Narrative: III. a. 2. C.

Job seekers in Colorado are served by the statewide network of workforce centers as well as by the myriad government, education, and nonprofit organization locations of one-stop partner programs. All comprehensive workforce centers offer the full range of WIOA Title I-B, Wagner-Peyser, Veterans, and TAA services in a co-located model, and many local areas across the state have other partners co-located as well.

Regardless of location, customers of the public workforce system receive high-quality services designed to meet their specific needs. In a number of offices, the first question a customer hears is “What brings you in today?”, which creates a welcoming environment and sets up staff members to serve the highest need of the customer in the fastest amount of time. Within the parameters of each statutorily defined program, Colorado has implemented special initiatives to provide comprehensive, customized and coordinated services to targeted populations with barriers to employment.

UI Claimants, Long-Term Unemployed, Under-Employed, Dislocated Workers, Trade Displaced Workers, Displaced Homemakers

• Workforce Development Programs/UI Strategic Partnership - The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Workforce Development Programs and the Unemployment Insurance Division have a long-standing partnership with co-location of staff members to coordinate reemployment initiatives for claimants and the long-term unemployed. The two programs work closely to strategically plan and support implementation of initiatives designed to benefit their shared customers. The largest joint endeavors include:

o Development of a strategic plan for reemployment initiatives:State and local stakeholder input was obtained on ways to improve communications and partnerships between the workforce and UI systems. The information was used to develop annual and long-term goals to promote reemployment and a more seamless customer experience. These goals included reducing and maintaining the average duration of UI benefits from 15.2 weeks to 12 weeks by June 30, 2017, through enhanced data sharing between the UI and workforce databases, and implementation of the revised UI profiling system (renamed Links to Reemployment) and Colorado’s first Reemployment Eligibility Assessment grant.

o Design and Implementation of Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) and Links to Reemployment:Links to Reemployment and RESEA focus on engaging Unemployment Insurance claimants within the first 5 weeks of their first UI Benefit payment, and provide earlier workforce engagement and increased services to help expedite their return to work. RESEA will be implemented in January 2016.

• Hire for Colorado Long-Term Unemployed Initiative - In January 2015, Governor John Hickenlooper announced Hire for Colorado, a $3 million comprehensive reemployment program, to address the needs of the long-term unemployed while rapidly moving individuals back into the workforce. The new program utilizes many resources already offered through the state’s workforce centers, but also reaches out to the business community to make a pledge to hire the long-term unemployed. Hire for Colorado is being implemented through a tightly coordinated effort among CDLE, the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), employers, and local areas. Outreach to employers, employer pledges, and a regionalized marketing approach to job seekers comprise the major strategies of this program, which will serve a minimum of 300 long-term unemployed job seekers by December 31, 2016.
• Sector Partnership National Emergency Grant - Colorado was awarded a $5 million Sector Partnership National Emergency Grant (SPNEG) in 2015 to temporarily expand capacity to serve dislocated workers and meet the increased demand for employment and training services with the goal of quickly reemploying laid off workers and enhancing their employability and earnings. This grant will utilize sector strategies to advance and complement the more integrated and comprehensive dislocated worker services envisioned by WIOA. The specific activities targeted by this grant, which continues through PY 2017, include regional sector planning and strategies, enhanced career services to dislocated workers, and work-based training opportunities.
• Displaced Homemaker Program - In addition to services available through Wagner-Peyser and the WIOA Dislocated Worker formula programs, State funds are utilized to provide employment and training services to eligible displaced homemakers who, through divorce, separation, widowhood, or ineligibility for other public assistance, have lost their source of economic support. The “Keep Envisioning Your Success (KEYS)” Scholarship is a partnership between Workforce Development Programs (WDP) and the Community College of Denver (CCD) to provide reemployment services to individuals who lost their primary source of income and must re-enter the labor market. Services include tuition scholarships, job training, career assessment, supportive services, personal and vocational counseling, and job development and placement. WDP has provided additional funding to enable CCD to increase KEYS Scholarships for summer students to help them achieve their educational goals faster and move towards successful employment, and this successful partnership will continue going forward.

Low-Income Individuals

• WIOA Adult Priority of Service - The state and all local workforce areas have adopted an adult priority of service policy that targets public assistance recipients, other low income individuals, and those who are basic skills deficient. This new WIOA requirement will ensure that the majority of Colorado’s WIOA Adult customers will come from these priority populations.
• Colorado Works—Within the parameters of Federal regulation and State policy and rules, county human service departments have considerable flexibility in operating their Colorado Works program, particularly around the programming for those considered “work-eligibles”. Many counties have found that robust partnerships with the one-stop center in their community is a natural fit that leverages the resources and employer-base available through the workforce development system for the benefit of Colorado Works participants.

Here is snapshot of the integration that was already in place prior to the passage of WIOA between workforce centers and Colorado Works programs:

In several workforce development areas, the workforce system resides within the umbrella of the county human service department, and in some instances, full integration of these two systems is the norm for service delivery. This is the case in the Mesa county workforce development area, which shares boundaries with Mesa county, and is embedded into the county human service department in that area. One shared facility serves both WIOA customers as well as those seeking and receiving public assistance, and operations are fully integrated. In other areas, particularly in metropolitan communities, while workforce may sit outside the county human service governance structure, MOUs or contracts have been established for the provision of career services to Colorado Works participants within the workforce system. An example of this structure can be found in Larimer county, where human services and workforce are both county operated, but reside in different departments. The Larimer County Workforce Center has long operated the Colorado Works program through a MOU with the county human service department, to notable results in employment entry for Colorado Works’ participants. In both instances, human service agencies benefit from strong relationships to the employer, economic development, and resource base of the workforce system.

However, dozens of counties in the state of Colorado do not have a physical one-stop location, and the ability to conveniently access services is a critical one, particularly for customers who may lack transportation resources. In these areas, connection with the workforce development system may take the form of participation on the local workforce board, or informal referrals and relationships. Colorado’s large geographic area, as the 6^th largest state in the country, poses challenges to rural communities. The Colorado Rural Workforce Consortium has established innovative approaches to help bridge these gaps through technology, and rural human service counties will be learning more about these approaches in the coming year, building upon successful models for rural areas. One example of new partnership is in Park County, which is part of the Upper Arkansas sub-area within the Rural Consortium, where informal relationships have segued into participation on the local workforce development board, and a new contract for services for Colorado Works participants within the main county human service office. While there is not a physical workforce center within the county limits, partnership and innovation has found a way for the resources of workforce to meet the needs of low-income job seekers.

Youth

Governor’s Summer Job Hunt (GSJH) - The GSJH is a statewide program that assists Colorado’s young adults, ages 14-21, with career exploration and interest-based job search. During Calendar Year 2017, the GSJH served more than 41,000 young adults, with a 61.2 percent entered employment rate.

Funding for the program is provided through Wagner-Peyser 10% discretionary funds, provided by CDLE/Workforce Development Programs, to the local workforce areas, primarily to cover staffing costs and costs for program outreach.

The GSJH will continue to utilize successful strategies such as:

o GSJH Website: https://www.colorado.gov/gsjh

o GSJH Facebook page: Utilized to promote local job fairs and workshops, state events, and partner events. https://www.facebook.com/govsummerjobhunt

o Think Big Youth Forum: An annual statewide youth service provider conference that typically includes over 200 people from the state and local workforce system, education and higher education systems, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, local youth councils, and many other state and local organizations.

o Teen Jobline 9: Colorado has a successful partnership with Denver NBC affiliate 9News TV station to host Teen Jobline 9 features staffed by representatives from the state and Denver metro area workforce centers to answer phone calls from parents, grandparents, guardians, and youth with questions about summer employment opportunities.

o Career Preparatory Experiences, including resume preparation, mock interviewing, industry and career research, educational & training pathway development

o Industry tours (Career Road Trips) targeted at growth industries, and hosted for youth, parents, and teachers.

o Entrepreneurial training and competitions

o STEM focused career awareness events and forums

o Sector partnership-based workshops, followed up with industry specific job fairs

o Focused partnerships with Agenices and Organizations

o Focus on Work-Based Learning, including introduction to internships, pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship

o Targeted outreach within schools, partner organizations, community-based organizations, etc.

Individuals with Disabilities

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)— The focus of the DVR program is to provide individualized and customized services and supports to individuals with disabilities. DVR staff are subject matter experts who will commit to work with the staff of core and combined plan program partners to support their efforts to provide effective services to individuals with disabilities. DVR will strive to coordinate individualized DVR plans for employment with the plans developed for individuals by other core and combined plan partners, and assure that the DVR plan is complementary to these other plans, whenever feasible.

Coordination between programs will be supported by working and, as appropriate, formal partnership agreements with state community partners to create referral processes and jointly deliver services to customers, including customers from unserved and underserved populations. At the local level, DVR will work with core and combined plan partners as well as other community resources, to reach out to unserved and underserved populations. Particularly, DVR will focus efforts on underserved youth (youth from the foster care, juvenile justice, and mental health systems), homeless individuals, and individuals with limited education. Finally, DVR will seek to coordinate and improve partnerships with Colorado’s American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Programs, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Mountain Ute Tribe.

Adult Learners

As the entity responsible for management and oversight of Title II funds, the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) Office of Adult Education Initiatives (AEI) will work collaboratively with partners within the Combined State Plan to ensure effective and efficient career pathways for Coloradans.

First, AEI will host regular Adult Workforce Partnerships Advisory Committee meetings with representation from core programs in Colorado’s talent development system (as outlined in 22-10-106, C.R.S.). During these meetings, opportunities for collaborative planning and information sharing will occur. AEI will also host assessment trainings for adult education and family literacy providers and workforce and vocational rehabilitation partners to help ensure consistency of assessment efforts.

AEI will coordinate and promote activities that bring together adult education and family literacy providers with workforce, which may include equity trainings focused on support of nontraditional careers for individuals with barriers to employment, and implementation/utilization of integrated career pathways utilizing materials designed for Adult Career Pathways.

AEI will develop and provide technical assistance for adult education and family literacy providers funded through Title II to establish a baseline for partnership engagement, develop goals for growth and improvement of partnership, and progress monitor growth and improvement of partnership for high-quality, streamlined customer-centered service.

Veterans

Colorado will continue its strong tradition of promoting the training, hiring and retention of veterans, plus ensuring veterans priority of service in all USDOL funded programs. This will be accomplished through close working relationships with workforce system partners to make sure that veterans are represented to potential employers and business owners as qualified and professional employees who bring a unique set of skills to the workplace. The state workforce system delivers the full array of labor and employment services to Colorado veterans at all 77 of its State and County-run full-service Workforce Centers and satellite offices around the state. Employment Specialists at the centers provide veterans with employment services such as job matching and referral to posted job openings, vocational and career guidance, labor market information, plus workshops on resume preparation and conducting effective job searches. Staff also refer eligible and qualified veterans to appropriate WIOA-funded training programs and discretionary initiatives, as well as registered apprenticeship programs throughout the state.

In addition to State and County workforce center employees, who provide career services to all veterans, CDLE currently employs 29 full-time Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) Specialists and 9 full-time Local Veteran Employment Specialists (LVER) assigned to workforce areas around the state. These positions are funded through a USDOL Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) grant and fulfill all responsibilities mandated by the grant programs, including the provision of case management services to Special Disabled Veterans, Disabled Veterans, economically or educationally disadvantaged veterans, and veterans with other barriers to employment, especially homelessness. The Jobs for Veterans State Grants Plan is included under Section VII.

Veterans grant staff also serves other populations of veterans in the State through Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). Those populations include:

o National Guard and Reserve members returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). In particular, Virtual Job Fair Technology is being utilized to assist this group with veterans resource sites, accessed while they are still overseas, and actual virtual job fairs when they return to this country.

o Service-connected disabled veterans, who are targeted and identified through various Veterans Service Organizations (VSO) as well as outreach activities at Veteran Centers, Veterans Administration Medical Centers, and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs.)

o Recently separated veterans, who are targeted through the College Campus Outreach pilot program, and through job fairs and hiring events

o Wounded and injured veterans, who are identified through the REALifelines program and through relationships established with the Wounded Warrior Program located at Fort Carson, Colorado.

o Incarcerated veterans, who are identified and contacted through “in-reach” activities conducted within correctional facilities managed by the Colorado Department of Corrections. Veteran representatives will also work in partnership with the Veteran Offender initiatives described in detail below under Ex-Offenders.

o Homeless Veterans - Veteran Employment Specialists work with the Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program (HVRP) to provide one-on-one employment assistance and supportive services to homeless veterans including, but not limited to, resume and interviewing preparation, employment workshops, job search assistance and job referrals. The supportive services provided include, but are not limited to, rent assistance, food, and transportation funding. CDLE’s HVRP Employment Representative is an active member of the Governor’s state homeless committee that seeks out innovative ways to solve the shortage of temporary housing and resolve issues with permanent housing placement.

Older Individuals

• SCSEP—Most of the SCSEP participants have been out of school for over 40 years and have limited work history or a history of unskilled labor. Those who have been out of the workforce for some time may not be aware of what is acceptable and unacceptable in the workplace; so workplace etiquette and customer service training is provided to give the participant the tools to ensure successful participation. Additionally, employer preferences have been trending toward computer/technology competencies as among the most-in-demand job skills. This preference is also observed consistently among SCSEP staff across project locations. Participants who have computer/technology skills, or are willing to develop these skills, are able to obtain unsubsidized employment faster and often with a higher wage. Many host agency supervisors commented that the participants need to have already obtained some basic computer skills prior to starting the Community Service Assignment (CSA) at the host agency. The host agency satisfaction surveys identify similar sentiments. Project staff have also found that participants with basic computer skills are more confident in their abilities and are more valuable to employers.

Through the additional training and supportive services provisions, the State of Colorado will be able to ensure a more widespread adoption of computer/technology training efforts. Training and supportive services will ensure barriers to employment have been mitigated to the greatest extent possible and develop participants who are more confident, computer literate, and have greater access to opportunities. Participants will be more marketable due to their newfound confidence in handling modern technologies. Greater confidence with technology will aid participants beyond employment as they become masters of simple yet oftentimes intimidating technologies that create barriers in their life, such as point-of-sale (POS) machines, ATMs, and tablet-based forms increasingly used in healthcare and medical facilities.

Colorado SCSEP will take advantage of the unique resources available through the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, and its statewide network of Workforce Centers (WFC), by utilizing WFC staff to assist in creating training and employment opportunities for participants of SCSEP. CDLE and the statewide network of workforce centers continue to work with and support the efforts oftheSenior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) under the Colorado Department of Human Services: Aging and Adult Services, through participation on the Older Worker Task Force, which promotes connections between the SCSEP service providers, their participants and the workforce centers. In addition, workforce centers have older worker specialists, who provide workshops and employment services that are customized for this targeted group, and have developed MOUs with the Title V Older Worker service providers.

Colorado will continue to place SCSEP participants at WFC locations and collaborate with other WFC partners such as Veteran Services and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to maximize participant referrals and optimize participant training.

To assist SCSEP participants in the development of their on-line and computer literacy skills, the WFCs e-Colorado has a multitude of on-line options pertaining to career exploration, education and employment. Since SCSEP participants are required to enroll with a WFC, they will attend WFC classes that enhance/upgrade their skills. The WFCs play a pivotal role in training the participants and improving their opportunities for employment.

Moving forward with WIOA a system wide State training plan will be implemented to assure job seekers receive the best possible information regarding programs that may benefit them to achieve gainful employment. Thecomplete SCSEP plan is included under section VII and further describes the initiatives for serving this population.

Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers

The Wagner-Peyser Agricultural Outreach Plan (see the complete plan under Section VI) sets policies, and objectives with regard to providing services to the agricultural community, specifically Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers (MSFWs). The Colorado Department of Labor & Employment (CDLE) provides these services through the statewide network of workforce centers to ensure that MSFWs receive the full range of employment, training, and educational services on a basis which is qualitatively equivalent and quantitatively proportionate to the services provided to non-MSFWs.

During the next five program years, the six significant workforce centers will continue to provide quality employment services and referrals to appropriate agencies as part of their assistance to the MSFW population. The contracts with each workforce area will contain provisions to ensure that MSFWs receive the full range of employment and training services offered to the general public. CDLE will continue to provide technical assistance to the local areas in their planning activities to help ensure that the needs of MSFWs are addressed, and that the workforce development system is in full compliance with the Judge Ritchie court order and federal rules and regulations.

Individuals with Limited English Proficiency

Colorado is now on the tenth year of a special task force to address the needs of Limited English Proficient (LEP) clients. The group started out as the LEP taskforce and is now called “Colorado Workforce Speaks.” This effort was designed based on President Clinton’s Executive Order 13166 mandating that all agencies receiving federal funding must make their services available to limited English proficient clients. The task force has accomplished the following:

• Surveyed workforce center staff and identified the different languages that staff speaks on a statewide basis.
• Created an “I Speak” poster and provided them to all workforce centers throughout the state. The poster says “I Speak” in eleven different languages; for example, a Spanish speaker can point to the “Yo Hablo Español” section of the poster to request assistance from staff who speak their language.
• Established a format for local Language Assistance Plans that are updated annually as part of the WIOA and Wagner-Peyser annual local planning process.
• Stored all of the Colorado Workforce Speaks materials electronically in the e-Colorado.org Colorado Workforce Speaks team room. Topics include career planning, employment, education and training, emerging technologies, employer resources, workforce professional resources, high growth initiatives, legislation and policies, promising practices and supportive services.
• Colorado provides training for workforce center staff and outreach workers on how to access the team room information and apply it to the MSFW population.

Ex-Offenders

Over the past several years, CDLE has designed, implemented and managed several highly successful ex-offender employment and training programs in collaboration with multiple state and local agencies. Among these were the “Stop the Revolving Door” and “Motherhood” initiatives, which provided employment and training services to 839 participants, and achieved a 71% entered employment rate as well as a 9% recidivism rate during the first year of post-program follow-up.

• Workforce Development Programs/CDOC Strategic Partnership-Workforce Development Programs has a long-standing partnership with the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC). Among the initiatives that are being developed and implemented as a result of this partnership are the following:

o Road to Work Pilot Program - The Road to Work Program provides rapid turn-around employment and training services to increase livable wage employment placement and retention opportunities for Parolees under the supervision of CDOC. Through a collaborative agreement between the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) and CDOC, the Road to Work Program creates an employment team comprised of the designated CDLE Road to Work Program

Coordinator, the Local Area Workforce Case Manager, the Community Parole Officer, the employer, and other identified partners to assist the Parolee in achieving successful re-entry into society.

o Re-entry Employment and Training Navigators - Through state legislation, CDOC has established four employment and training navigators that work with businesses to develop employment opportunities for parolees. Through the WDP/CDOC partnership, these staff have access to Connecting Colorado for tracking employer contacts and they will be integrated into the Business Services teams in the appropriate workforce centers to coordinate employer outreach.

o Connecting Colorado for Incarcerated Offenders - As a demonstration project, CDLE provided access to the statewide Connecting Colorado self-service job matching system inside one set of prisons during June 2012, allowing inmates to register for employment. In order to safeguard the workforce system’s employers, inmate registrations will not be activated until release; however, they will have the ability to search for job possibilities and learn about the job requirements as part of their preparation for transition into the labor market. Upon release they can update and fully complete their registrations and have them activated by CDOC staff, who have been trained in Connecting Colorado administrative functions. Connecting Colorado will continue to be available statewide to all public and private prisons under the jurisdiction of CDOC.

The Veteran-specific curriculum to be created will be a complementary blend of programs developed by Veterans for Veterans, like the family reintegration curriculum developed by the U.S. Army for solders discharging from the military with the TAP (Transition Assistance Employment Program), and evidenced-based psycho-social programs developed by experts in the field. The 16-week specialized curriculum will also include a “Speaker’s Series” designed to increase releasing Veterans’ knowledge of essential life skills topics. Colorado’s current Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program will be integrated into this initiative and will also be involved in providing mentoring services to participants. The staff and instructors for this program will be Veterans themselves - Veterans teaching Veterans.

Since employment is paramount to success, incarcerated Veterans will have the opportunity to expand their skills through vocational programs designed for this special population. The collaborating agencies are also working with the local workforce system to leverage funds for specialized on-the-job trainings, work experiences and internships to better prepare Veterans for employment, as well as help them utilize and transition the skills they learned in the military. CDOC is considering creating a Veteran-specific parole officer position to support Veteran offenders upon release from prison. This position will provide a continuation of services, attitude and expectations for the Veteran offender.

Workforce Assessments for Jobseekers

In 2016, the Workforce System Assessment Team re-designed the Colorado Employment Skills Certificate (CESC) and updated the form into a fillable document. Piloted several years ago by seven local workforce areas, the Workplace Readiness Credential is now a component of the CESC and is available to all workforce areas for use with job seekers. The Workforce Readiness Credential (WRC), is a soft skills online assessment tool developed by the Conover Company that measures attitude, communication, planning and organizing, critical thinking, interpersonal/social skills, teamwork, professionalism and media rules.

In the fall of 2017, the Workforce System Assessment Team undertook a survey asking local workforce areas what assessment tools they currently use. We received survey results from all 10 local workforce areas, including five of the ten rural consortium subareas. We are also gathering a list of assessments used by our WIOA partners, vocational rehabilitation and adult education (Colorado Department of Education). In addition to listing assessments, we asked specific questions relating to the use of assessments for career pathways, apprenticeships and soft skills. We hope that this information will better inform CDLE, local workforce colleagues, and our partners as to what assessments tools are used and what they are used for.