Located in:
- Program-specific Requirements for Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities under Title I-B
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include the following with respect to activities carried out under subtitle B--
a. 2. B. Describe How the State Intends to Use Governor’s Set Aside Funding. Describe How the State Will Utilize Rapid Response Funds to Respond to Layoffs and Plant Closings and Coordinate Services to Quickly Aid Companies and Their Affected Workers. States Also Should Describe Any Layoff Aversion Strategies They Have Implemented to Address at Risk Companies and Workers
Current Narrative:
Staff will analyze the need and research for training providers. They would also provide and maintain our eligible training provider list. Continuous improvement to the process will allow for an efficient system to track future performance. We will enhance the system to track results of participants by training type and provider, and also provide cross—matches to employment outcomes. This information will allow potential training participants to make informed decisions about the best type of training and the best training providers to choose based on the employment indicator of a good paying job.
The partners will incorporate IT staff and equipment from the Unified Plan Core Partners to provide a Unified system to allow the sharing of and entering information on all participants in the system. Training would be provided to the Local Areas and one—stop Partners in carrying out data alignment.
A portion of the MACC IT system is currently funded through WIOA and this is the primary system that West Virginia will use.
The partners will assist local areas in developing Regional Plans. This would incorporate the use of industry and sector partnerships across existing boundaries.
The partners will develop Team—Base Case management for the customers at our one—stops. West Virginia will be moving toward team—based customer service as we work to develop a one—stop certification process. Training for one—stop partners and new tools will be needed to ensure consistency across West Virginia. A high priority will be placed on staff training in serving individuals with barriers to employment. A Workforce Achievement type of certification will be developed to deliver a comprehensive training program for all staff at each level of the workforce system. It will support consistency and quality of service across the state.
We will continue to monitor and provide oversight of WIOA Adult, DW, Youth and Adult Education programs as required by WIOA. Technical assistance will be provided to local areas on a regular basis and specialized technical assistance to any areas who fail to meet performance accountability measures.
Statewide system building will be ongoing as we develop all the partnerships and data sharing in West Virginia. This will involve the development and improvement of IT systems, outreach through technology to areas without physical locations, enhancement of the mobile app so that case managers can use the app as a communication tool to provide employment guidance to their customers.
Expanding apprenticeship is another statewide goal for West Virginia to expand and extend apprenticeship and internship opportunities for current students as well as older unemployed and underemployed individuals.
West Virginia will also explore development of a program targeting those incarcerated youth serving their sentence in the state’s juvenile correctional facilities. The goal would be to reduce juvenile recidivism. The same could be said for the state’s incarcerated adult population to assist them back into the workforce.
WorkForce West Virginia coordinates with West Virginia Partnerships to Assure Student Success (WVPASS) as a state initiative of national and state partners that support West Virginia communities by providing them training, technical support and resources for youth and community development. They provide in person career exploration related information to students and parents at high schools and/or technical centers throughout the state.
West Virginia conducts rapid response activities to dislocated workers primarily through employer outreach which is coordinated as a joint Rapid Response Team approach between the State Dislocated Worker Services Unit and the Local Workforce Development Board. Employers are identified and contacted through WARN notices and other notifications of mass lay—offs. Because no two layoffs are identical, the needs of employers and dislocated workers will differ, as will the type and scale of needed services, the impact on the economy, and the availability of job opportunities.
While Rapid Response must be consistent across all layoffs with respect to the quality, effectiveness, and timeliness of service delivery, the response must be customized and responsive to each specific event. Therefore, additional Rapid Response team partners are added at the state and local level for Rapid Response Informational Meetings depending upon the needs of the dislocated workers. For example, if a dislocation has occurred and impacted workers do not receive paychecks, etc. then a representative from the State DOL may participate in the meeting to take statements from the impacted workers, etc. for taking steps for resolution of the problem.
The most common Rapid Response activity is to provide information to dislocated workers in the form of group settings or Rapid Response Informational Meetings. These meetings are held on site at the employer location, One—Stops, union halls, community centers and other locations within the community. On—site Rapid Response meetings are generally held when there are larger groups of dislocated workers in order to take group Unemployment Claims and sign—up for One Stop services and One—Stop orientation sessions. Critical Dislocated Worker Questionnaires are distributed to the dislocated workers to determine their training and reemployment needs so that services can be coordinated at the local and state level in order to meet the needs of the dislocated workers. For instance, if several of the impacted workers identified they were interested in starting their own business then these individuals would be linked to the technical assistance that could be provided through Bureau of Commerce’s Small Business Development Center.
Rapid Response provides a comprehensive array of services to offer transitional services in the form of community resource lists of available services and contact information and reemployment services available through the local On—Stops, such as job search and training opportunities, UI services to accelerate reemployment. Other Rapid Response activities may include Community Resource Fairs, Job Fairs, Training Provider Fairs, etc. that may be conducted in conjunction with Rapid Response Informational Meetings or separately. While most of the effort is usually expended in the early stages of a dislocation event or an impending dislocation, it is important to continue Rapid Response services until all worker and employer needs are met.
The State coordinates layoff aversion strategies through the direct and immediate efforts of the Governor’s Office in connection with the Bureau of Commerce’s WV Development Office Business and Industrial Development Representatives who mobilize concentrated efforts to salvage any at— risk companies or entities through incumbent worker training through the Governor’s Guaranteed Workforce Program, etc. As companies often do advise the state they are experiencing any difficulties, there is timely sharing of any pertinent information of any at—risk companies between the State Dislocated Worker Services Unit and the Business and Industry Development Representatives so the layoff aversion strategies can be quickly implemented. In the event the layoff aversion strategies have not been shared at all local and state levels because of the sensitivity and confidentiality of some of the processes involved in averting a layoff, the State Dislocated Worker Services Unit communicates directly with the Secretary of the Bureau of Commerce with a notification of a need for the provision of Rapid Response services for the majority of dislocations occurring anywhere in the state and receives clearance to proceed with Rapid Response services.