Narrative: d. 2. L. ii.

The workforce development system (WDS) of West Virginia has identified the following goals for Program Years 2016–2019:

Goal 1: Workforce Development System Integration

In order for WIOA to be successful, a seamless one–stop delivery system must be created. As resources become more and more limited, partners in the workforce development system must work together in order to provide maximum benefit to our customers.

Goal 2: Customer–Driven Approach (Individual & Employer)

We will create an approach based on the needs of the job seekers as well as the needs of the employer. Our workforce development system must examine the needs of the employer, assess the skills and skills gaps of the workforce, and then create solutions to ensure maximum benefit to both customer groups.

Goal 3: Career Pathways Development

It is imperative that the workforce development system provide education and/or training for skills that lead to quality employment in high–demand jobs or entry–level occupations that lead to high demand jobs. 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, especially those with disabilities, to have realistic access to pathways. The State will support career pathways that help adults and youth enter the labor force and/or advance among multiple occupations, advance within an occupation, or move to a new occupation that has similar skills to a previous occupation.

Goal 4: Increase Opportunities for Youth

Unemployment rates for older youth and young adults remain substantially higher than those for the population as a whole. The likelihood of 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. For these reasons, the workforce development system must recognize the employment challenges faced by youth, particularly those without postsecondary credentials. Partners must work together to alleviate barriers and create opportunities for our youth.

DRS is fully committed to coordinate its activity and services with core and community partners to ensure successful completion of the aforementioned goals. The following goals highlight specific focus areas for DRS that will also contribute to the overall goals of the West Virginia WDS:

DRS Goal 1 – Provide integrated vocational rehabilitation services to West Virginians with disabilities to enable them to attain a high school education or greater. Compared to the national average of 28.8%, West Virginia has a much lower percentage of individuals 25 years and older having attained a bachelor’s degree (18.8%; from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/ 54000.html). For individuals with disabilities, the percentage is much lower, at 8.10%. While a majority (69.4%) of West Virginians with disabilities age 25 or over have a high school education or higher, nearly a third (30.6%) of this population does not, compared to only 10.9% of the State’s population of 25 or older without a disability. Close relationships with the WV Adult Education Program (Adult Ed) and the WV Higher Education Policy Commission, as well as State and Local Education Agencies, will help to close this education gap.

DRS Goal 2 – Provide Pre–Employment Transition Services (PETS) to students with disabilities. Pursuant to requirements of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and findings from the 2015 CSNA, DRS will, in cooperation with State and Local Education Agencies, provide Pre–Employment Transition Services (PETS) to students with disabilities, focusing on students 21 years or younger while still in high school. The provision of PETS offers students with disabilities information about careers, career opportunities, education and training programs, and self–advocacy. This information and work–based experiences can lead to more well–informed career decision making and can empower students with disabilities to become more educated and skilled, moving toward a career that meets their needs. Activities under this DRS goal are provided in conjunction with those of the West Virginia Department of Education’s Graduation 20/20 project. This initiative focuses on improving the graduation rate for West Virginia high school students with disabilities. In 2014, only 70.27% of students with a disability in West Virginia graduated from high school with a regular diploma. By 2018, Graduation 20/20 has a target increased graduation rate (with a regular diploma) of 81.44% for students with disabilities.

DRS Goal 3 – Provide integrated vocational rehabilitation services to West Virginians with disabilities to enable them to obtain competitive employment, especially in occupations and careers within emerging industries statewide. From a Bureau of Labor Statistics’ December 2014 report, West Virginia had the lowest workforce participation rate (all individuals, with and without disabilities) among all the states and the District of Columbia, with 52.8% compared to the national average of 62.7%. Individuals with barriers to employment, including those with disabilities, have lower employment/workforce participation rates. Labor force participation among persons with disabilities in West Virginia has been steadily declining in recent years. Since 2010, labor force participation among these individuals is estimated to have fallen from 31.7% (63,609) to 29.1% (57,785) in 2013. As of 2013, labor force participation for persons with disabilities in West Virginia was almost 12 percentage points below the national rate of 41.0%. West Virginia has a high poverty rate, with 17.9% of residents below the poverty level compared to 15.4% nationally (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/54000.html). The poverty rate is especially high for individuals with disabilities, with estimates that 24.9 % of persons with disabilities above the age of 18 (86,250 of 346,903) were living in poverty in 2013. Even among those employed, there are still significant numbers of West Virginians who earn below the poverty line.

Workforce WV expects the largest numeric change in employment growth (from 2012 to 2022) to occur in the industries of Health Care and Social Assistance (+23,142; 33.50%), Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation (+5,594; 35.39%), Government (+5,322; 14.22%), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+3,951; 34.18%), and Retail Trade (+3,561; 8.92%).

Findings from the 2015 Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment (CSNA) indicated the need to improve vocational rehabilitation (VR) services in specific ways to warrant the creation of two additional DRS goals.

DRS Goal 4 – Improve access and availability of transportation options at the community level for DRS consumers who need transportation assistance to achieve or maintain competitive, integrated employment. FY 2015 CSNA findings from field staff surveys and Consumer Affairs Conference (CAC) attendee surveys indicate a need for continued efforts to increase the availability of transportation throughout the state. Based on responses by stakeholders across the state, transportation continues to be an issue and a perceived barrier to employment/training. DRS continues to implement several initiatives to help alleviate the need for transportation while taking into account the wide array of circumstances that West Virginians with disabilities experience. DRS has authorized the direct purchasing of cars for qualified consumers as well as the creation of the Vendor Travel Reimbursement for community rehabilitation programs (CRPs) who provide transportation for consumers; counselors also encourage consumers’ family members to assist with reimbursable transportation. DRS will continue to make sure that consumers are aware of these options and continue to identify targeted solutions to the varied transportation issues for West Virginians with disabilities, focusing specifically on individualized transportation solutions.

DRS Goal 5 – Continue to build collaborative relationships with community providers (including CRPs, Independent Living, and other community providers) to enhance the availability of services to DRS consumers. VR consumers require specialized services provided by CRPs statewide to achieve an integrated, competitive employment outcome. Responses from the CSNA indicate there still is a need for DRS to continue to improve collaborative relationships with all community providers. Findings from the CSNA point to a need to focus efforts on specific geographic areas within the state where miscommunication between community providers and DRS counselors continues.