Narrative: II. b. 4.

The state will assess the overall effectiveness of the workforce system and those educational programs that support and work with it on the basis of their collective ability to produce career pathways leading to industry–valued, recognized postsecondary credentials and apprenticeship enrollments.

To match the supply and demand of the State’s labor market, the West Virginia Workforce Development System (WDS) gathers employment needs data provided by employers and subsequently generates and disseminates Labor Market Information (LMI), both at the statewide and local level. This LMI, published by WorkForce WV, provides short- and long-term projections of high demand occupations throughout the State of West Virginia, at both the state and local level. From these projections, the State is able to recognize the credentials, certifications, and enrollments needed by its citizenry to achieve placement in the labor force in the coming years. Similarly, the State is able to identify the institutions of such enrollment and credentialing that the citizenry may utilize. One of the goals of West Virginia’s Workforce Development System (WDS) is to develop career pathways for individuals seeking employment, particularly in high demand occupations. In order to do this, it is vital for the WIOA core partners to provide to those individuals: Labor Market Information, including information regarding projected high demand occupations; an enhanced sense of informed choice regarding their opportunities for employment; and information about how to obtain qualifications for employment, especially in projected high demand occupations. The WDS will assess effectiveness in this goal by monitoring enrollment and achievement at institutions related to these projected high demand occupations and use this assessment to determine where any underserved areas lie.

An emphasis will be placed on high–demand, job driven skills attainment. Specifically, the state will emphasize “demand–driven skills–attainment” in the policies it sets pertaining to local and regional workforce plans. For example, in setting performance standards for Local Boards, the state will give great weight to WIOA performance measures related to program completion and credential attainment, and will validate the labor market value of programs by examining the employment and wage outcomes of the individuals served.

The State Board will also work with regionally organized Local Boards and other state plan partners to determine the extent to which persons receiving training and education services aligned with regional industry needs are actually obtaining employment in occupations and sectors directly related to their programs of study.

Developing the capacity for tracking employment related to training and education programs of study will require the study and development of an operational plan for collecting the relevant information. The State Board will work with the three core partners and all mandatory partners to build this capacity.

General Policy Framework for Program Alignment

State Plan Policies

The state will employ and will require state plan partners to adopt or participate in (to the extent appropriate for each program), seven policy strategies that frame, align, and guide program coordination at the state, local, and regional levels. These policies (discussed in further detail in the section on strategies, tactics, and resources) will include the following:

• Sector strategies: aligning workforce and education programs with leading and emergent industry sectors’ skills needs. • Career pathways: enabling of progressive skills development through education and training programs, using multiple entry and exit points, so that each level of skills development corresponds with a labor market payoff for those being trained or educated. • Regional partnerships: building partnerships between industry leaders, workforce professionals, education and training providers, and economic development leaders to develop workforce and education policies that support regional economic growth. • “Earn and learn”—using training and education best practices that combine applied learning opportunities with material compensation while facilitating skills development in the context of actual labor market participation. • Supportive services: providing ancillary services like childcare, transportation, and counseling to facilitate program completion by those enrolled in training and education courses. • Creating cross–system data capacity: using diagnostic labor market data to assess where to invest, and also, the use performance data to assess the value of those investments. • Integrated service delivery: braiding resources and coordinating services at the local level to meet client needs.

This State Plan provides the policy framework and direction for day–to–day operations of WIOA funded programs. The role of state agency and state department plan partners under this plan is to provide policy direction, program oversight, support, and technical assistance for and to local and regional service providers covered by the plan. State plan partners include the following:

• WorkForce West Virginia (WFWV)

• West Virginia Workforce Development Board (WDB)

• West Virginia Community and Technical College System (CTCS)

• West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE)

• West Virginia State Board of Education (SBE)

• West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) • West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) • Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development

Regional Plans and “Regional Sector Pathways”

Regional plans and partnership required by WIOA will function under this State Plan as the primary mechanism for aligning educational and training provider services with regional industry sector needs.

Alignment at the regional level will be accomplished through the regional implementation of three of the seven policy strategies emphasized by the State Plan. These include sector strategies, career pathways, and organized regional partnerships. All three of these policies will be required under the regional planning guidance issued by the State Board to Local Boards organized into the regional planning units required under WIOA Section 106.

A primary objective and requirement of regional plans will be to work with community colleges and other training and education providers, including the state’s Adult Education Block Grant regional consortia to build “regional sector pathway” programs, by which we mean, career pathway programs that result in the attainment of industry–valued and recognized postsecondary credentials aligned to regional industry workforce needs. The State Board, working alongside other state agencies will provide technical assistance to regional partnerships, comprised of industry leaders, workforce professionals, and regional training and education providers to help align programs and services delivered with industry sector workforce needs.

Under the State Plan, the key regional partners involved with the development and implementation of regional plans will include the following:

• Industry sector leaders, associations, and business organizations • Regionally organized local workforce development boards • Local economic development organizations • Regional consortia of community colleges • Regional consortia of adult basic education providers (including both WIOA Title II and other state–funded basic education programs) • Representatives of K–12 CTE programs funded by either federal Perkins funds or various state–specific CTE funding streams, when relevant county offices of education and other local educational agencies determine that participation will benefit the students participating in their CTE programs

The State Board will encourage and recommend broad and inclusive partnerships, but will grant considerable flexibility for Local Boards and their partners to determine the nature, scope, and depth of these partnerships based on local and regional needs and priorities as long as regional plans and partnerships are consistent with the policy direction and goals of this State Plan.

Regional efforts under WIOA are expected to build upon the State Board’s regional Sector Strategies Project discussed later in the State Plan.

Local Plans and One–Stop Centers of West Virginia

Under the State Plan, the purpose of local workforce plans and partnerships is to facilitate access to workforce services at the local level.

Local workforce development plans will ensure a baseline level of WIOA core program alignment compliant with federal regulations at the local level, in and through the One–Stop Centers of West Virginia, the state’s One–Stop system, so that program services are coordinated, and when appropriate, integrated to make accessible a menu of customizable services available to clients on the basis of client needs.

Under this State Plan and all relevant policies issued by the state concerning One–Stop design, operations, and partnerships, Local Boards will be directed to operate One–Stops as an access point for programs that provide for “demand–driven skills attainment.” From this perspective, One–Stops will be operated as an “on ramp” or “gateway” to the “Regional Sector Pathways” programs either built–out or identified through the regional planning process described above.

One–Stops will continue to provide the full menu of One–Stop services, now known under WIOA as “career services”, they have historically provided and One–Stops will continue to function as labor exchanges but there will be much greater emphasis on treating One–Stops as an access point for education and training services for those who want and need it. Further detail on One–Stop design and the operation of the One–Stop is provided in the body of the State Plan.