Narrative: III. a. 2. I.

Title I engages at both the state and local levels with the state Department of Commerce’s Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness, which encompasses a number of key sectors: aerospace, clean technology, information and communication technology, life science and global health, maritime, military and defense, and forest products. At the state level, the State Workforce Development Board (WTECB) and State Workforce Agency (ESD) coordinate with partners at the state Department of Commerce in sector strategy projects. Locally, Local Workforce Development Boards engage economic development, business, labor, and education partners around key sector strategies, industry skill panels, and two–year training–curriculum focused Centers of Excellence.

The Employment Security Department (ESD) is an ex–officio member of the Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB), which provides funding to local governments and federally–recognized tribes for public infrastructure (e.g., domestic and industrial water, storm water, wastewater, public buildings, telecommunications and port facilities) that supports private business growth and expansion. One provision in CERB guidelines is that employers that benefit from CERB investments must use WorkSource for recruitment, screening, and hiring for the new jobs created. Local Title I boards are kept abreast of CERB developments so as to be aware of workforce needs of CERB–related employers.

Local Workforce Development Boards continue to be involved in local economic development strategies and often have seats on economic development councils and chambers of commerce. Conversely, economic development council, public port, and chamber of commerce directors often hold economic development seats on Local Workforce Development Boards. The objective is to increasingly recognize that the availability of a skilled and educated workforce is critical to economic development.

In the recent past, the Governor’s WIA 10% discretionary funds have been used to leverage the training and education needs of private sector employers targeted through state–supported economic development projects. It is anticipated that the Governor’s WIOA 10% discretionary funds will be used, to some extent, in a similar fashion.

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TITLE II: ADULT EDUCATION AND LITERACY (BASIC EDUCATION FOR ADULTS)

Title II local programs across the state are working with local Workforce Boards to align their comprehensive guided college and career pathways and training and program meta–majors to the needs of the key industry sectors identified in each planning region. This will target the needs of business in each region. BEdA’s elements of the WIOA State Operational Plan were developed with guidance from the Governor’s appointed Adult Education Advisory Council (AEAC) in support of Governor Jay Inslee’s Results Washington initiative, the Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Strategic Master Plan for Higher Education, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges’ System Direction and Mission Study and Policy Focus and Dashboard, and the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board’s High Skills High Wages plan.

In addition, Washington’s Community and Technical College system plays a critical role in the development of a well–educated citizenry essential to a growing knowledge based economy. Community and technical colleges are expanding capacity consistent with the state’s strategic industries to:

• Increase and retool workforce education programs, especially for anchor occupations, high demand occupations and strategic industries. • Develop new mechanisms for business and industry partnerships and expand customized training. • Use Centers of Excellence to strengthen programs, share best practices, and develop transitions and pathways for working people. • Increase participation in and contribution to state and local economic development strategies, focused on providing skilled and knowledge workers for the economy. • Leverage resources and coordinate initiatives with local and regional economic development efforts. • Leverage resources and coordinate initiatives with state level economic development plans. • Serve more adults by identifying and mitigating access barriers for adults, especially for underserved populations such as people of color, people with disabilities, children leaving foster care, low wage workers and other working adults. • Offer educational and career building blocks with multiple entry, re–entry, and exit points. • Ensure all courses lead to diplomas, certificates and degrees, and all associate degrees lead to bachelor’s degrees, including Tech Prep–like pathways that transition students into certificate programs and applied bachelor’s degrees. • Expand integrated instruction models. Increase I BEST and develop more models for integrating basic and professional/technical skills. Expand models that integrate college level academic and professional/technical education. • Provide a system for recognizing prior learning credit (e.g., for competencies, military training experiences, foreign degrees or certifications, and skills) gained from professional development and continuing education courses. • Enhance student success through retention and transition strategies aimed at targeted groups of students, including working adults, low–income adults, first generation college students, people without high school diplomas, and adults with limited English fluency. • Integrate instruction and student services efforts that increase flexibility for students to customize their education. • Make courses, programs and services more accessible for working people. Distance learning, evening/weekend classes, on–site business and industry classes, and new funds for Opportunity Grants and customized training provide venues to try new approaches.

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TITLE III: WAGNER–PEYSER ACT

The Washington State Department of Commerce is the lead for Governor Jay Inslee’s economic development agenda focusing on keeping Washington a great place to grow a business and the best place to live and work. The State’s sector–based economic development strategy identifies the importance of ensuring career readiness and expanding workforce training. In the big picture this is particularly vital for skills in science, technology, engineering and math to maintain comparative advantages in sectors like advanced manufacturing (exemplified by the sizeable aerospace industry in the region), information technology/online retail, biotech and healthcare sectors. The opportunity under WIOA is to reinvent how the state supports workforce development so that every Washingtonian will have a chance to earn a living wage, and every employer will have access to enough skilled workers. To ensure statewide progress on coordinating education and training with workforce and economic development for job–driven expansion of opportunity, the state board has set a goal to have at least one sector partnership in development in each workforce region.

The flexibility under Wagner–Peyser allows ES to support career readiness through triage and initial assessment of skill gaps for referral to a range of suggested learning and training options. Training options may range from registered apprenticeship to formal online or classroom coursework offered by eligible education and training providers. Thus ES front line staff market economic opportunities. They work with one stop partners and other in identifying candidates to fill immediate job openings and to get established on pathways to jobs in growth industries. A number of ES managers participate on college CTE advisory committees and some work closely with economic development councils, chambers of commerce, and their local boards. ES staff serve all employers, but with limited resources the department is willing to devote more resources for supporting recruitment efforts when the jobseeker inventory matches, when targeted jobseekers can get a step up to self–supporting wages, and when small and medium businesses can get the recruitment support they depend on. Reinventing workforce development will include further integrating Wagner–Peyser assets to support economic development projects and programs such as Work Start. This strategic reserve funding coordinated through WDCs and often with colleges provides workforce training tailored to the specific needs of the eligible, target industry employers. Wagner–Peyser staff help recruit for such projects. Having access to the large pool of UI claimants is an advantage in identifying and outreaching to potential applicants.

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TITLE IV: DEPARTMENT OF SERVICES FOR THE BLIND

The DSB activities should be well–aligned with Washington’s economic development strategies, if agency participants have access to core group and partner services and programs.

Blind, low vision and deaf blind users of the workforce system have typically been left unserved in the good work of the state’s sector industry strategies. In addressing the business needs for identifying and developing targeted training to fill workforce gap needs in the key sector industries, Washington State’s workforce system has a stellar reputation, but those with visual disability have not typically benefited from the programs, apprenticeships and opportunities. With the new partnership through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, the DSB expects the needs of its blind and low vision customer base to also be served in the workforce programs supporting key sectors of aerospace, agriculture, information and communications technology, clean energy, rural economic development, and life sciences.

The DSB and its Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act partners are the key players in Washington State economic strategy for workforce development, and the DSB encourages and supports science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) employment goals and vocational and academic training for all eligible participants who have aptitude and interest, and look to collaborate with the Washington School for the Blind and other partners to develop workshops and programs that will encourage interest in STEM activities at a young age.

The DSB will continue to identify eligible participants with aptitude for entrepreneurialism, and continue to support start–up opportunities of small business as an important means for blind, low vision and/or deaf blind individuals to join in on the key Washington State economic development strategy of encouraging small business. Blind business owners often become employers themselves, helping drive the state’s workforce engine.

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TITLE IV: DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES – DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION

The DSHS Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DSHS/DVR), as a core program, will engage actively with mandatory and optional one–stop partners to coordinate and contribute to economic development strategies across the state. Specifically, DSHS/DVR will: * Increase the number of DSHS/DVR customers who attain credentials in STEM and other in–demand occupations so they can contribute to filling the skills gap that Washington businesses face today. * Encourage a larger segment of DSHS/DVR customers to pursue and achieve self–employment goals to launch new businesses that contribute to the vitality of local economies. * Assist newly located and start–up businesses in successfully recruiting and hiring qualified employees with disabilities, particularly businesses that are federal contractors or subcontractors and have a contractual obligation to employ individuals with disabilities.

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PARTNER PROGRAMS UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE

Currently, there is little integration between UI programs and a larger economic development strategy. As a workforce development system partner, UI will coordinate with other partner programs to align to economic development strategies, where appropriate.

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JOBS FOR VETERANS STATE GRANTS

DVOP and LVER activities are integrated into local service delivery models, ensuring that they directly support respective Workforce Development Councils and Economic Development Councils in their areas. LVERs partner closely with business entities, which are a representation of the local economic growth team. They routinely attend chamber of commerce meetings and other functions that promote local economy development efforts.

Trade Act does not directly coordinate with Economic Development Strategies. Trade Act could be in dialog with economic development entities to help develop strategies to steer dislocated workers in the direction of strong employer needs and provide training in those areas.

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COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT/COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT

The Washington State Department of Commerce (Commerce) is a committed partner to the state’s workforce system and understands the role that housing services have in serving WIOA clients, particularly those with barriers to employment. The Department of Commerce is the one agency in Washington State that touches every aspect of community and economic development: planning, infrastructure, housing, energy, public facilities, public safety and crime victims, international trade, business services and more. Commerce works with local governments, businesses and civic leaders throughout the state to strengthen communities so all residents may thrive and prosper. The Director of Commerce holds a seat on the state Workforce board, bringing the Department’s expertise in economic development, sector based outreach, and affordable housing policy to conversations about the state workforce system. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awards Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds throughout the state of Washington both through Commerce and directly to local governments in CDBG entitlement areas. Commerce administers the state CDBG funding to rural local governments or non-entitlement areas. Commerce has no administrative role over CDBG funds awarded directly to local governments by HUD, such as the Seattle Housing Authority. Annually, non-entitlement local governments apply directly to Commerce for CDBG funds through a competitive procurement process. These entities apply for CDBG funding based on their own locally prioritized activities, which may include employment and training. The specific activities funded by the State CDBG program are unknown until the procurement process is complete and projects have been selected. The Department of Commerce primarily awards CDBG grants for infrastructure activities, but Commerce does set aside a portion of the funds to be used specifically for CDBG public services activities, which may include employment and training activities. When a rural local government applies for and receives CDBG public services funding for an employment or training activity through Commerce, then those activities are required to align with the State’s WIOA strategies and be coordinated with the grantees’ local WIOA partners. The Department of Commerce has been a partner from the beginning of the WIOA planning and implementation process, providing staff expertise that shaped the goals in all four strategic priority areas of the state plan: business engagement, integrated service delivery, accessibility for all, and ensuring performance accountability. Staff from the Department of Commerce’s Office of Economic and Competitiveness and Division of Community Services and Housing will continue to serve on implementation committees organized by the Workforce Board, in particular working to advance the state’s business engagement goals and bring focus to aligning affordable housing initiatives administered by the Department of Commerce to the state’s workforce development strategy.

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SENIOR COMMUNITY SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

During the coming year(s) the SCSEP Grantees (State and Nationals) will continue to move towards a cohesive and collaborative partnership. The efforts have taken on a new sense of urgency with the implementation of WIOA. Additionally the efforts have been taken on with a greater sense of opportunity to provide a more effective integrated and holistic approach through the fostering of increased levels of partnership across the continuum of employment; education and the social services. The process will enhance the existing collaborative efforts both between both the State and National Grantees as well as in conjunction with the Workforce Development Councils, and State and local economic development entities.

The goal is to develop more formal agreements between the State and National Grantees in order to expand upon the strengths, capabilities and resources of the individual grantees. These formal partnerships and working agreements will be of benefit not just to the SCSEP provider organizations, but also for the benefit of the spectrum of Workforce employment and education programs.

The State Program Manager has approached DOL about implementing changes to the Grantee contracting to process in order to achieve greater collaboration and cohesion for the SCSEP program within the State of Washington. Beyond the DOL contracting process the state manager is exploring the development of MOUs between the State and the National grantees in order to create cohesion of the program; develop formal agreements with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; potentially data sharing agreements with State entities; accessing the DSHS and or WDC Ticket to Work EN network for reimbursement for the services provided by the grantees (with the exception of Goodwill Industries which already is a EN).

Some of these agreements would prove beneficial on many levels in terms of; minimizing the current confusing aspects of 2 or more SCSEP Grantees operating within the same county, and/or the same local Workforce Development Council area; streamlining engagement for information and referral supports; involvement of all SCSEP grantees in local WDC partnerships and for inclusion in all development and problem solving aspects involved for the system.

Additionally the SCSEP grantee staff and participants can bring perspective, and training resources to the Workforce system regarding the Aging workforce.

In order to develop strategies for overall grantee success in serving participants and the community, local projects will work with their grantees within local economic regions to systematically help participants become well matched with their community’s high–growth industry recruitment criteria.

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TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES/BASIC FOOD EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM

DSHS will join in the collaborative process of identifying priorities and strategies regarding economic development at the state, regional, and local levels in order to better ensure a coordinated and supported process and reduce the likelihood of fragmented or duplicative efforts for both TANF and BFET.