Narrative: d. 2. G. i.

PA OVR is routinely engaged with employer/business customers to better understand their workforce needs and how public VR can build our supply side of talent, i.e. the job seekers’ industry skills to meet the demands required to help our business customers to be successful in competing in today’s global marketplace. To accomplish this, OVR has Central Office staff who are available to meet with an employer to listen and explore their organization’s unique culture to learn about the services or products they produce, to learn about talent needs, and how the leadership of a company or organization envisions their future workforce succession planning. Where possible, OVR will coordinate business outreach with other workforce and economic development partners, including Industry Partnerships and other multi—employer workforce partnerships.

1. In response to an organization’s demand side needs, OVR can suggest a talent recruitment process to bring qualified pre—screened individuals with a disability into their organization.

2. OVR will work with each business to target career ladders and pathways in competitive integrated employment that is a match to each VR consumer customer’s unique aspirations, capacities and career goals and the succession plans of an organization.

3. OVR will keep the process simple by using a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) approach modeled after the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) model to provide a national network of Points of Contact when large employers have needs across several states and regions.

OVR will provide:

1. National outreach to employers/businesses through the CSAVR National Employment Team, the VR—NET, and by participation in the Talent Acquisition Portal (TAP).

2. Statewide outreach through the Business Services and Outreach Division (BSOD) Chief, with Western, Central and Eastern BSOD Specialists by in—person meetings, regional and statewide Chamber of Commerce membership, networking, and Society of Human Resource Manager (SHRM) statewide and local organization involvement.

3. Local outreach through local combined agency District Offices and Hiram G. Andrews Center—HGAC Business Services team outreach in follow—up to VR—NET national inquiries by business, or BSOD Chief, Western, Central or Eastern Specialist employer/business contacts. Local combined agency teams will then actively coordinate recruitment, on—boarding supports for qualified pre—screened VR hires and successful job performance and follow—up to ensure the continuing success of new talent and the overall satisfaction of the businesses and organizations who recruit OVR talent.

4. No-cost consultation to employers on disability etiquette, accessibility, accommodation needs and assistance to help retain an employer’s workforce members following an injury or the onset of a disability.

PA OVR is routinely engaged with employer/business customers to better understand their workforce needs and how public VR can build our supply side of talent, i.e. the job seekers’ industry skills to meet the demands required to help our business customers to be more successful in competing in today’s global marketplace.

OVR, with its state and local governmental partners, community service providers, and employers have created various innovative and successful program strategies to address employment challenges for its customers with disabilities. As a result, effective programs have been developed with nationally recognized employers such as SAP, Lowes, Starbucks and Hershey in addition to other employers.

OVR created and repurposed staff for the establishment of a stand-alone business services unit (BSOD). This has allowed OVR to build greater capacity for statewide business customer engagement in a dual customer model. These steps included: • OVR has imbedded non-counseling business services staff to support the work of all vocational rehabilitation counselors in direct engagement with business to increase placement results for VR talent (customers). • OVR created a bureau district office specific talent pipeline report to better understand the available customer talent pipeline and to align it with the needs of businesses for their workforce. • OVR bureau district office counseling staff and business services teams, use a point of contact model to insure consistent communications with business customers replicated after the CSAVR VR-NET single point of contact model (SPOC). This allows our combined district office bureau staff to initiate and maintain local business engagement, while regional business services division specialists and the BSOD Chief introduce new business customers from referral sources with the VR-NET, PA workforce partners, or through general outreach activities. • In establishing customer relationships with business OVR has focused on assisting employers with high volume jobs and, if a federal contractor, on referring qualified, pre-screened OVR talent for all levels within their organization to meet U.S. Dept. of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCCP) aspirational goals to achieve a 7% person with disability (PwD) representation within their workforce units under section 503 of the Rehab Act of 1973. • OVR has trained our business services combined bureau and BSOD staff on Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended leadership network modules from Cornell University through the mid-Atlantic ADA TransCen technical assistance center, for use in business consultation to create opportunities for employment, advancement within an organization and to create a workforce environment that is welcoming to all talent.

OVR has a strong tradition of collaboration with our colleagues in the American Job Center and local Workforce (WF) Boards. The following demonstrate increased level of collaboration between OVR and workforce various partners: • OVR and the state WF partners have maintained a memorandum of understanding for vocational rehabilitation counselors to meet PwD in job centers, called CareerLinks® Offices in PA. Both OVR and state Workforce CareerLinks® programs share a common data management system called Job Gateway. • OVR and CareerLinks® business services staff collaborate on job fairs with employer partners and community rehabilitation agencies across all regions of PA. Business services teams routinely communicate on providing VR and WF talent, requests for ADA compliance or accessibility consultation and disability etiquette training. • OVR is working closely with the Department of Education and L&I’s Apprenticeship office to identify post-secondary technical schools, community colleges, universities and local trade organizations that offer job training, micro and stackable skill credentials driven by PA employer demands for skilled workers. • OVR considers both federal and state set aside community rehabilitation agency (CRP) job opportunities for VR customers when these positions/jobs pay competitive wages and offer employment and career advancement in integrated settings.

During the next two years OVR Business Services will continue to build employer engagement capacity through: 1. Annual training for all combined bureau and the Commonwealth Technical Institute (CTI) at the Hiram G. Andrews Center (HGAC) business services staff on best practices and the common measures of joint Workforce (WF), OVR, and Title II Adult Education performance indicators. 2. Implement the use of a collaborative WF, OVR CWDS/Job Gateway business design tool to communicate and document cross system business contacts, services and collaboration in supplying qualified pre-screened talent, on-boarding supports, accessibility consultation and disability etiquette information and training. 3. Refinement of data collection on key measures of WIOA Indicator six performance measures of: a. Repeat Business Customers (percentage of repeat employers using services within the previous three years). b. Employer Penetration Rate (percentage of employers using services out of all employers in the State).