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Plan: Florida PYs 2016-2017
Unified Plan U

Section: WIOA State Plan Common Elements

Narrative: III. a. 2. E.

Published
Located in:
  • III. Operational Planning Elements
    The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an Operational Planning Elements section that support the State’s strategy and the system-wide vision described in Section II.(c) above. Unless otherwise noted, all Operational Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs. This section must include—
    • a. State Strategy Implementation
      The Unified or Combined State Plan must include—
      • 2. Implementation of State Strategy
        Describe how the lead State agency with responsibility for the administration of each core program or a Combined Plan partner program included in this plan will implement the State’s Strategies identified in Section II(c). above. This must include a description of—

III. a. 2. E. Partner Engagement with Educational Institutions

Describe how the State’s Strategies will engage the State’s community colleges and area career and technical education schools, as partners in the workforce development system to create a job-driven education and training system. WIOA section 102(b)(2)(B)(iv).

Current Narrative:

Florida Higher Education Coordinating Council

The Florida Higher Education Coordinating Council was established to identify unmet needs and to facilitate solutions regarding the creation of new degree programs and the establishment of new institutes, campuses, or centers. Its purpose is to make recommendations to the Legislature, the State Board of Education, and the Board of Governors, State University System of Florida.

The council includes the state university system, Florida college system, representatives of the business community, a member of the Florida Board of Governors, a member of the Florida State Board of Education, the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges, the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, Enterprise Florida, and CareerSource Florida. In its 2014 Annual Report, the Higher Education Coordinating Council identified three key issues to address: (1) performance evaluation and funding of higher education institutions; (2) efficient and effective production of undergraduate degrees statewide; and (3) connecting degree and certificate production with industry talent needs.

The council’s work will continue to move Florida’s WIOA implementation forward by aligning partner interests with that of educational institutions. The council’s recommendations will be consistent with the following guiding principles:

• To achieve within existing resources a seamless academic educational system that fosters an integrated continuum of kindergarten through graduate school education for Florida’s students;

• To promote consistent education policy across all educational delivery systems, focusing on students;

• To promote substantially improved articulation across all educational delivery systems;

• To promote a system that maximizes educational access and allows the opportunity for a high quality education for all Floridians;

• To promote a system of coordinated and consistent transfer of credit and data collection for improved accountability purposes between education delivery systems.

Blending Academics with Career and Technical Education

The VR Transition Youth program collaborates with education officials and partners to offer youth with disabilities opportunities to gain work experiences that help them prepare for successful employment. Collaborations such as High School High Tech, Project SEARCH, and Postsecondary Education programs engage youth in experiences that blend academics with career and technical education and provide hands-on career exploration and preparation activities where learned skills, attitudes, and behaviors can be applied.

Collaborating with Florida’s Universities and Colleges

VR has Memoranda of Understanding with the presidents of Florida’s public universities and the Florida College System. These memoranda outline the purposes, roles and responsibilities of VR and the educational institutions, as well as financial and programmatic responsibilities. The memoranda provide information regarding financial assistance, sharing of assessment findings, accommodations, rehabilitation technology services, academic advisement, counseling, confidentiality, and other topics. Additionally, FDBS plans to consult with the university system to coordinate and provide technical assistance to each other and to students and their families/guardians/surrogates, thus enabling the student’s transition from high school to postsecondary activities and assimilation into the adult community. The intent of the university system agreement will be to establish a process for ensuring accessibility, support, education and training of staff related to Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.

Facilitating Postsecondary Education

VR has an interagency agreement coordinating transition services with state education officials (FDBS, BEESS). This state-level agreement includes agencies charged with providing transition services to students leaving high school and going to postsecondary education/training, support services, and/or employment. The agencies agree to meet regularly to share information, ideas and current initiatives, collaborate on training and special projects, cooperate in planning and budgeting, and support any areas of work that are mutually beneficial.

Additionally, the VR Transition Youth program administrator serves as a representative on the State Secondary Transition Interagency Committee and works closely with the regional representatives of Project 10: the Transition Education Network. Project 10 is funded through a grant from the Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services within the Florida Department of Education, to the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg. Project 10 helps Florida school districts and stakeholders increase their ability to provide secondary transition services to students with disabilities in order to improve their academic success and postsecondary outcomes. Project 10 helps educators, parents, students, agency representatives, and others interested in Florida’s transition efforts by providing capacity building to implement secondary transition services, interagency collaboration, transition legislation and policy, and student development and outcomes. VR counselors serving transition students participate in each area’s local interagency councils. The interagency councils are a collaborative effort between VR and Department of Education partners, public high schools, adult service agencies, workforce programs, parents, students, advocates, and employers working together to meet the transition needs of students with disabilities.