Narrative: a. 1. B.

There are 10 common reforms, which are highlighted in (II)(b)(2).

1. Require Registration in OhioMeansJobs.com OhioMeansJobs.com is Ohio’s online business and employment service center. This free site serves Ohio businesses, individuals, and students. Businesses can search millions of resumes with ease and post jobs on the site at no cost. The site provides up–to–date information on all of Ohio’s in–demand jobs and Ohio’s employment programs, which can provide funding and services to help cover the cost of training for individuals and employees.

Enrollment in OhioMeansJobs.com will increase awareness of the resources and functionality of the tool, ensure consistency among programs, enhance job readiness and placement efforts and support career planning.

Ohio Revised Code 3304.71, 3333.92 and 6301.18 requires all consumers of Title I employment and training programs, ABLE, Perkins Act programs, and vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs to enroll in OhioMeansJobs.com. Participant in the state–administered SCSEP program also are required to enroll in OhioMeansJobs.com.

2. Require a Common Application for ABLE, Title I Employment and Training and Perkins Act Currently ABLE has one application statewide, but applications for Title I employment and training and Perkins Act programs vary greatly across the state. Ohio will work with providers to establish a common in–take application to be used by the three programs. This reform will simplify the process for the customer by reducing duplication and improving the referral process.

3. Develop Integrated Case Management The current case management systems for ABLE, Title I employment and training, and Perkins Act are a patchwork of systems that operate independent of one another. One of the key reforms brought forward by stakeholders was the importance of having integrated case management so each program can access the same information and improve customer service.

Integrated case management would benefit both the job seeker and the workforce system by: • Providing consistency throughout the workforce system; • Simplifying the referral process between programs, allowing consumers to move into the program best suited for them; • Supporting co–enrollment among various programs and across funding streams; and • Improving information exchange between the different programs so workforce data can be streamlined and utilized.

4. Develop a Statewide Common Assessment Strategy As with program applications and case management, Ohio’s three programs also utilize a variety of assessments as part of program implementation. Developing a statewide common assessment strategy will reduce assessment duplication, reduce the number of assessments given, ensure more job seekers are assessed, simplify data sharing, and allow for cost savings by reducing the number of assessments given and possibly taking advantage of the state’s buying power, lowering the overall costs of assessments.

The Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation (OWT) has identified the various assessments used across multiple workforce programs, and has prioritized them into three key areas – career interest, aptitude, and knowledge and skill assessments. The state is working with local workforce partners and providers to develop a common approach for the three key areas of assessments that can meet all programs’ needs.

5. Allow Co–enrollment between Programs and Services Co–enrollment does occur between Ohio’s workforce programs; however, it is not consistent or seamless. Co–enrolling appropriate individuals in ABLE, Title I employment and training, and/or Perkins Act allows credential–seekers to move more quickly through the system. This approach shows individuals the relevancy of their work, and enables the “system” to become more customer responsive and easier to access by bringing the services to the customer and taking a no–wrong–door approach. Additionally, co–enrollment increases accountability within the system by connecting individuals with multiple workforce partners, ensuring continual progress through the system, and reducing the likelihood that an individual falls through the cracks.

6. Require a Regional/Local Combined Plan At the state level, the combined plan is aligning Ohio’s largest federally–funded workforce programs. Since these services are delivered locally, OWT is working with the state’s workforce areas to develop local and regional plans amongst various community partners to facilitate better collaboration in meeting the needs of businesses and job seekers.

A local combined plan creates shared understanding of the workforce needs as well as a shared vision and goals for how the local system is run. A local combined plan: • Reduces duplication of services; • Improves collaboration and communications; • Allows for alignment of resources to in–demand jobs; • Improves resources utilization and return on investment; • Reduces confusion and services barriers for consumers; and • Promotes staff training and cross–training on the other programs.

The local combined plan would be developed based on guidelines and criteria developed by the state in collaboration with local workforce partners, providers and interested parties.

7. Increase Access to Remedial Education and High School Credential Training ABLE is Ohio’s front–line program to help adults without a high school diploma or equivalency. ABLE provides services for individuals who need assistance acquiring the skills to be successful in job training and employment. The single biggest challenge the ABLE program faces in Ohio is a lack of awareness about what ABLE is and the wide–range of free services the program provides.

Increasing utilization of ABLE programs will increase access to post–secondary education for individuals, and reduce knowledge and skill gaps for individuals entering post–secondary education and employment.

ODHE is leading efforts to re–brand and market the ABLE program. Efforts will focus on increasing awareness of the services offered, reducing the stigma, and increasing post–secondary training. Ohio also is providing opportunities for adults to earn their high school diploma through credit recovery, as well as the Adult Diploma Pilot Program, connecting a student’s work toward a high school diploma to job training linked to Ohio’s in–demand jobs.

The legislature of the state of Ohio has dedicated funding to the ODE to pilot alternative pathways to high school credentials. While not part of the Carl D. Perkins Career Technical Education State Plan, these efforts provide opportunity and are aligned to the career pathways strategies mentioned within this plan.

8. Embed Job Readiness and Soft– Skills Training in All Workforce Training Programs A common complaint heard from businesses is that workers do not have the job readiness and soft skills needed to perform the job. Soft–skills training is sprinkled throughout the workforce system but at the present time is not administered in a consistent way.

Providing a consistent, high quality delivery of job preparation and job readiness skills training will assist individuals in preparing for, obtaining, and retaining employment. By addressing the essential skill sets that employers are looking for in future employees, it is expected that job seekers become employed in shorter time frames and once employed, they are able to retain these jobs for long periods of time.

Ohio’s workforce system is meeting this challenge head on by developing model curricula that addresses job readiness and soft skills and ensuring it is offered more broadly. The model curricula will be responsive to business, ensuring consistency and quality. Working with workforce development boards, job–readiness and soft–skills training will be incorporated in the regional and local planning process.

9. Ensure Career Counseling Opportunities OWT is working with ODE, ODHE and stakeholders to improve approaches to counseling, ensuring that customers understand how best to transition to higher levels of training and credentials. By developing common counseling approaches and improving counseling services, job seekers will have a greater awareness of Ohio’s in–demand jobs and training opportunities, ensuring that business needs are met.

ODE has developed Career Connections. Career connections learning strategies are resources for classroom teachers to integrate linkages between student learning and career fields. Career connections is just one resource available to schools for supporting students’ career awareness, exploration and planning as described in Ohio’s Career Connections Framework. The Framework recognizes the comprehensive continuum of support and student development in preparing them for college and careers.

Career Connections offer practical ways for teachers and school counselors, families and community members to show students, as early as in kindergarten, the types of jobs possible for them. These efforts are embedded within educational programming. ODHE has also worked to strengthen career counseling and advising in all public postsecondary education in Ohio.

10. Develop Workforce Success Measures (Common Measures) Ohio’s philosophy is simple: what gets measured gets better!

To ensure the state’s workforce programs are meeting the needs of individual job seekers as well as Ohio’s employers, OWT worked with stakeholders and The Ohio State University to create a common set of workforce success measures for ABLE, Title I employment and training, Perkins Act, and state financial aid and scholarships, allowing policymakers to continually monitor progress across multiple programs, creating better transparency and greater accountability.

The workforce success measures will evaluate efforts to: • Provide job seekers with access to training that results in industry–recognized credentials; • Connect individuals to short and long–term employment; • Increase participants’ overall earnings; and • Meet the needs of employers.

Ohio’s workforce success measures are now available on a user–friendly, online dashboard at: www.workforce.ohio.gov.

For meaningful change, all of Ohio’s local workforce programs, Title I employment and training, Adult Basic and Literacy Education, and secondary and postsecondary Perkins Act partners must work together to achieve the common goals put forth in this plan and the outlined reforms. Recognizing the unique position of the secondary career–tech programs, it is expected that those partners will be significantly involved in embedding job readiness, soft skills and career counseling in all workforce training programs, and developing a combined local plan. Working with the secondary career technical schools, the local planning process may also include any other reforms local partners collectively deem appropriate.

While stakeholders agreed with the reform in concept, it was clear that the details about how each idea would be developed and implemented would matter significantly to the level of support and the actual impact that could be achieved.

One important observation was made regarding the definition of “local.” Participants recognized that there would need to be work to define the various geographic areas that constitute “local.” There is recognition that service areas do not always align perfectly. Additionally, some providers (for example, some ABLE programs) might be a part of more than one workforce area.

The key themes were synthesized into three categories. These categories are illustrated in Figure 30.

Figure 30: Key Themes of the Common Reforms

Statewide policies and practices encompasses: requiring registration in OhioMeansJobs.com; common in–take application; common assessment strategy, common case management; and common metrics. Increased access and awareness of workforce programs includes: increase access to job readiness/soft skills training; increase access to career counseling; and increase access to remediation and high school equivalency. Finally, local planning and collaboration includes local combined plan and co–enrollment.

Over the course of the meetings, a number of key lessons emerged:

1. The need for shared vision and understanding. There is strong agreement between the state and the local partners about what the goals should be for an effective workforce development system, and what strategies might best help drive the state and local communities toward those goals. There was little disagreement about what the state is trying to accomplish through the combined strategy. It is important to continue to maintain a sense of shared vision and a common understanding of problems, challenges and possible solutions.

2. The point of view of the partners is important. As the people who have the most extensive contact with individuals and businesses, stakeholders have great perspective on customer needs and the capability of the system to deliver. They are strongly tuned into the day–to–day challenges and barriers. They also know the ways to cut through red tape, or find work–arounds to get the job done.

3. Success will depend on continued stakeholder engagement and involvement. Continued stakeholder engagement is important and is critical to the success of a combined plan. As such, they must be at the table as reforms are designed, and as implementation plans are developed. Their ownership and buy–in relative to new approaches and strategies is crucial to success.

4. Bringing stakeholders together is a powerful experience. Effective communications with and among stakeholders is critical. The stakeholder meetings represented the first time that representatives of the various groups have been brought together to discuss issues collectively. This practice must continue. It should be one part of a broader communication strategy that includes efforts to not only communicate program specific information to specific providers, but to establish a pattern of cross–provider communication. The state sends out a lot of communication to stakeholders. Often this is within the silos of individual programs. It needs to share more information across the entire spectrum so that everyone sees the big picture.

5. There is a strong desire for good, actionable data. The state needs to continue its efforts to work with all stakeholders on providing high–quality data that can guide local efforts. Activities around helping local providers gather and interpret their own data may also be beneficial.

All states are required by the federal Carl D. Perkins Act of 2006 to develop plans in five areas: Program Administration, Special Populations, Accountability/Evaluation, Tech Prep and Financial Requirements.

Ohio’s 2016 Combined State Plan was made available to stakeholders and interested parties for continued dialogue. The plan was posted for public comment for 30 days allowing stakeholders and constituents to review and comment. Five regional hearings for the purpose of accepting local feedback occurred in January 2016.

In compliance with the law, the following groups were informed about the hearings through various channels: academic and career–technical education teachers, faculty and administrators; career guidance and academic counselors; eligible recipients; charter school authorizers and organizers; parents and students; institutions of higher education; State Tech Prep coordinators and consortia representatives; community members; representatives of special populations; representatives of business/industry; and representatives of labor organizations.