Narrative: a. 2. A.

With ever decreasing allotments of Title IB funds over the last several years, Maine set-aside funds have barely been enough to sustain required activities identified in 20 CFR 682.200.  A significant portion of the funding goes toward the title IB case management and reporting system for which continuous programming has been necessary to accommodate additions to and changes in PIRL reporting requirements.  The state has such limited set-aside funding with that it has been unable to afford to conduct an evaluation and will be requesting a waiver on this requirement. Set-aside funds are used primarily to support WIOA required activities as follows:

• Conducting rapid response activities
• Disseminating information on eligible training providers, local area performance, effective practices, and more
• Providing technical assistance to local areas and required partners on a variety of topics
• Carrying out fiscal and program monitoring activities
• Operating fiscal and management accountability information systems
• Administering Title IB adult, dislocated worker, and youth programs
• Providing technical assistance and supporting staff development of Title IB service provider staff and local board staff
• Supporting common intake and data sharing across core partners

And allowable activities such as:

• Funding State workforce board staff positions

There have been one or two special projects funded using set-aside funds, including an English language learning pilot, which was a collaboration between title IB service provider Goodwill Industries NNE and Portland Adult Education that developed and delivered training to two cohorts of WIOA eligible immigrants and refugees through an accelerated curricula designed to enable lower level English language learners to obtain English proficiency required to enter employment and helped a second cohort to expand proficiency levels to retain or advance in employment.

Rapid response funds have been used for layoff aversion. One project involved a feasibility study to identify whether an employee buyout would be a possibility for a statewide direct care provider and a second project would have assisted a rural hospital to train and retain nursing staff, but which has been postponed due to COVID-19.  Now that Maine is a small-funded state, it is unlikely that these funds will be used for special projects going forward.