Narrative: II. b. 2.

In order to fulfill Colorado’s vision, the following goals have been developed based on the economic conditions of our state, future needs of industries, and the strengths of the system. Leadership of all of the programs in this combined plan crafted these goals based on input collected in focus groups and surveys from stakeholders throughout the state of Colorado. Acheivement of these goals will not be possible without making significant strides in services to all customers, including youth and individuals with barriers to employment. Collectively, these goals create a focus on guiding all populations towards success in Colorado’s economy.

GOAL 1: ENGAGE BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY AS A FULCRUM TO INFORM AND ALIGN ALL ELEMENTS OF THE DEMAND-DRIVEN SYSTEM

The Colorado workforce development system has built a strong foundation for itself in sector partnerships that have been launched, expanded, and sustained throughout the state. From this base, it is now time to increase business engagement within the system to an even greater level. Our first goal is to see sector partnerships taken to the next level with businesses buying-in - with their time, in-kind contributions, and financial resources - to inform relevant, demand-driven career pathways in Colorado. In designing or redesigning career pathways informed by our sector partnerships, we recognize that we need a better understanding of the value placed upon industry-recognized credentials by Colorado businesses. In understanding this, we will then be able to embed, stack, and ultimately promote these credentials in career pathways in a more resounding way. We also recognize that the career pathways informed by our sector partnerships must include work-based learning opportunities in order to remain relevant to business needs and will incorporate these strategies in career pathways and skill development programs.

GOAL 2: ESTABLISH A CUSTOMER-CENTRIC AND HOLISTIC FOCUS TO INCREASE COORDINATION, EFFECTIVENESS, AND ACCESS THROUGH SHARED DATA, TOOLS, AND RESOURCES

In order to derive significant value from our system, our business and jobseeker customers must be able to access an array of services and resources through a seamless experience. Our second goal is to establish a system that embraces a “no wrong door” philosophy at all levels. We have made progress on this front in business services; Colorado businesses can now experience the same eleven common services no matter where they are located in the state. We will apply the same LEAN process improvement approach we used to define the business services strategy to our jobseeker and youth services to understand where resources can be aligned, efficiencies can be gained, and opportunities to increase access can be seized.

We know, however, that further integration and alignment of services must be supplemented by increased coordination among data systems and tools. We will explore opportunities, for example, to streamline Connecting Colorado and increase partners’ access to information.

GOAL 3: ENGAGE PARTNER STAFF AT EVERY LEVEL FOR BETTER SYSTEM ALIGNMENT

Throughout the process of developing goals and strategies for this plan, there was significant engagement and collaboration among state-level program leaders. It was also clear through focus groups throughout the state that there is strong collaboration and coordination among local decision makers. But, we need to engage more staff from all partner programs in system alignment efforts. From state-level leadership to front-line staff in the Colorado Workforce Centers, the third goal for Colorado’s WIOA Combined State Plan focuses on including all levels of staff in efforts toward system alignment. This will include a heavy emphasis on professional development and cross-education on all programs, but will also include providing more opportunities for staff within the system to provide input and insights gained through their first-hand experiences with customers.

GOAL 4: CREATE AND DELIVER A UNIFIED MESSAGE FOR INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION

As the Colorado workforce development system becomes more and more aligned, we have identified the need to increase the consistency in internal and external messaging about the value and benefits of the system. Goal 4 is focused on defining the Colorado workforce development system’s “brand promise” for both internal stakeholders and external stakeholders. We will identify strategic messages targeted toward specific internal and external stakeholders and also explore ways to promote the return-on-investment of workforce programs.

GOAL 5: DRIVE MEANINGFUL OUTCOMES THROUGH INNOVATION, ALIGNMENT OF METRICS, AND ACCOUNTABILITY

In focus groups throughout the state and in planning sessions with state leaders, we identified that the innovation within the workforce development system is often stifled by limited resources and/or misaligned measurements of success. Colorado’s final goal is to create a workforce development environment that embraces innovation and achieves meaningful outcomes for businesses and individuals. We will look to launch pilot programs to test new strategies while measuring the effectiveness of these strategies. We will also focus on looking beyond our WIOA common measures and identify additional indicators of system-wide success (see Governor’s Vision 2018 described below).

TARGETED POPULATIONS: Additionally, Colorado will continue its efforts to serve individuals with barriers to employment. In August of 2014, Colorado worked with ETA Region IV to identify target populations and establish service goals. Colorado committed to increasing the total number of new participants served in each category year over year, beginning with the baseline period of April 1, 2013 - March 31, 2014.

A cross-functional work group comprised of state and local staff was convened to identify and implement strategies for achieving the above stated goal. Colorado has utilized, and will continue to utilize, the following strategies for identification, outreach, recruitment, and service delivery for individuals with barriers to employment:

• Data Quality - It is imperative that processes for the collection and reporting of relevant data are functioning effectively in order for Colorado to reliably demonstrate service to targeted groups. The aforementioned work group reviewed the functionality of Colorado’s data management and reporting system to ensure its capacity to accurately gather and report this information.
• Streamlining Intake - The work group studied the various intake processes in Colorado’s local workforce areas with an eye toward maximizing customer value and minimizing waste. The group recommended that unnecessary steps, forms, and functions be discontinued.
• Partnerships - Reaching and serving our state’s most vulnerable populations requires strong, effective working relationships among the programs and agencies that make up Colorado’s talent development system. State staff has worked, and will continue to work, to foster these partnerships in order to build referral systems and collaborative service delivery platforms that allow for quality wraparound services.

The following charts detail Colorado’s progress in serving the agreed-upon population groups:

ActiveTitle I Adults

Active Title I Dislocated Workers

Active Title I Youth