Narrative: III. a. 2. A.

The providers of activities under WIOA core Titles I, III and IV; TAA, the Jobs for Veterans Grant and Senior Community Services Employment will primarily implement the State strategies through services within the system and through special projects that support career pathway programming. The provision of career services will focus on how the information made available contributes to a person’s knowledge of their career pathway opportunities. Career services will shift from primarily being about the “next job” or a specific skill needed for the next job, to one that provides a sense of trajectory for the individual job seeker. Staff who delivers career services will be provided training on this new approach. Those entering training services will work with counselors who have the tools and resources to assist participants in making an informed choice and assist with identifying the necessary resources to ensure greater opportunities for successful completion of training and job placement.

The providers of activities under WIOA core Title II – Adult Basic Education, will continue to embed career pathways philosophy into their services and administrative capacities. Business engagement extends to pursuing work–based learning opportunities that support the contextualized learning approaches. There are 500 ABE locations throughout the state, all unique to the needs of the communities they serve and the resources they can leverage. Through their participation on sector partnerships and understanding of the sequence of educational requirements for eventual industry recognized credentials, curriculum will continue to be modified to contextualize learning for future educational needs that align with the goals of the individual. Resources will also be committed to continue professional and system staff development so that career pathways approaches allow Adult Basic Education providers to more flexibly meet the needs of regional sector strategies and the needs of targeted populations and their inherent learning styles.

The Carl D. Perkins funded programs and activities provide opportunities for stronger alignment of services to support a career pathways system. These activities include supporting work–based learning, which may expand upon how skills are recognized and credentialed. Teacher credentialing is another focus area which looks at how changes in industry needs impacts the skills and knowledge requirements of faculty. Carl D. Perkins funded activities also promote conducting program feasibility studies, program approval and implementation, all of which are critical to ensure ongoing alignment and relevancy of educational and training opportunities.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services programs and services are well embedded into the One–Stop system in Minnesota, with programs and services on site of 40 of the 48 WorkForce Centers. Participants have access to resource rooms for job seeking, workshops for developing job seeking skills and referral opportunities for other needed services.

There are several opportunities for activities to be aligned and enhanced with the core programs. Training is needed for staff to understand the allowable activities and career pathway opportunities for recipients to engage in. Within a system where job search and job placement have been primarily seen as the core activity, we will work together to better understand how career pathway training can provide access to long term employment with family sustaining wages. This being said, it is important for providers to understand the regional sectors in demand that will provide support of those opportunities. Minnesota was selected as one of 10 states to participate in SNAP to Skills, the pilot program through FNS and Seattle Jobs Initiative which will identify ways to expand employment and training opportunities in the state. Minnesota anticipates career pathways will be one of the important strategies in the SNAP Employment and Training expansion.

Another opportunity is to look at the scaling of on–ramps to training programs. This career pathway strategy is a good fit for individuals who need entry level credentials and the need for immediate employment. Such on ramp training programs could include forklift certification, MS office credentialing, CompTia, Paraprofessional training, and other entry level certifications that are feeders to occupations in demand that could allow for transition into further academic credentials such as diplomas or degrees.

Alignment across all required core programs and State Combined Plan partners has already begun. Beginning with earlier FastTRAC pilots and now through the state workforce development system implementing career pathways activities through multiple state and federal programs. Identified as the Pathways to Prosperity program in Minnesota, this national strategy focuses on providing skilled career counselors, integrated developmental and skills training, application of appropriate sources and comprehensive placement assistance. Minnesota’s next step is to start bringing all six strategic elements to scale across the system, starting with key industry sectors and stronger service provider network and community engagement to increase the awareness and opportunities for stronger partnerships and more consistency within the workforce development system.