Narrative: II. b. 2.

Our five broad goals for the commonwealth’s workforce development system are:

1. Establish career pathways as the primary model for skill, credential, and degree attainment and provide all Pennsylvanians, with an emphasis on Pennsylvanians with barriers to employment, an opportunity to obtain a job that pays.
2. Expand public-private investment in the state’s pipeline of workers and in incumbent workers for targeted industry sectors from entry-level skills to middle skills through Next Generation Sector Partnerships, the Workforce and Economic Development Network of Pennsylvania (WEDnet PA), and other innovative strategies.
3. Increase opportunities for all youth to participate in work-based learning through summer employment, pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, internships, and other experiences in the workplace.
4. Engage employers through multi-employer workforce partnerships to improve the connection and responsiveness of workforce programs to the demand side of the labor market, increase public-private investment in critical skills, and support the spread of employer practices that create jobs that pay.
5. Strengthen data sharing across state agencies and workforce development partners to better understand education and employment outcomes, and rely more effectively on data to improve and target our efforts.

A key factor in accomplishing our five broad goals will be to boost interagency cooperation on workforce issues to achieve a team effort to implement this WIOA plan and to amend it as necessary. The development of this WIOA State Plan is the starting point for an unprecedented effort in Pennsylvania to transcend the fragmentation of workforce programs. Overcoming silos and promoting program integration are easy goals to talk about but very difficult to achieve. In Pennsylvania today, however, the commitment to achieving these goals-from getting all workforce agencies and programs pulling toward unified goals and better outcomes for job seekers, incumbent workers, employers, and all Pennsylvanians-starts at the very top, with Governor Wolf. State agencies will work together to leverage resources, both federal and other, to achieve Governor Wolf’s Strategic Vision.

Goal 1: Establish Career Pathways

It is imperative that the workforce development system provide training for skills that lead to employment in High Priority Occupations (HPOs) or entry-level occupations that lead along a career pathway into HPOs. As defined in WIOA Section 3(7), career pathways must be diverse with multiple entry and exit points allowing individuals of varying abilities, including low-skilled adults and youth with multiple barriers to employment, to have realistic access to pathways. The commonwealth will look to support career pathways that help adults and youth advance among multiple occupations, advance within an occupation, or move to a new occupation that has similar skills to a previous occupation. The strategies outlined below will support the establishment and promotion of career pathways, with an emphasis on providing access to those with substantial barriers to employment.

Additional strategies and initiatives to support career pathways include:

1.1 Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs), in partnership with employers, multi-employer workforce partnerships, and secondary and postsecondary education providers, will develop career pathway programs meeting the requirements of WIOA. Career pathway programs will include Adult Basic Education (literacy and numeracy, English-as-Second Language, and high school equivalency instruction) and will permit participants to enter at any of these levels in addition to entering at the postsecondary level.

1.2 The commonwealth will create a comprehensive career pathway system that combines education, training, counseling, and support services from multiple programs, including secondary and postsecondary career and technical education, adult and literacy education, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training, and higher education financial assistance, in addition to core programs of WIOA.

1.3 The commonwealth will mainstream job seekers with barriers to employment to the maximum extent possible by offering realistic entry points into career pathways and by ensuring necessary supportive services are in place and coordinated across agencies, so that those individuals with the most significant barriers to employment are successful in accessing and navigating career pathways. When appropriate, job seekers will be co-enrolled between core and other partner programs to provide the most comprehensive services possible.

1.4 The commonwealth will promote and support the creation of pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship programs, particularly in non-traditional occupations and for non-traditional populations, as part of relevant career pathway models. The commonwealth will add apprenticeship opportunities to the JobGateway®and Commonwealth Workforce Development Systems (CWDS), and will promote them as career options to job seekers.

1.5 The commonwealth will continue to refine the High Priority Occupation (HPO) process and list to ensure career pathways are aligned to occupations that are in-demand, have higher skill needs, and are likely to pay family-sustaining wages. The commonwealth will consult with LWDBs and employers to accomplish this goal. The commonwealth will also support placement of individuals with barriers to employment into quality entry-level jobs that provide the work experience and non-technical skills necessary to lead to employment in HPOs, and will consult with LWDBs and employers to identify the career pathways for which such quality entry-level jobs can serve as “on ramps.”

1.6 The commonwealth will maintain a robust Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL) to include performance data for all participants receiving training in all programs, regardless of the funding source for those participants’ training. This will allow for informed customer choice in selecting training programs and training providers. The commonwealth will ensure that there are a sufficient number of training providers serving individuals with barriers to employment on the ETPL.

1.7 The commonwealth will establish statewide and regional lists of industry-recognized credentials with a focus on identifying credentials along established career pathways, including badges, micro-credentials, and entry level credentials appropriate for individuals with barriers to employment. The lists will include academic credentials as well as credentials demonstrating job readiness and the attainment of soft skills through workforce preparation activities. The commonwealth will consult with LWDBs and employers, including through Registered Apprenticeship programs and Sector Partnerships, to ensure that the credential lists reflect skills that are in demand.

1.8 The commonwealth will require On-the-Job Training (OJT) and incumbent worker training, whether provided through WIOA core programs or the Sector Partnership program, to be tied to a career pathway.

1.9 The commonwealth will enhance career guidance and navigation services to guide individuals, particularly individuals with barriers to employment and education, into programs and services that provide an effective pathway to their career goals. The commonwealth will add information to JobGateway®, CWDS, and the workforce development website regarding career pathways and will enhance information provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education around career and technical education and other postsecondary education and training programs available for jobseekers in Pennsylvania.

1.10 The Commonwealth commits to adopting a common definition for career readiness across WIOA partner programs, where appropriate and in accordance with federal requirements. In addition, the commonwealth will explore coordination opportunities with postsecondary education systems to adopt the career readiness definition. The approach will include a focus on demonstrating skills and competencies as well as knowledge and credential attainment.

Goal 2: Invest in Talent and Skills for Targeted Industries in Strategic Partnership with Employers and Educational Partners

The commonwealth will use data and work with employers to identify the skills and competencies necessary to attain family-sustaining employment and will offer high quality training to individuals to obtain those skills. Today, it is estimated that just 48 percent of Pennsylvanians have a college credential or industry-recognized certification. By 2025, it is projected that 60 percent of good-paying, reliable Pennsylvania jobs will require these credentials. Governor Wolf has established a goal of 60 percent of Pennsylvanians in the labor force will have postsecondary credentials or certificates by 2025 to meet this expected demand. Concerted efforts will be made to ensure that individuals with barriers to employment are among those obtaining postsecondary credentials and certificates. The governor has also targeted that at least 85,000 individuals per year will be trained through Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) training programs.

Additional strategies and initiatives to grow the talent pool include:

2.1 The commonwealth will establish minimum spending requirements for how much local area funding must be used for training. Spending requirements will be established based on WIOA Title I allocations, excluding administrative funds. Local Areas may use a variety of funding sources beyond Title I funds to meet spending requirements to include: other federal funds, such as TANF, Vocational Rehabilitation, National Dislocated Worker grants, and other federal discretionary grants; state funds, such as Industry Partnership funds and state discretionary grants; and local funds, such as county or city training programs, local industry partnership funds used for training and philanthropic funded training programs. For the duration of this Plan, the training benchmark was calculated as 30 percent of Title I funding. Additionally, at least 50 percent of funds utilized to meet the training benchmark are required be spent on low income individuals and individuals with other barriers to employment. Workforce System Policy 06-2015 includes a definition of training and the funding sources which can be counted toward training benchmarks. The policy provides a process for Local Areas to request that additional training types and models count toward meeting the targets. Additionally, the commonwealth will establish a technical assistance group to support Local Areas and their service providers to measure and track the intended outcome of increasing attainment credentials for Pennsylvania’s workforce, as well as to assist local systems in meeting the benchmarks and allow for the sharing of best practices. The commonwealth will reassess training benchmarks and training funds targeted to individuals with barriers to employment on an annual basis.

2.2 The commonwealth will direct state workforce dollars through the Reemployment Fund and other sources, and will seek federal discretionary grants, to support program innovation to better meet the needs of the hardest to serve populations.

2.3 The commonwealth will promote and develop Next Generation Sector Partnerships (NGSPs) based on Labor Market Information (LMI) and employer need. This includes supporting the growth and expansion of the Industry Partnership program through increased state investment and braided funding from cross-agency programs.

2.4 The commonwealth will expand access for adult workers to skill certifications via incumbent worker training programs such as those provided by Next Generation Sector Partnerships (NGSPs) and WEDnet PA. The NGSP and WEDnet PA programs will be more closely aligned and coordinated to ensure the commonwealth is adequately serving entry-level workers and workers with more advanced training needs to support their upward mobility along career pathways.

2.5 The commonwealth will expand access to online education and training programs that result in industry-recognized credentials.

2.6 The commonwealth will work with employer partnerships, community colleges, postsecondary institutions, and LWDBs to establish micro-credentials that demonstrate job readiness, the attainment of soft skills, and measurable skill gains aligned to career pathways for individuals with barriers to employment. A component of this effort will include sharing best practices with the intent of scaling the effort statewide. This work will be supported by a Workforce Innovation Fund (WIF) grant received from the U.S. Department of Labor.

2.7 The commonwealth will use state grant funds to promote the development of Registered Apprenticeship programs and utilization of pre-apprenticeship standards, with a focus on non-traditional industries and occupations. The grant will also support efforts of existing Registered Apprenticeship programs to recruit female and minority apprentices. The state Apprenticeship and Training Office (ATO) will provide technical assistance to grantees and will promote the creation and growth of apprenticeship programs beyond the grantees.

2.8 The commonwealth will continue to foster relationships between the workforce development, post-secondary and secondary education systems, and public library system to ensure system alignment, Programs of Study that support job seeker and employer needs, and leverage resources to provide students with the best possible chance for success. This includes continuing to look for ways to partner with education through competitive grant opportunities.

2.9 The commonwealth will provide priority of service to veterans and eligible spouses, recipients of public assistance, other low-income individuals and individuals who are basic skills deficient as mandated by WIOA. The commonwealth will adhere to the federal guidance in Training and Employment Guidance Letter 10-09.

2.10 “Employment First” will be the policy of all commonwealth executive branch agencies under the jurisdiction of the governor in serving persons with disabilities. This policy reflects Governor Wolf’s goal of making the commonwealth a model state in supporting people with disabilities in the workplace. Employment First requires that competitive, integrated employment is the first consideration and preferred outcome of publicly-funded services for all working-age Pennsylvanians with a disability. Career, training, and support services will be used, as necessary, to support the placement of individuals with disabilities into competitive, integrated employment.

2.11 The commonwealth will encourage service delivery models that provide integrated and/or accelerated learning opportunities for youth and adults lacking a high school credential and/or who are basic skills deficient.

Goal 3: Increase Work-Based Learning Opportunities for Youth

Unemployment rates for older youth and young adults remain substantially higher than those for the broader population. For example, although Pennsylvania’s overall unemployment rate has fallen to a seasonally-adjusted 5.0 percent (as of May 2017), the rate for 20-24 year-olds stands at 7.9 percent, and at 15.0 percent for 16-19 year-olds. Further, since employment is highly correlated with educational levels, rates of employment and labor market participation for individuals with secondary credentials or less are substantially lower than for those with postsecondary credentials.

Recognizing the employment challenges faced by older youth and young adults, particularly those without postsecondary credentials, Congress and the Obama Administration prioritized WIOA employment, education, and training services for 16-24 year-old out-of-school youth (OSY), establishing an expenditure floor of 75 percent, reducing the burdens of income determination, and extending automatic eligibility for services to a range of high-risk populations.

Appreciating the importance of preparing all Pennsylvanians for active and productive citizenship, the Wolf Administration will lead and support efforts by the commonwealth’s Local Boards to expand services to these high-risk young people. Consistent with provisions of the statute 20 CFR § 681, the commonwealth will place a strong emphasis on ensuring that eligible OSY have access to a full range of services across core programs, as appropriate. To ensure a strong and continuing focus on youth employment within each local workforce area, the commonwealth will also require Local Areas to have youth standing committees. In addition, the commonwealth will work closely with each LWDB to negotiate levels of performance that reflect the needs and challenges of the new service population. In this way, Local Areas will be not be penalized for enrolling high-need and difficult to serve individuals who are the focus of WIOA youth activities.

The commonwealth will further support local efforts by ensuring that state agencies overseeing local and regional programs that focus on high-risk young people, including those who are in foster care and/or juvenile justice systems, are homeless, are involved in the public mental health system, or are pregnant or parenting, work together to build coordinated approaches that support Local Areas’ efforts to enroll and retain these young people. Furthermore, the commonwealth will support training activities that help to equip PA CareerLink® staff with the information and skills they need to meet the needs of eligible youth.

WIOA also places a new emphasis on providing eligible youth with high-quality work experience, requiring that at least 20 percent of youth funding be dedicated to this activity. This requirement is consistent with a growing body of research demonstrating that young people who have access to jobs in their teens tend to graduate from high school, earn secondary and postsecondary credentials, and earn at higher levels than their peers who do not work. However, research also shows that young people in low-income families have more limited access to employment opportunities than their more affluent peers. Therefore, the WIOA work experience requirement represents a powerful tool to help lower-income youth, particularly those with barriers to employment, gain invaluable and potentially life-changing experience in work places. In support of this priority, the commonwealth will work closely with LWDBs to encourage employers to provide access to high-quality work experiences for eligible youth, including internships, workplace learning, transitional jobs, pre-apprenticeships, and summer jobs, especially for OSY. These opportunities will be targeted to OSY as required by WIOA. Additional efforts will be made around career exploration strategies to provide students and their parents’ access to key information in making decisions about secondary and postsecondary education options and employment goals.

Specific initiatives to support opportunities for youth include:

3.1 The commonwealth will identify models and effective practices for OSY, including recruitment and flexible enrollment (e.g. self-attestation, co-enrollment, career pathways and retention) to help local area staff successfully meet the needs of those individuals.

3.2 The commonwealth will support the development of transitional jobs, social enterprises, and other work experience strategies to help OSY with limited work histories to develop the skills needed for workplace success.

3.3 The commonwealth established a Youth Committee as a standing committee of the State Workforce Development Board, comprised of individuals with expertise in youth workforce and education issues, which will advise on statewide youth policy and programs, and provide technical assistance to LWDBs and their youth standing committees.

3.4 The commonwealth will work with Local Boards to identify on-ramps, access points, and supports to ensure OSY have access to career pathways (entering, successfully completing training, and entering employment).

3.5 The commonwealth will work with the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education, and with Local Boards, to ensure that statistical models and negotiated performance levels are established and calibrated to accurately reflect the profiles of OSY being served within the commonwealth and in each local area.

3.6 The commonwealth may use a portion of the governor’s set-aside funds to identify and replicate proven models for high-risk OSY, including models that incorporate demand-driven strategies and other multi-employer workforce partnerships.

3.7 The commonwealth will encourage the co-enrollment of high-risk OSY, ages 18-24, as both WIOA Adult and WIOA Youth participants to allow for the leveraging of funds and provision of necessary services. Where appropriate, the commonwealth will encourage co-enrollment in Title II Adult Basic Education services, EARN, TANF, and other partner programs. The commonwealth will offer technical assistance and effective-practice sessions to ensure the co-enrollment of OSY in WIOA Adult and WIOA Youth programs and to promote their co-enrollment in partner programs. The commonwealth will also continue to encourage the use of Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) for 18-24-year-old youth, potentially combined with, either sequentially or concurrently, work-based learning opportunities. TANF, SNAP, and other partner programs will refer clients for ITAs, as appropriate. In recognition of the focus of federal Title I funds on OSY, the commonwealth will leverage TANF Youth Development Funds to increase summer employment opportunities for in-school youth.

3.8 The Department of Education (PDE) will explore opportunities to support the transformation and modernization of secondary and postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) and promote aligned career pathways.

3.9 The state Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) will continue to support initiatives serving transition-age youth with disabilities, such as: the Early Reach initiative designed to reach youth with disabilities early in their secondary school enrollment, make them aware of OVR services, and how they can leverage general and special education programming to transition from secondary education to employment and postsecondary education; the Access College-Employment Success grant awarded to D.R.E.A.M. Partnership to create college-based certificate programs for young adults with intellectual disabilities; Project SEARCH, a work-readiness program for secondary school youth providing on-the-job work experience through rotational internships; the Promoting Academic Success (PAS) program, a one-credit college course for students with disabilities to help them see if postsecondary education is an appropriate goal; and the Summer Academy, a three-week intensive training on the Penn State University campus for students who are blind or visually impaired who plan to attend college. Additionally, OVR will collaborate with employers to provide opportunities to students and youth with disabilities for career exploration that would lead to competitive, integrated employment. Students and youth with disabilities will also be given opportunities to complete work-based learning experiences to develop soft skills and work-related skills and experience.

3.10 The commonwealth will use the ATO to promote pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship opportunities to youth, including establishing new partnerships with secondary and postsecondary education institutions.

3.11 The commonwealth will support LWDB collaboration with YouthBuild, JobCorps, and AmeriCorps sites, and will require inclusion of those partnerships in Local Plans.

Goal 4: Engage Employers to Strengthen the Connection of Education and Training and the Economy, Increase Investment in Critical Skills, and Increase Jobs That Pay

Employers must be partners in the education and workforce system, not just end-users. It is critical for employers to be at the table to offer insights into current and future skill and occupational needs and, provide feedback on proposed and implemented career pathways, sector strategies, and training programs. It is also imperative that the workforce development system engage the right employers, those offering jobs with reasonable wages, benefits, full-time stable employment, ongoing training and advancement opportunities, paid sick days, family leave and medical leave, and predictable schedules to balance family needs. Low-quality jobs have high turnover rates and limited opportunity for advancement, questioning the return on investment of limited WIOA resources. In addition, by engaging employers that provide good jobs by the standards of their sector, the commonwealth can support formal training, and formal and informal peer learning, that grow these companies and increase the number of other employers adopting good human resource and worker retention practices.

It is also critical that the commonwealth support employers who want to come together to address their training and human resource challenges in a more efficient, multi-employer way. The fragmentation of employers when it comes to workforce issues-recruitment, training, curricula, credentialing, career pathways-makes it more difficult for workforce services to align their programs with the common needs of employers. Pennsylvania is a leader among states in strengthening the voice of employers in workforce development in building Next Generation Sector Partnerships, as well as its extensive investment in multi-employer apprenticeships. The commonwealth will build on its past experiences improve employer engagement with the workforce system.

The commonwealth will measure employer engagement through the federal measure and will also consider additional state specific measures, such as market penetration (the number of employers actively using the public workforce system) or the number and total employment of employers engaged with active Next Generation Sector Partnerships, Registered Apprenticeship programs, or other multi-employer workforce partnerships.

Specific initiatives to support employer engagement include:

4.1 The commonwealth will critically consider job quality in engaging employers and will require LWDBs to prioritize funds to be used for business services activities, on-the-job training, and incumbent worker training to those employers offering high-quality jobs or jobs that are likely to lead to high-quality jobs. The commonwealth will seek to include model criteria for considering job quality in the standardized On-the-Job Training (OJT) contract described in paragraph 4.9 below. The commonwealth will also use these criteria to target Next Generation Sector Partnerships and similar state-funded workforce partnerships to employers that offer high-quality jobs or jobs that are likely to lead to high-quality jobs.

4.2 The commonwealth will seek to identify sustainable public and private funding, in addition to the annual state appropriation, for high-quality industry-driven sectoral workforce intermediaries, including Next Generation Sector Partnerships and apprenticeship programs, to lock in on a permanent basis a strong connection between education and training programs and the demand side of the labor market.

4.3 The commonwealth will implement a program of capacity building, peer learning, and evaluation to support Next Generation Sector Partnerships, apprenticeship programs, and other multi-employer workforce intermediaries in delivering greater value to: employers; job seekers; incumbent workers and new hires, including young people and rehired Dislocated Workers; adults and youth participating in work-based learning at the companies and/or hired by the companies; and to their industry and regional economies. The commonwealth will consider establishing a formal certification program for Next Generation Sector Partnerships.

4.4 The commonwealth will specifically require LWDBs to provide funding to Next Generation Sector Partnerships and other multi-employer workforce intermediaries that serve employers with common skill needs in their local workforce areas.

4.5 The commonwealth will set new standards for providing products and services to employers through enhanced agency coordination in providing business services and expanded partnerships with economic development providers, local chambers of commerce, and other associations serving the needs of employers. State agencies may act as intermediaries for organizing outreach to employers on a wider geographical basis than local regions. WIOA Regional Plans will be required to include strategies for collaborating with economic development and employer partners.

4.6 The commonwealth will continue to encourage employers to participate in Business-Education Partnerships. These partnerships connect schools, employers, and youth-serving community organizations with students and OSY to provide career-related experiences and exposure opportunities for youth and young adults through soft skills development, internships, workplace shadowing, and career mentoring. When possible, Business-Education Partnerships will recruit business representatives from Next Generation Sector Partnerships, Registered Apprenticeship programs, or multi-employer groups that identify common workforce needs of businesses that provide jobs that pay. Sector Partnerships will also be leveraged to provide educator in the workplace opportunities for teachers and other educational system professionals.

4.7 The commonwealth will build new and strengthen existing partnerships with employers to increase work-based learning experiences such as internships and apprenticeships that provide job seekers with the skills and credentials necessary to secure and advance in employment with family-sustaining wages. The commonwealth will encourage employers that receive state funds from economic development and other programs to utilize the public workforce development system and will give priority to employers providing high-quality jobs or jobs that are likely to lead to high-quality jobs.

4.8 The commonwealth will rely on partnerships of employers to validate the credentials developed as part of state and regional lists of recognized credentials, career pathways, and other statewide efforts.

4.9 The commonwealth will streamline and standardize On-the-Job Training (OJT) contracts to provide greater consistency across LWDBs for employers hiring in multiple areas.

4.10 The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) will continue to provide leadership for accessibility standards, disability talent recruitment, on-boarding expertise, and disability etiquette training for employers.

4.11 The commonwealth will develop a dedicated survey unit focused on soliciting targeted employer input on a wide and diverse range of workforce issues as well as gauging the labor market from the employer perspective. Survey results will be used for strategic planning, measuring impact, and discovering opportunities.

4.12 The commonwealth will foster employer engagement in education, training, and workforce development service delivery systems to ensure system outcomes meet the talent management needs of regional and local economies.

4.13 Governor’s Office and agency executives will regularly meet with business leaders around the state through efforts like the Jobs that Pay Tour to solicit feedback and ideas from employers.

Goal 5: Strengthen Data Sharing and More Effectively Use Data

Investments in workforce development programs will be made based on data and return-on-investment analysis. Use of rich data will allow for continuous improvement of programs. The sharing of program information, to include common measures and other outcome data, will allow for more informed customer choice in considering programs. The governor, in consultation with the state Workforce Development Board (WDB), will establish additional performance measures which will allow for assessment of the system to drive improvement and outcomes. The commonwealth will also work with federal agencies and Local Boards to ensure that negotiated performance levels reflect the populations being served, particularly with regard to OSY and other high-risk youth and adults with barriers to employment. The WDB will develop a dashboard to track progress and success on State Plan goals and implementation.

Specific initiatives to support data sharing and more effective use of data include:

5.1 The commonwealth will expand upon PADataShare efforts to add additional state agencies and data sets to the database, with focus on the PA Department of Education longitudinal educational data and agencies such as the Department of Transportation, Department of Corrections, and Department of Revenue, to assist with data validation.

5.2 The commonwealth will make efforts to use PADataShare as the common performance measurement reporting tool across all core programs.

5.3 The commonwealth will embark on a comprehensive upgrade of the Commonwealth Workforce Development System (CWDS) and JobGateway® to provide for better job seeker and employer experiences, and allow staff greater case management and performance accountability functionality within and across core programs. When possible, the commonwealth will also integrate CWDS with the case management systems of other partner programs.

5.4 The commonwealth will regularly conduct formal evaluations of the state’s workforce development system, including the system’s effectiveness in meeting employer skill needs and increasing the educational attainment, employment, and earnings of program participants.

5.5 The commonwealth will evaluate available data, including how it is presented and released, to ensure that job seekers, employers, and workforce development professionals have the information necessary to make informed decisions.

5.6 The commonwealth will seek to find ways to identify supply/demand gaps to further inform workforce policies.

5.7 The commonwealth will collaborate with the State WDB to develop a dashboard to track progress on the implementation of the WIOA State Plan and achievement of the plan’s goals. This dashboard will aim to focus attention on the plan’s big-picture, long-term goals. Some measures under consideration for inclusion in the dashboard are the share of the working-age population with postsecondary credentials or certificates, employer investment in skills, and the overall Pennsylvania labor turnover rate. The first is a priority of Governor Wolf and a measure on which Pennsylvania historically ranks poorly (between 43rd and 49th in the last dozen years). The last two measures would measure the effectiveness of the WIOA State Plan at identifying and sharing best practices that help employers increase the number of jobs that pay.

The work of local workforce development boards will support and further the governor’s five goals for the workforce development system. In recognition that many system innovations originate at a local level, the commonwealth made available state discretionary funds, through a Strategic Innovation Grant opportunity, providing broad latitude for LWDBs to propose creative and innovative strategies to support the five goals outlined in the Combined State Plan. The commonwealth will continue to support innovative service designs that inform state level workforce development policy and will seek opportunities to leverage funds across state agencies.