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The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a Strategic Planning Elements section that analyzes the State’s current economic environment and identifies the State’s overall vision for its workforce development system. The required elements in this section allow the State to develop data-driven goals for preparing an educated and skilled workforce and to identify successful strategies for aligning workforce development programs. Unless otherwise noted, all Strategic Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs.
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an analysis of the economic conditions, economic development strategies, and labor market in which the State’s workforce system and programs will operate.
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an analysis of the workforce development activities, including education and training in the State, to address the education and skill needs of the workforce, as identified in Education and Skill Levels of the Workforce above, and the employment needs of employers, as identified in Employers' Employment Needs above. This must include an analysis of –
II. a. 2. C. State Workforce Development Capacity
Provide an analysis of the capacity of State entities to provide the workforce development activities identified in (A) above.
Current Narrative:
STATE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY The range of workforce development programs and activities previously described represent a significant investment of both human and capital resources into Maine’s workforce development system. Since 1998 when the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) was passed, the State has made concerted efforts to increase interagency collaboration to better coordinate federal employment services and training for adults, dislocated workers and youth, and adult education, as well as create additional access points for vocational rehabilitation services. These activities resulted in a developed network of physical assets, including strategically located one–stop affiliate centers; seven community colleges and seven University of Maine campuses. In addition, Maine’s workforce development system includes 76 local Adult and Basic Education sites across the state. Though the workforce system has made improvements since the passage of WIA there is a recognized need to increase capacity. The goal over the next four years is to establish access to all workforce system services regardless of where the individual client or employer is located. To reach this goal, the following steps will be taken: • Expand ability of all partners in the network to inform clients of workforce system services. This will be the result of extensive cross–training. • Assess the ability to increase access. The Adult Education System will work with Local Boards in the three regions and the one–stop operators to assess the ability to increase access to the one–stop system. For example, a number of adult education programs may be made available as itinerant sites to provide basic career services. This action can greatly expand the number and proximity of access points of contact for both employers and clients. • Expand the use of technology. Given Maine’s vast geographic size, it cannot be assumed that all who need to travel to the current comprehensive and affiliate sites are able to do so. To address the barriers of geography, childcare, transportation and schedules that many people face, services will be available digitally. These services will include up–to–date and comprehensive employment and training websites with links to partner websites. In addition, resources will be accessible through the use of videoconferencing and live chat.
