Located in:
I. b. Plan Introduction or Executive Summary
The Unified or Combined State Plan may include an introduction or executive summary. This element is optional.
Current Narrative:
The State of Georgia is submitting a Unified State Plan. Although Georgia has chosen a Unified State Plan, partnerships with non-core partners are included in the State’s four-year strategy. In fact, throughout this plan there are references to many other agencies and organizations with which the workforce system is engaging that are outside of the core required partners. For example, OWD is in the early stages of discussions with TANF and SNAP regarding integration of services and strategies to help Georgians across the state. OWD is currently partnering with GaDOE on evaluating and improving their credentials of value in their CTAE programs. Furthermore, the office plans to pursue additional opportunities to partner with Perkins in the coming years. However, the State chose not to include these partners in the drafting of this Plan as inclusion would require them to be subject to the common planning elements. As these discussions are still in the early planning phases, including descriptions of specific strategies and progress in data collection and reporting systems is premature. Ultimately, based on timing of plan submission deadlines and the lead time necessary for establishing true alignment with non-core partners, the State chose a Unified Plan. In future planning periods, Georgia plans to submit a Combined Plan and strives to increase integration.
The State created a working group to plan and coordinate the writing of the State Plan. The working group was comprised of different members of the workforce system, including GDOL, TCSG, and GVRA. Additionally, the group sought feedback from the state’s local workforce development areas and business representatives through members of the SWDB.
Upon release of the Unified and Combined State Plan Requirements, the working group met to discuss which type of plan to submit. A Unified State Plan was decided upon and recommended to the Governor. The group was then tasked with writing and developing various sections of the plan. During the writing process, TCSG staff assisted each agency partner with writing, formatting, and editing support. Once complete, each group submitted their sections, which were then combined to create the first version of the Unified State Plan. This version went before the State Workforce Development Board Executive Committee, and the committee approved it on January 17, 2020.
Upon approval, the plan went out for public comment on January 17, 2020, on the TCSG site for 30 consecutive days. During the public comment period, the SWDB met and reviewed the plan extensively during a State Planning Retreat. The retreat was facilitated by an independent entity and was open to the public, and feedback was gathered and considered. The retreated included the SWDB being divided into committees to closely analyze the different aspects of the plan that are related to the roles and responsibilities of their respective committees. During these committee breakouts, the existing content of the plan was scrutinized and additional content created based on the feedback of SWDB members.
After the 30-day period, the plan was taken down from public view, and the submitted comments were organized into sections and taken to the working group for review. Each working group discussed their relevant comments and determined whether the comments warranted a change in the State Plan, or if they should be responded to individually. Once the group made changes, the responses were compiled and re-written into a new version of the State Plan. These changes, along with all of the comments, were submitted to the State Workforce Development Board Executive Committee for final approval on February 21, 2020. The committee approved the final plan, and the document was sent to OWD staff for submittal to the U.S. Department of Labor.