Narrative: II. c.

The passage of WIOA highlights the importance of coordinating and aligning programs. Partnering is key. Through partnerships, Missouri strives to offer a combination of services to meet the employment needs of individuals and employers.

Missouri’s WIOA partners developed strategies to build sector partnerships in demand-driven industries throughout the state and collaborates with those partners to define career pathways that lead to self-sufficiency.

Of Missouri’s six strategies to achieve the strategic vision and goals, the first three are strategies the state uses to implement industry partnerships and career pathways: Utilize Partnerships to Provide High-Quality Customer Service, Create Sector Strategies, and Develop Career Pathways. With these strategies, Missouri aligns the activities of the core and combined state plan partners and required and optional one-stop partner programs.

Strategy 1 - Utilize Partnerships to Provide High-Quality Customer Service

Each WIOA partner is committed to providing the highest quality customer service possible. This is evident in the way Missouri’s customer service methodologies are used as models across the nation. WIOA contains many of the initiatives that Missouri has already undertaken but also reemphasizes the need to continue to look for ways to enhance customer service with a focus on improving co-enrollment and braiding services. Missouri’s WIOA partners will continue to:

• develop strategies to better communicate to employers, workers and job seekers about all partner services available through the workforce system. Workforce system partners work with employers individually to determine which specific training programs provide them a pool of trained candidates specific to their industry.  Workforce system partners regularly listen to the needs of local employers to ensure training programs address the current market. Communication to job seekers is evaluated to determine the most effective means of delivery. Enhanced coordination of services include co-location, knowledge of other services, better communication, and leveraging supportive services provided by mandatory partners. Missouri is establishing a statewide “branding” for our workforce system to reinforce and elevate messaging;

• increase communication and collaboration between education, workforce boards, and economic development agencies as it specifically relates to industry supply and demand of the needed talent pipeline;

• identify barriers and means for removing barriers to better coordinate, align, and avoid duplication among the programs and activities carried out through the workforce system; and

• support low-skilled adults, youth, and individuals with barriers to employment with workforce development activities, education and supportive services to enter or retain employment.

Strategy 2 - Create Sector Strategies

Missouri recognizes effective sector-based strategies are data driven, regionally designed, and guided by business and industry. It also requires an openness to a new way of doing business and new levels of cooperation among stakeholders in workforce, economic development, and education. Missouri continues to expand efforts to ensure that the entire state is developing and implementing a more systematic and streamlined approach to sector strategies, while allowing regional flexibility in service design and delivery.

Missouri continues to assist regions in developing sector strategies. Through data analyses of local economies, regional workforce teams identified target sectors, completed self-assessments and regional Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis of resources. The top-targeted sectors include:

• Diversified/Advanced Manufacturing

• Healthcare

• Information Technology

• Transportation, logistics, and warehousing

Missouri strives to collaborate with these demand industries and cultivates a talent development system by aligning the resources of all partners to create meaningful career pathways, such as registered apprenticeships, for a range of workers and skill levels. By developing strategies and career pathways within demand-driven industries and by effectively collaborating and communicating with industry and workforce partners, Missouri ensures a qualified, educated workforce that allows industries to continue to grow and thrive.

Through the Talent for Tomorrow and Best in Midwest initiatives, which not only looked at LMI but also took into account regional stakeholder input, updated industry sectors identified were:

• Finance

• Healthcare

• IT

• Agriculture

• Education

Strategies have been developed to provide effective outreach to and improved access for employers, workers, and job seekers that could benefit from services provided through the state workforce development system.

Strategy 3 - Develop Career Pathways

Career pathways are designed to be a partnership between industry and education at the secondary and postsecondary levels and forge important links to strengthen local economies. It includes rigorous academic and career courses beginning in high school and leading to an associate’s degree and/or an industry-recognized certificate and beyond. Through sector partnerships, Missouri develops career pathways that align with the skill needs of industries and be a catalyst to assist individuals entering or advancing within a specific occupation. Through our workforce system, individuals receive education, training, and other services to meet the particular needs of individuals. Missouri recognizes that education and training are clear paths to better careers.  

Ideally, it is optimal to first obtain all the needed education and skills and then find a career. Missouri realizes that there are also clients who require concurrent and in some cases consecutive sessions of education and skill attainment with employment. Missouri offers multiple entries and exit points for clients who need additional skills and employment to reach a self-sufficient career. Missouri continues to support WIOA’s focus on low-income adults, youth with limited skills, individuals who lack work experience, or face other barriers to economic success. Through WIOA partners, Missouri ensures that all eligible individuals, including those with disabilities, acquire marketable skills to secure self-sustaining wages and careers in high growth occupations.  

Missouri’s workforce system has a “no wrong door” model offering individuals multiple entry and exit points. This allows individuals to acquire the additional skills necessary to retain employment or advance in their careers. Missouri ensures, through the WIOA partners, that all eligible individuals, including those with disabilities and other barriers, acquire marketable skills to secure a self-sustaining career in high growth occupations.

(2) Strategy 4 - Leadership from Core Partners to Move Forward on Missouri Goals

Missouri provides progressive leadership at the state level to effect change. In order to align the combined programs, Missouri sets the stage by creating committees at the state level where each of the partners are represented. The committees establish policy at the state level as well as provide guidance to the local partners to carry out the WIOA state vision.

To align with the governor’s cabinet-level workforce development committee, the Missouri Public Workforce System Council was established. The council is comprised of sub-cabinet level positions representing the core and combined state plan partners.

Missouri also has a statewide WIOA Steering Committee, comprised of core and combined state plan partners. The Steering Committee works to achieve the state’s vision and goals for Missouri’s workforce development system. To assist in accomplishing this mission, subcommittees were created to align core and combined state plan partners and strengthen workforce activities. The Steering Committee oversees the subcommittees to ensure successful WIOA implementation. The committees are Service Design and Delivery; Employer Engagement; Youth Services; Technology, Data and Outcomes; One-Stop Certification; and Infrastructure Cost Sharing.  Each of these inclusive committees is co-chaired by partners to guarantee quality service delivery.

Several examples of Missouri’s work on coordination and alignment activities can be found in the work of the subcommittees. The Youth Services Team created a webinar series for cross training of multiple agency personnel. Core and combined state plan partners and required and optional one-stop partners are represented on the team. They produced presentations describing their respective agencies and services. The five-webinar series wrapped up with a team-designed partnering tool entitled Best Practice Guidelines for Regional Collaboration. The Employer Engagement Team is comprised of core and combined state plan partners along with required and optional one-stop partners. This team is working on a business summit and a resource guide for employers. Team members are connecting through recruitment activities. Other teams are participating in activities focused on the coordination and alignment of workforce partners such as branding, data sharing and enhancements to the Services Navigator.

The Division of Employment Security’s (DES) Unemployment Insurance program continues to maintain a strong partnership with OWD. Together they provide the leadership and strategic direction for the development and implementation of reemployment strategies to assist customers to return to gainful employment as quickly as possible through timely referral and provision of reemployment services.

The DSS Work and Community Programs hosted the Focus Federal Funds workgroup, which fostered state agency relationships and encouraged ongoing discussions with multiple state agencies. The DSS Work and Community Programs and providers:

• began massive outreach to clients through email and text message;

• commissioned the Missouri National Guard Foundation to conduct research;

• worked with other state agencies to share program information with staff to braid funding;

• built long-lasting relationships that benefit both DSS Work and Community Programs and other partners;

• educated Resource Centers on employment and training;

• worked with the Income Maintenance Call Center to discuss employment with clients and create partner referrals; and

• engaged with the Department of Corrections (DOC) on various projects to ensure shared and low-income clients receive the supports needed to ensure success, multiple initiatives, accepted SNAP applications pre-release and a multitude of other projects.

The DSS Work and Community Programs and providers continue to pursue data sharing with partners and engage multiple stakeholders.

Strategy 5 - Create Environments that Foster Local Partnerships

Missouri continues to create opportunities where representatives from all partners can meet to discuss their services, needs, and design new ways to collaborate. This has proven to be one of Missouri’s most effective strategies to create alignment across agencies. Focusing on the five state goals, multiple meetings continue for local partners to learn about available services and foster partnering opportunities.

Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation (MVR) brings to the table expertise regarding working with youth and adults with disabilities to overcome their barriers. MVR serves on all local WDBs. MVR staff lead the disability subcommittees established by the local Workforce Development Boards (WDB)s. MVR has been engaged with local sector strategies planning as well.

Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (RSB) plays a key role in many WIOA state initiatives offering expertise in the field of serving blind or visually impaired individuals with barriers to employment. RSB serves on a team charged with reviewing and offering guidance on the process and criteria for evaluating and certifying Missouri Job Centers (MJC) under WIOA. The team is comprised of core partner representatives who examine the certification criteria to ensure it is a comprehensive and pragmatic approach to determining customer satisfaction, physical and programmatic accessibility, and continuous improvement.

Monthly Missouri Job Center Connect Statewide Partnership meetings afford local workforce board directors and WIOA partners the opportunity to share resources, network, and receive agency updates. WIOA partners attend these monthly meetings, demonstrating commitment to building a stronger workforce system. The DES Unemployment Insurance program continues to foster a strong partnership with OWD through a shared goal of assisting customers who have been separated from employment in gaining the necessary skills and guidance to return to gainful employment as quickly as possible. Through real-time referral during the Unemployment Insurance claim filing process, customers gain ready access to available employment opportunities that may meet their identified needs and skillsets. Every customer receives updated information each week a request for benefit payments is made. They may also receive enhanced reemployment services if eligibility requirements are met, and they are selected for participation in the Reemployment Services & Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) program. The RESEA program targets services to former military and prioritizes selection toward recipients who may be subject to greater barriers to reemployment.

The DSS created a Workforce Development Unit and the Community Initiatives Unit to laser focus on the employment and training needs of the hundreds of thousands of clients by concentrating on collaborations, employer needs, and current job openings. Team members are located throughout the state to address the diverse and local needs of all Missouri employers. The SkillUP program received TANF funding, which allows an underfunded SNAP employment and training program to provide services to numerous clients who would not have been able to fund their non-credential programs. The certificates and accreditations received by SkillUP participants increase marketability to a range of employers. The DSS is comparing its program outcomes to WIOA outcomes to determine alignment opportunities. Providers engage in WIOA cost sharing and assist shared clients through blended funds. The DSS Work and Community Programs serve on local WDBs, which allows the DSS to build relationships with the boards, local employers and other public and private agencies.

Where possible, Title II, Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) program directors serve on the local WDBs. Additionally, AEL directors and program staff participate in the Missouri Apprenticeship Team meetings, regional meetings with MVR Business Services, local WDB meetings, and other regional opportunities with partner agencies. A co-location of service providers exist between AEL and local WDBs, Career and Technical Education (CTE), and other partner agencies to ensure seamless delivery.

Strategy 6 - Devote and Reallocate Resources that Generate Partnerships

Missouri is committed to using resources to benefit mutual customers and provide funding to encourage partners to work together. Missouri is committed to finding connections between core and combined state plan partners, required partners and additional partners in each region. Missouri’s core, combined state plan, and required partners are reallocating resources to create environments to foster partnering.

MVR assists individuals with disabilities in preparing for, obtaining, retaining, and advancing in employment. MVR provides this same expertise in working with employers. MVR operates under the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and has a strong partnership with local school districts including career and technical education (CTE) centers. MVR devotes and reallocates resources to strengthen and generate new partnerships. For example, it has conducted training on services to youth with local job center staff and MVR staff in St. Louis, one of the largest metropolitan areas of the state. MVR meets with Division of Youth Services to collaborate and offer pre-employment transition services and vocational rehabilitation services. MVR works with the DSS to connect with SkillUp subcontractors to strengthen their referral activities and statewide collaboration.

Title II local programs dedicate resources to an advocate position, which assists students in connecting with WIOA partner agencies for supportive services, employment, and postsecondary assistance.

The DSS Work and Community Programs has set aside funding from the TANF budget for various Department of Corrections’ projects. Offenders nearing release from prison may complete job interviews at prison hiring fairs or through video conference and secure employment offers before release. Missourians can walk out of prison and onto the job site. The DOC reentry team formed partnerships with more than 300 employers throughout the state who are willing to hire Missourians with felony convictions. The goal of the projects are to increase employment and training opportunities and promote productive, law-abiding conduct after release to the community. As projects are initiated, partners are invited to discuss resources and grant opportunities, which allows for additional projects and programs. In addition, the DSS WIT and MVR collaborate to ensure clients who are on SNAP receive SkillUP services to reduce the MVR wait list and allow additional clients to be served. Lastly, the DSS WIT continues to engage in discussions regarding employers’ and clients’ needs to develop innovative programs and projects that discuss these regional, systemic, and generational barriers.

The DSS Work and Community Programs utilizes resources within the department to share community and partner agency information. The DSS Work and Community Programs built an email subscription list with over 147,000 subscribers that advertises job openings, hiring events, resource fairs, community resources, and state agency services. The email utilizes a custom template that allows individuals to locate additional links such as the Missouri Service Navigator, Missouri Resource Guide, and the department’s online Calendar of Events webpage. Additional targeted outreach is utilized to advertise special events in certain parts of the state through a contracted text messaging system. Individuals receiving benefits and approved department communication may receive text messages of local events and community resources. Both methods of communication allow DSS Work and Community Programs to collect data on open and click rates

With a shared goal of returning the unemployed to gainful employment as quickly as possible, DES and OWD continue to devote resources to achieve improved outcomes for reemployment and shorter unemployment duration. Resources provided involve monetary and staff resources to support the provision of services, considerable information technology resources (internal and contracted), data sharing to build and improve linkages between the two agencies, and applications for tailored customer service and enhanced self-service functionalities.       

Alignment for all of these is achieved through collaboration, staff support of committees, and accountability to the State Workforce Board.

Strategies to Strengthen Workforce Development Activities  

The above strategies were developed to implement Missouri’s vision and goals. These strategies strengthen workforce development activities while addressing weaknesses identified in the Workforce Development, Education and Training Activities Analysis section.

Data sharing and integration is challenging due to the differences in agency data systems and federal law. Missouri continues to work on this issue through the Technology, Data, and Outcomes subcommittee. Core and combined state plan partners are represented on the subcommittee. They share information on their case management systems with the goal of aligning common areas of data collection and reporting. 

The WIOA Steering Committee is focusing its efforts on strengthening workforce branding. A workforce system logo was created featuring the core and combined state plan partners. This symbol aids in the alignment and identification of the Missouri workforce system. The Services Navigator prominently displays the logo. Core and combined state plan partner agencies are encouraged to utilize the logo when referencing joint activities and braiding of services.