Narrative: II. a. 2. A.

• Region One: The Region One Workforce Development Board, headquartered in Beckley, administers workforce activities in an eleven—county region covering the southeastern portion of the State. • Region Two: The Southwestern West Virginia Workforce Development Board, located in Huntington, governs a seven—county region in the southwestern portion of the State. • Region Three: The Workforce Development Board of Kanawha County oversees activities in the State’s only single—county workforce development region from its office in Charleston. • Region Four: Nine counties are served by the Workforce Development Board Mid—Ohio Valley, which is located in Parkersburg. • Region Five: The Northern Panhandle Workforce Development Board provides services in six counties and is based in Wheeling. • Region Six: The Region Six Workforce Development Board, located in Fairmont, provides services in a thirteen—county region in the north—central portion of the State. • Region Seven: Eight counties in the easternmost portion of West Virginia are served by the Region Seven Workforce Development Board located in Moorefield.

All core programs are participating either by physical presence or part of a shared electronic referral system. Further, required partners participating include: • Trade Adjustment Assistance • Second Chance Act • Jobs for Veterans Grant (LVER/DVOP) • Job Corp • Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) • National Farmworker Jobs Program • Senior Community Services Employment Program (SCSEP) • Unemployment Compensation • Housing and Urban Development (HUD) • Career and Technical Education (Perkins) • Indian & Native American Programs • Youthbuild

The Interagency Collaborative Team (ICT) was established under the state Workforce Investment Act to ensure coordination between the agencies engaged in workforce development activities, the local workforce Development Boards and WorkForce West Virginia.

The ICT continues to operate as a state interagency source for addressing issues or concerns related to building and maintaining the most effective and efficient implementation of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the overall workforce development system in West Virginia. The team’s focus is on how best to collaborate between and among the state agencies directly involved in workforce development activities. ICT serves as a forum for the WDBs to seek information or recommendations to fulfill their responsibilities. Workforce West Virginia convenes the team at least monthly to provide administrative and other services.

Customers entering the workforce development system through any of the core partner’s services will be provided a common intake process that will allow all of the partners to access information and provide referrals. WorkForce West Virginia often serves as the entryway into the workforce development system. As the provider of unemployment services and Wagner—Peyser services, WorkForce West Virginia is uniquely poised to welcome customers into the workforce system via the One—Stop service delivery model and provide comprehensive and targeted referrals to the other core partners.

Customers are provided career services (previously core and intensive services) through the core partners. These services are provided through the one— stop system and other affiliate sites. If the customer is deemed to be ready for gainful employment after receiving career services, WorkForce West Virginia staff assists the customer with job search and placement. If the customer is deemed to need training services, then the WorkForce West Virginia staff refers the customer to the other core partners based on the needs of the customer. Training services are then provided to the customer through WorkForce West Virginia, West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services, and/or Adult Education Services.

With integration of service delivery, it is anticipated that more WIOA customers will access core partner services. Core partners have gathered data about the current strategies and resources devoted to basic skills development; researched the current and projected need; learned about promising practices for system redesign; and engaged diverse stakeholders in conversations about improving adult learning opportunities and results.

The WIOA core partners work, in tandem, on many workforce development activities. The partners all have memorandums of understanding at the state and regional levels and also collaborate on specific projects at local levels. For example, West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services and Adult Education are collaborating with a university to assist adult education students in transitioning to post—secondary education through a curriculum that teaches time management, a basic math refresher, and any other identified needs for individuals with disabilities returning to post—secondary education. West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services, WorkForce West Virginia, and Adult Education also collaborate in all workforce development regions as part of WIOA One—Stop Management Partner meetings with local development groups to better identify and facilitate needed services for the local area.

SPOKES (Strategic Planning in Occupational Knowledge for Employment and Success) is a robust partnership between Adult Education and West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. SPOKES was created by WV Adult Education under a contract between the West Virginia Department of Education, Office of Adult Education and Workforce Development and West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, and in collaboration with the WDBs. The West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services works within this partnership to increase efforts to reach potential VR consumers being served by Adult Education and the SPOKES program.

The state understands the importance of having a recognized postsecondary degree from the perspectives of both employers and job seekers. The core partners have always strived for quality, career—based employment outcomes for its consumers, when appropriate. A wide range of education and training paths are offered by the partners. West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services for example, offers individuals with disabilities opportunities to prepare them for the West Virginia economy. Pre—employment transition services, including job exploration counseling; work—based learning experiences; counseling on enrollment opportunities; workplace readiness training; and instruction in self—advocacy, are provided for those who need assistance in finding a career path that matches their interests and abilities. Once a career path has been selected, post—secondary education and training programs are made available with West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services funds to help individuals get the specialized college, apprenticeship, or employment supports they need to be successful in the workplace.

All seven of the state Workforce Development Board (WDB) regions have participated in delivering services for many of the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) programs in the state of West Virginia. When stimulus funding became available, the relationship established by the ICT provided a forum for WorkForce West Virginia and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to develop new and mutually beneficial workforce development initiatives. Those new collaborations included a Summer Youth Employment Program; Employment Subsidy Program; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and an Excel Career Club.

The Summer Youth Employment Program provided temporary work experience during the summer months for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) eligible youth between the ages of 14 and 21. The “first priority” was to focus on assisting TANF Work Eligible Recipients between the ages of 18 and 21.The WDB’s role was to advertise and promote the program, as well as recruit employers and low income youth to participate in the program. The employment was 100 percent subsidized by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Job activities were varied, and included manufacturing, clerical, and warehouse—related work. The Program allowed youth to earn money to spend at their discretion. Older youth were placed with private sector employers, and many obtained permanent employment with that employer following their work experience. The work experiences also included a Job Readiness curriculum that focused on career exploration, work ethics, and job seeking skills.

The Employment Subsidy Program (ESP) was a “win—win” for all. The task of working directly with employers to place the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources clients in jobs was administered by the Workforce Development Boards with assistance from the One—Stop Partners. Because they had previous experience working with the employee sector, they were able to quickly identify those employers who would hire clients.

While the program was discontinued due to lack of funding, the state has strengthened partnerships and communication with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Future collaborations between the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and the local regions can focus on job placement through state or federal Department of Health and Human Resources grants to support the staff and services. Collaboration between WorkForce West Virginia and the West Virginia Department of Education has produced several opportunities for Out of School Youth. Labor market research indicates that the state’s 16 to 19 year olds are estimated to number 91,827, with 32.9 percent in the labor force and 26.6 percent employed. The estimated unemployment rate for the group is approximately 19.1 percent, the highest rate among all age groups. Many teenagers have difficulty finding employment because of a lack of experience, and because some employers are unable or unwilling to hire teens due to strict labor laws and the inconvenience of scheduling around school functions.

Given these two critical pieces of information; 1) Reading Comprehension is the greatest demand gap and 2) the state’s highest unemployment rate is among ages 16 to 19. West Virginia has focused on increasing work readiness certification in basic skills in partnership with the West Virginia Department of Education and Adult Education partners, and Community and Technical Colleges.

In partnership with the West Virginia Department of Education, West Virginia Career and Technical Colleges and WorkForce West Virginia, more than 44,000 Career Readiness Certificates have been issued in West Virginia. Job seekers and students who take the assessments in West Virginia have access to free remedial online programs called KeyTrain and Win to improve their skill levels and achieve certification.

WorkForce West Virginia has dedicated staff to work with statewide industry organizations such as the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association and the Independent Oil and Natural Gas Association. These staff members will attend industry job fairs, forums and promote job opportunities statewide.

The state encourages WIOA (adult, dislocated worker & youth) customers to seek retraining and reemployment opportunities in the emerging Marcellus Shale industry and will continue to support all Local Workforce Development Boards with funding for training in the gas and oil industry.

In the LMI analysis section of this plan, the subsection on education presents employment by education for West Virginia compared to that of the nation. Compared with the United States, West Virginia has a lower proportion of jobs requiring Bachelor’s degrees, and a larger proportion of jobs requiring post—secondary vocational education. Specific examples of these middle skills occupations in high demand can be referenced in the LMI section of this plan.

Communication skills, such as Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing will have the highest skills gap, as will jobs requiring technical skills, which are expected to have some of the strongest job growth over the next decade. It will also be very important for the vast majority of the State’s workforce to continuously upgrade, expand, and improve their existing job skills to remain competitive as technology becomes even more entrenched in the workplace environment over the coming years.

Given the low level of formal education in the state, West Virginia will concentrate on training for “middle skill” occupations that require additional training or education beyond high school, but not a four—year college degree. This graduated approach will target certifications, and 12 to 24 month programs in highly transferrable technical skills.

This approach will allow the state to meet workers “where they are” in their skill sets and build on that base. One example of this approach is the partnership with education on the National Emergency Grant to train coal miners impacted with mass dislocation.

The state will encourage Local Workforce Development Boards to engage in partnerships with local educational entities, businesses, community—based organizations, etc. in order to communicate the benefits of technical training and the development of robust and comprehensive career pathways models.

WorkForce West Virginia will work with Adult Education, CTEs and CTCs to develop and promote streamlined training courses for individuals who already possess some transferable skills. These streamlined programs will have multiple points of entry and lead to nationally recognized credentials in technical occupations and will allow job seekers to enter the workforce more quickly.

WorkForce West Virginia will promote technical training through our website and also through activities such as workshops, job fairs, rapid response activities, youth programs, social media, informational meetings, etc. We will support efforts to better understand the connections between technology—based economic development and education and skills development for existing workers.

(B) The Strengths and Weaknesses of Workforce Development Activities. Provide an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the workforce development activities identified in (A), directly above.