Narrative: III. b. 9.

Missouri Division of Workforce Development (DWD) and its local workforce development boards are obligated to provide universal access to programs, services and activities as required in WIOA Section 188. DWD and its recipients are responsible for taking the appropriate steps to ensure job seekers and employees are provided universal access to programs, services and activities.

DWD and its recipients are committed to including a diverse demographic group in all of its programs and services, which include gender, various racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities and different age groups.

Some of our outreach strategies include but are not limited to advertising in targeted media including community newsletters, newspapers, radio stations or any other media that could reach targeted populations. This includes sending notices about job openings to schools, local colleges and community service groups about services and activities being offered in the local job centers. DWD and its recipients routinely communicate and consult with schools, community groups, and advocacy organizations.

DWD and its recipients are required to conduct an annual data analysis of programs, services and employment practices. This annual assessment compares the workforce data of job seekers utilizing Missouri job centers with Missouri’s civilian labor force. The results of this analysis are used to determine future performance goals for the state and its recipients as well as an outreach plan. The outreach plan includes DWD and its recipients identifying current and potential partners such as other government agencies, community-based organizations, nonprofits, and private businesses and organizations that are current WIOA core partners as well as those who could become partners.

Recommendations are developed based on the data analysis for improving outreach, services and service delivery, as well as labor market strategies. The outreach strategies are intended to be methodologies for making contact with all segments of the population in the local service area, especially those who are currently underserved. The labor market strategies include devising techniques to stimulate the local economy and therefore generate more employment and skills training opportunities for Missouri job seekers. Based on the results of the data analysis assessment, the state and its recipients are able to develop outreach and recruitment plans to broaden the pool of those groups for whom the assessment indicates there should be higher levels of employment and participation in programs and services.

DWD partners with MERIC to provide language analysis of homes in Missouri. According to the 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 6.1% (342,797) of Missouri’s population, ages five and over, spoke a language other than English at home. Twenty- one percent of the United States population for the same time period spoke a non-English language at home. The five most common non-English languages spoken in Missouri homes were Spanish or Spanish Creole (2.6%), German (0.4%), Chinese (0.3%), French including Patois and Cajun (0.3%) and Serb-Croatian (0.2%).

The language study may show that there are large groups of people in a local workforce area who do not speak English or who have very limited proficiency in the language. DWD and its recipients may find local populations that include large groups of people who speak and communicate only in a language other than English. In this case, clearly, a plan should be developed to reach, communicate with, and improve services to those non-English speaking populations. DWD and its recipients would consider the scope of the program or activity for which the population is eligible, the size and concentration of the population that needs services or information, and take reasonable steps to provide services and information in the appropriate languages. This includes making the “Equal Opportunity is the Law” Notice, brochures and other materials considered communications available in various language translations. If there is no large group of non-English speaking people in the local area, DWD and its recipients are obligated to take reasonable steps to meet the language needs of that person(s). DWD and its recipients provide training to staff to utilize the language line, Language Link, to accommodate customers that are limited in English proficiency. DWD and its recipients also train staff on how to utilize translation and interpreting services.

DWD is in partnership with the Missouri Rehabilitation Services for the Blind and provides the EO Notice in Braille and “large print” formats as well as online for customers with low vision or who are blind. This helps to ensure that communications with individuals with disabilities are as effective as communications with others.

DWD partners with MERIC to provide ongoing analysis of minority population groups in Missouri that include senior workers, women, African Americans, Hispanics and Asians. These analyses assist our workforce regions on how to recruit and target populations that are underserved in our workforce system.

DWD and its recipients are expected to meet the needs of their customers by ensuring universal access to their programs, services and activities for all eligible individuals. DWD and it recipients promote universal access by understanding the local needs, marketing programs and services and providing outreach in the communities served. These can be accomplished by involving community groups and schools in our planning, collaborating with partners, training staff, and ensuring equal and effective service delivery for all individuals.