@aphsa1

Herding Cats? How Do We Coordinate TANF and WIOA

Monday, May 23, 201610:15 AM – 11:30 AM

Room: GeorgetownModerator: Rus Sykes, APHSA

APHSA Policy ForumMay 23, 2016

Meghan WillsNational Governors Association

Center for Best Practices

Herding Cats?How Do We Coordinate TANF and WIOA

2

• WIOA Overview• State and Local Plans• Performance Measures• Service Delivery• Disconnected Youth• Skills and Credentials• Cross-System Collaboration• Questions

3

Presentation Overview

NGA Overview

Bipartisan organization of the nation’s governors, founded in 1908

• Serves as collective voice of nation’s governors

NGA Center for Best Practices:• Develops innovative solutions to today's most pressing

public policy challenges

• Only research and development firm that directly serves the nation's governors

4

Purposes of TANF

5

• Provide assistance to needy families so children can be cared for in their own homes

• Reduce dependency of needy parents by promoting job preparation, work & marriage

• Prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies

• Encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families

Goals of WIOA

6

• Help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market

• Match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy

WIOA is a resource to help individuals and families move into work and gain self-sufficiency

WIOA: Overview

7

• Signed into law July 22, 2014

• Replaces Workforce Investment Act (WIA)

• Four titles:

• Title I: Adults, Dislocated Workers, Youth• Title II: Adult Education and Family Literacy• Title III: Wagner-Peyser Employment Services• Title IV: Vocational Rehabilitation

WIOA: State and Local Plans

8

Two Options for States:

1. Unified plan• “Core” programs (all four titles of WIOA)

2. Combined plan• “Core” programs, plus other partners including

TANF, SNAP E&T, CTE, others

Local plans aligned to state plan, regional labor market needs

WIOA: Performance Measures

9

Common performance measures for core programs and youth programs:• Participants in employment

• Median earnings

• Postsecondary credential attainment

• Measurable skill gain

• Employer service indicators

WIOA: Service Delivery

10

• TANF is required partner in one-stops (American Job Centers)

• Priority of service to:• Public benefit recipients

• Other low-income individuals

• Individuals who are basic skill deficient

• WIOA eliminates “sequence of services”

WIOA: Disconnected Youth

11

• 75% of youth funding must support services to out-of-school youth (OSY)

• OSY definition: Ages 16-24, not in school and not working

• Many TANF recipients qualify as OSY

WIOA: Skills and Credentials

12

• Emphasis on career pathways• Progressive levels of education, training,

credentials, support services

• Multiple entry and exit points between work and education

• Integrated education and training• Work experience for youth• Credential attainment measure

Cross-System Collaboration

13

WIOA provides opportunity to connect TANF with other parts of the public workforce system:

• Adult education

• Vocational rehabilitation

Human Services system can help workforce system meet non-work needs of clients:

• Family supports

• Child care

14

Meghan Wills

Senior Policy Analyst, Workforce Program

NGA Center for Best Practices

mwills@nga.org

202-624-5306

Contact Information

A State’s Perspective on TANF/WIOA Coordination

Lori PfingstWashington Department of Social & Health ServicesEconomic Services Administration

Collaboration at the Local LevelWorkforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Virginia Initiative for Employment not Welfare (VIEW)

Fairfax County Department of Family ServicesNannette Bowler, DirectorLisa Tatum, Self Sufficiency Division Director May 23, 2016

Acronyms to Know• Virginia Initiative for Employment not Welfare (VIEW)• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Employment and Training (SNAP-ET)• Department of Family Services (DFS)

Background• The VIEW (Virginia Initiative for Employment not Welfare)

Program is Virginia’s employment component for TANF

• VIEW is managed locally by the Fairfax County Department of Family Services. (Social Services in Virginia are state supervised and locally administered)

• WIOA programs are also managed by the Fairfax County Department of Family Services.

▫ Until 2012, VIEW was not directly connected to other employment programs (including WIOA and SNAP-ET)

▫ In 2012, the VIEW Program was integrated within the DFS Employment and Training Program Unit

Job Centers

• DFS operates the VIEW Job Center, which was originally designed to be a resource for VIEW customers but has evolved to include many of the same services as the SkillSource one-stop centers.

• DFS intends to pursue full-service center certification from the Northern Virginia Workforce Development Board to designate the VIEW Job Center as a SkillSource Center.

Benefits of Integration

• VIEW and WIOA staff are co-located within the Fairfax County one-stop employment centers (known locally as SkillSource Centers)

• Integrated program management creates cohesive leadership which remains focused on customer outcomes across all employment-driven programs.

Collaboration

• VIEW and WIOA staff work in partnership to deliver business services, offering incentives to employers such as On-the-Job training, subsidized employment, federal bonding for customers with criminal backgrounds, and access to the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)

Career Pathways

• Cohort trainings, known as the Career Pathways initiative, are developed and managed based on the needs of all employment-focused programs (including VIEW, WIOA, and SNAP-ET) and are closely connected to the agency’s Business Services Team for job placement upon training completion.

Career Pathways

• Targeted training in the following occupations: ▫ Certified Nursing Assistant ▫ Information Technology Help Desk Technician▫ Certified Child Care Professional▫ Medical and Professional Administrative Assistant

• Industry-recognized credential and align with occupations and industries that are in-demand within the Northern Virginia labor market.

Career Pathways - Outcomes▫ To date, 57 customers have enrolled in training

with a 95% completion rate. ▫ Of those who completed training, 75% found

employment at an average wage of $12.70 per hour.

▫ Within the coming months, DFS will continue to refine and build upon this initiative, which includes customers from both VIEW and WIOA, and explore new areas such as entrepreneurship training.

Customer Story• Ms. L. was a participant with the

VIEW program and came into the VIEW Job Center to meet with her case manager.

• After discussing her strengths, talents and career goals, it was decided that the VIEW Career Pathways Medical/Administrative Training would be the perfect option.

Making the Connection• While enrolled, Ms. L. proved to be an excellent student,

excelling at the coursework and training exercises and successfully completing the course. The graduation included a job fair component, which Ms. L. attended and met with a representative from InnotionEnterprises, an asset management company.

• After an informal interview the representative offered Ms. L. the opportunity to join their unpaid internship program in August to build her skills and experience.

• Recognizing the potential for an On-the-Job Training (OJT), the VIEW case manager connected with the Employer Solutions team, who then reached out to the employer and the WIOA program.

Success• Innotion Enterprises was eager to participate as

an OJT employer. Ms. L. was successfully co-enrolled as a WIOA participant and began her OJT as an Accounts Payable Specialist on November 23, with a starting wage of $14.42 an hour, including benefits.

• In January, Ms. L. successfully completed the OJT and was hired as a full time employee making $30,600 per year with benefits.

Why Partnering Matters

• Builds collaborative relationships among all employment program staff, including partner organizations

• Ensures that job seeker customers can access all the services for which they are eligible, in one convenient location.

• Creates a unified presence in the community to employers and community partners

Benefits

• Common process functions—capitalize on built-in infrastructure of the one-stop system such as common assessments and referrals, labor market information, subsidized employment opportunities, federal bonding for ex-offenders, Work Opportunity Tax Credits.

• Collocation of VIEW/WIOA promotes close collaboration, resource sharing, and cross-training of staff.

Challenge

• Defining common success and the sequencing/provision of services between WIOA and VIEW (more time is needed to study the changes brought about by WIOA replacing WIA).

Key Take Aways

• Collocation and shared management of WIOA and VIEW programs support program integration and results in our ability to:▫ leverage resources▫ adopt common practices▫ achieve the best possible outcomes for all of our

customers, regardless of program funding source

Questions

• Nannette M. Bowler, Director• Department of Family Services• 703-324-7749• Nannette.bowler@fairfaxcounty.gov

• Lisa Tatum, Division Director• Self Sufficiency Division• 703-324-7744• Lisa.Tatum@fairaxcounty.gov

A LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY’S PERSPECTIVE

Elijah HopperBaltimore City Department of Social ServicesOffice of Workforce Development

A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE~BUILDING A BETTER BALTIMORE

34

Baltimore City Department of Social Services will work in collaboration with:

•Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation•Maryland State Department of Education•Governor’s Workforce Investment Board•Local workforce partners

These agencies were further encouraged to collaborate and innovate to ensure that Maryland’s citizens have access to quality workforce training and employment opportunities.

A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE~ BUILDING A BETTER BALTIMORE

35

Career Pathways:

•BCDSS has begun to implement a career pathway system to ensure that Baltimore’s jobseekers are offered education and skills training along with the necessary credentials to meet industry demands.

•Business partnerships are key in the development of this pathway to ensure that the jobseeker obtains industry-recognized credentials and has the potential to obtain a rewarding career.

A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE~ BUILDING A BETTER BALTIMORE

36

Opportunities:

•Youth•Adult Learners•Ex-Offenders•Veterans•Individuals with Disabilities

A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE~ BUILDING A BETTER BALTIMORE

37

The Path Forward:

This new collaborative approach to the workforce system, while not easy, is a necessity for Maryland’s businesses and jobseekers. Thus, each decision regarding the workforce system must be centered on how the decision will affect these two groups.

Baltimore Workforce Targeted Industry Sectors:

HealthcareCybersecurityBiotechnologyDistribution, WarehousingConstructionAgricultureManufacturingHospitality

A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE~ BUILDING A BETTER BALTIMORE

38

Conclusion:

Baltimore is home to a diverse labor force. Government, Professional and technical services, and education and health services are industries that employ many Baltimoreans. Additionally, these industries are projected to continue to grow based on long-term projections. Skilled occupations, such as those related to computers or health care, are expected to grow and are high-paying careers available for Marylanders.

A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE~ BUILDING A BETTER BALTIMORE

39

Elijah Hopper, Administrator Baltimore City Dept. of Social Services 443-378-4608 Elijah.Hopper@maryland.gov