or other forms of progress toward such a credential or employment.
• Effectiveness in Serving Employers: Measures the State workforce system’s effectiveness in serving employers by evaluating the employee retention, employer penetration, and repeat business customer rates

See the Performance Indicator Appendix / Core Program tables for Indiana's performance goals. 

4. Assessment

Indiana will assess the overall effectiveness of the workforce development system in the State through the following resources, ensuring data is captured, evaluated, and used to make continuous improvements: 

Management Performance Hub 

Indiana has been at the forefront of administrative data collection, data sharing, governance, and linked records access to allow for outcomes-based program research and evaluation through the Management Performance Hub (MPH). In addition to assessing program metrics related to federal performance goals, wages, employment, and post-secondary enrollment, industry and occupation-based students can be performed leveraging the MPH.  

Defined Metrics 

Shared, defined metrics across programs with shared goals will allow for enhanced alignment and improved performance. Indiana is currently developing a shared metrics template for Adult Education programs statewide to better align data collection and share progress toward State goals amongst the Department of Workforce Development, charter high schools, and online providers, as an example. 

Labor Market Information 

Indiana will use labor market indicators related to employment, unemployment, labor force participation, barriers to employment, industry growth, job postings and openings, and median wage earnings for high-level business intelligence to measure progress towards each of the three pillars.  

Employer Feedback 

Indiana will increase existing efforts to verify employer demand and talent pipeline fulfillment through direct contact with employers within sector partnerships, focus groups, business services metrics, and economic development partners to develop increased efficiencies through a systematic approach.   

WIOA Steering Committee 

A WIOA Steering Committee will be established to monitor progress, establish benchmark goals, and provide continuous quality improvement to meet the Plan’s strategic vision and goals. Updates will be shared with the Governors Workforce Cabinet (GWC) at regularly scheduled public-facing meetings so that GWC members, attendees, and guests can better understand the State’s progress towards accomplishing the goals and strategies outlined in this plan. If necessary, corrective action may be instituted at the discretion of the GWC or Governor’s Office.