Narrative: III. a. 2. G.

Executive Order 152 requires the Council on Workforce Investment to recommend strategies that align workforce development resources to support economic development and the development of career pathways that support high-demand industry sectors.

Priority III of the Council on Workforce Investment 2018-2022 Strategic Plan is to Increase Awareness and Expand Worker Training Programs, Internships, and Apprenticeships. The Council recommends doing this by supporting the full deployment of DPIs Inspire Program, expanding Registered Apprentice and internship opportunities, and aligning Youth Apprenticeship with Registered Apprenticeship.

2013 Wisconsin Act 9 created the Wisconsin Fast Forward (WFF) initiative. DWD's Office of Skills Development (OSD) administers the program by providing technical assistance to, and serves as a resource for, Wisconsin employers experiencing a need for skilled workers. The intent of the program is to provide funds for training programs to employers in response to a documented skill need not currently addressed by other training programs.

WFF was expanded in March 2016 (2015 Wisconsin Act 283) to increase the number of college students participating in internships with Wisconsin companies. The 2017-19 biennial budget expanded the program again to assist school-to-skilled work initiatives. This includes funding partnerships with Wisconsin technical colleges and local school districts to ensure teachers are appropriately credentialed to offer students advanced level coursework that counts as college and technical college credit. In addition, funding was provided for dual enrollment program and advanced manufacturing technical education equipment.

Relationships between WIOA-administering agencies, DWD and WTCS, and DPI ensure that investments enhance access to workforce development programs. While developing the state's program guidance on the Title I-B programs, DET collaborated on strategies to serve the now-prioritized population of "out of school youth." The strategies outlined in the I-B policy guidance to ensure education access were developed with the knowledgeable counsel of DPI and are referenced below.

"In order to comply with the State's compulsory attendance law, and WIOA's priority and noninterference requirement, youth at an age where they are required to attend school, do not have an exception to the regular school attendance as outlined in Wis. Stat. sec 118.15(3), or have not graduated, may be served as an out-of-school youth, if the WDB makes school attendance a priority and provides services outside of the regular school day.

Through the ISS, the WDB makes school attendance a priority by providing services that direct a youth back to school. The first goal of the ISS must be to have the youth return to school. The board can also provide services that encourage regular school attendance, such as counseling, tutoring, or exploring career options, as well as dropout prevention and recovery strategies that lead to completion of the requirements for a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent.

Services provided to out-of-school youth must be provided outside of the regular school day for youth who are not 18 and have not graduated unless the service is returning to school. For purposes of compliance with the law, a regular school schedule is the days and times during which school is normally held as set by the school district board."

Both the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) and Department of Public Instruction (DPI) are committed and driven to increase equity in student success and the employment outcomes of our students. The Federal Perkins V Re-authorization and State Plan outlines the goals for career and technical education in Wisconsin:

• Increase postsecondary credential attainment, so that 60% of Wisconsinites ages 25-64 have a postsecondary degree or credential of value by 2027.
• Eliminate equity gaps in credential attainment across student race/ethnicity groups and special populations.

Moving forward, WTCS and DPI will leverage the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins) to advance student equity and educational attainment. During this four-year plan, the agencies will:

 Increase the number of students who have access to high quality career pathways starting in high school and address the barriers to participation and completion.

• Leverage Perkins funding to provide targeted supports and district-wide reforms that will help close educational attainment gaps, specifically for students of color, students with disabilities and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Promote and expand education opportunities for communities who have been historically underserved in Wisconsin. For example, the WTCS is collaborating with the Waukesha County judicial system to create a pilot ‘Education Court’ that will provide an alternative form of sentencing that focuses on identifying and addressing offender education gaps, assessing career goals, and other requirements focused on reducing recidivism rates and successful re-entry and employment, with necessary supervision and guidance (see page 19).
• Continue to leverage data used for Perkins reporting to identify equity gaps and explore potential causes and interventions to eliminate these gaps in student success.
• Continue to collaborate with stakeholders (employers, community organizations, etc.) to increase dual enrollment offerings, bridges to postsecondary education, expand work-based learning and apprenticeship opportunities, and enhance student success and awareness of career and technical education opportunities.

DPI and DWD jointly administer and manage the CTE Incentive Grants (Wis. State Statute 106.273) for high school students that graduate and complete an industry-recognized credential from a list of approved certifications.  Prorated funding is distributed annually to qualified claims.  Funding is intended to support programming that results in students earning these workforce desired credentials.  Recently, this funding expanded to provide for sum sufficient amounts of $1000 to districts and $500 to students for licensure in EMT, EMR, and Firefighter.

Other career pathway/industry growth supporting grants that have been passed (although not necessarily with DWD):

• Robotics League Participation- https://dpi.wi.gov/stem/grants/robotic-league
• Microsoft Academy- https://dpi.wi.gov/imagine-academy
• Fab Labs through WEDC- https://wedc.org/programs-and-resources/fabrication-laboratories-grant/

Alignment to Labor Market Needs

Secondary

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has developed an active labor market information website called Wisconomy. The website hosts a specific tool for local education agencies (LEAs) to access state, region, and county labor market data in an easy-to-understand format. This tool allows LEAs to further evaluate relevance of CTE programs with local or regional workforce and economic partners.

In collaboration with DWD, DPI will create and publish a labor market information (LMI) guide for use by secondary eligible recipients. If a locally developed career pathway is in place, or  is developed, that is not part of the state identified in-demand industry sectors, then additional rationale informed by local businesses will be required for career pathway approval.

ACP requirements in high school grades must also include student access to accurate national, regional, and state labor market information, including labor market supply and demand. As part of this requirement, DPI is providing an online, virtual training module for LEA staff, students, and families to understand LMI and utilize it in career decision-making.

Postsecondary

WTCS ensures that CTE programs are aligned with state, regional, or local labor market needs via the (1) program approval and annual review process and (2) outcomes-based funding. As part of program approval and annual review processes (outlined in the Educational Services Manual), eligible recipients provide a comprehensive analysis of labor market information using data from Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI), Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) or Department of Workforce Development’s (DWD) Wisconomy dashboards. For new and emerging occupations, eligible recipients supplement quantitative labor market data with results from surveys, interviews and advisory committee focus groups. Within this analysis, eligible recipients address labor market demands and projections, how these demands may be met by similar programs that are already offered at the college or neighboring districts, and the necessary level of education and skills required for workers in these in-demand fields. In addition, as part of outcomes-based funding, eligible recipients receive funds based on the number of degrees and certificates awarded in high-demand fields. High-demand fields are the top 50 occupations (both new jobs and replacement jobs) identified in DWD’s statewide long-term occupational projections for which the technical colleges provide training. The occupations identified as high-demand fields are then matched with the appropriate WTCS programs. The list of high-demand fields is updated every two years as DWD updates its projections.