1. The Workforce Innovation & Opportunity ACT A National Perspective and Its impact on local engagement

2. WHAT WIOA DOES
TITLE 1 – Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth, and Job Corps Programs
TITLE 2 – Adult Education and Literacy
TITLE 3 – Wagner-Peyser
TITLE 4 – Rehabilitation Act of 1973
General Provisions

3. WHY WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT WIOA
Aligns federal investments across core programs to support job seekers and employers
Strengthens governing bodies – business-led state and local workforce boards
Help businesses find employees
Aligns goals and increases accountability
Focus on regional collaboration
Sector partnerships and career pathways
Improves services to individuals with disabilities
Makes access to service easier

4. VIRGINIA’S ONE STOP SYSTEM
Governance
1 state and 15 local workforce areas designated by the Governor
Planning
State and local plans designed to support employers by closing the skills gap and provide economic opportunities for residents
Programs
Core program partners with special responsibility
Other state and federally-funded programs
Delivery System
Retail points of service
Technology, tools and other virtual service delivery strategies

5. VIRGINIA’S LOCAL WORKFORCE AREAS

6. VIRGINIA’S ONE STOP CAREER CENTER NETWORK

8. PROMISING NATIONAL INITIATIVES
Accelerating Opportunity
Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Louisiana
Career pathways in 42 community and technical colleges
2,600 students
Team teaching between college and adult education instructors
Comprehensive support services
Developed and strengthened partnerships to support sustainability and scaling of AO
Source: The First Year of Accelerating Opportunity,
Urban Institute, September 2014

9. PROMISING NATIONAL INITIATIVES
AO Challenges
Difficult to align pathways with local labor market needs and student interests
Colleges valued the availability of student supports, but struggled to put these supports into place concurrently with the initial pathway structures
Shifting the culture within community colleges and perceptions about low-skill students proved difficult
Source: The First Year of Accelerating Opportunity,
Urban Institute, September 2014

10. PROMISING NATIONAL INITIATIVES
Overcoming AO Challenges
Colleges that were able to integrate support services early on did so by leveraging partnerships with their local workforce agencies and community-based organizations and by implementing braided funding strategies that could tie AO to supports being established for other related initiatives.
Cultural shifts began when career and technical education (CTE) faculty members became familiar and comfortable with teaching adult education students and collaborating with adult education instructors.
States actively supported AO implementation at the colleges by initiating policy changes, providing professional development for colleges, developing state-level partnerships, and creating financing strategies.
Source: The First Year of Accelerating Opportunity,
Urban Institute, September 2014

11. PROMISING NATIONAL INITIATIVES
USDOL Aging Worker Initiative
Maine, Vermont, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin, Washington, Michigan, Texas
3900 mature workers; successful employment of 1190
AWI Challenges
Public workforce system’s performance measures make serving mature workers difficult.
Emphasize full-time work
Wages must be equal to or show an increase from previous wages
Most mature workers needed to develop basic literacy, numeracy, and technology skills
“Networking” process has changed
Source: New Approaches for Supporting the Mature Worker,
Council for Adult & Experiential Learning, 2016

12. PROMISING NATIONAL INITIATIVES
Overcoming AWI Challenges
AWI sites began providing training in computer skills, interview skills, and English language proficiency
Sites offered workshops in “selling yourself” to employers
Partnerships with adult education and community college instructors were essential
AWI sites hired diverse staffs, including older workers, who could relate to the concerns of mature workers
States engaged employers early in the process to develop job placement opportunities
States developed “Learning Institutes” for sharing of best practices
Source: New Approaches for Supporting the Mature Worker,
Council for Adult & Experiential Learning, 2016

13. PROMISING NATIONAL INITIATIVES
Dual Enrollment Career Pathways
Wisconsin, Washington, Texas, Oregon, Minnesota, and Washington
“Career pathway bridges” (term coined by Wisconsin) are designed specifically to meet the needs of lower-skilled adults and youth
Link basic skills and career-technical content
Put basic skills into workplace context
Employ new classroom delivery models (learning communities, team teaching, modified curricula)
Support student success (advising, financial aid, public benefits, problem-solving)
Connect to local employer and community needs
Source: Farther, Faster: 6 Promising Programs, CLASP, 2011

14. PROMISING NATIONAL INITIATIVES
Integrated Education & Training (USDOL Initiative derived from Washington’s I-BEST model)
“…a service approach that provides adult education and literacy activities concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation activities and workforce training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster for the purpose of educational and career advancement.”
Final WIOA regulations at 34 CFR §463.35

15. PROMISING NATIONAL INITIATIVES
Integrated Education & Training – Adult Education & Literacy
adult education
literacy
workplace adult education and literacy activities
family literacy activities
English language acquisition activities
integrated English literacy and civics education
workforce preparation activities
integrated education and training
34 CFR §463.30

16. PROMISING NATIONAL INITIATIVES
Integrated Education & Training – Workforce Preparation
Activities, programs, or services designed to help an individual acquire a combination of basic academic skills, critical thinking skills, digital literacy skills, and self-management skills, including competencies in:
utilizing resources
using information
working with others
understanding systems
skills necessary for successful transition into and completion of postsecondary education or training, or employment
other employability skills
34 CFR §463.34

17. PROMISING NATIONAL INITIATIVES
Integrated Education & Training – Workforce Training
occupational skill training
on-the-job training
incumbent worker training
programs that combine workplace training with related instruction
training programs operated by the private sector
skill upgrading and retraining
entrepreneurial training
transitional jobs
job readiness training provided in combination with services
adult education and literacy activities, including activities of English language acquisition and integrated education and training programs,
customized training conducted with a commitment by an employer or group of employers to employ an individual upon successful completion of the training
(WIOA Section 134(c) (3) (D), P.L )

18. QUESTIONS -
What do you see as the biggest strength in Adult Education and Literacy programs to realize the promise of WIOA in Virginia?
Where do you see opportunities to improve system alignment and services to shared customers?
As we move towards fully implementing WIOA, what aspirations to you have for your local programs?
What will the positive impact be on your adult learners?