Narrative: III. a. 2. A.

The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services shall use funds made available under WIOA Title I to support local workforce development board activities to provide services through the adult, dislocated worker, and youth programs. Services through these programs include career services such as outreach, intake, and orientation; initial assessment; labor exchange services; eligibility for services; referrals to programs; performance and cost information; information on unemployment insurance; financial aid information; and follow-up services. Additionally, for those who qualify, training and supportive services will be provided. Training services may include occupational skills training, on-the job training (OJT), Registered Apprenticeships, incumbent worker training, and skill upgrading and retaining.

The ADWS will provide labor exchange services through funds provided under WIOA Title III including labor market information to the individuals seeking services. The information will include information on local, regional and national labor market areas such as:

• Job vacancies in labor market areas
  • Information on job skills necessary to obtain the jobs
    • Local, in-demand occupations and related earning potential
      • Opportunities for advancement in those occupations

Additionally, One-Stops and partners must provide appropriate services for individuals to obtain or retain employment. These services include, but are not limited to:

• Individual Employment Plan (IEP)
  • Career planning and counseling (no longer called case management)
    • Comprehensive assessment
      • Occupational skills assessment
      • Short-term prevocational services
      • Internship and work experience including transitional jobs and industry partnerships
      • Workforce preparation
      • Out-of-area job search
      • English language acquisition
      • Financial literacy

The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services - Adult Education Section shall use funds made available under section 222(a)(2) for the following adult education and literacy activities (Section 203 of WIOA):

• Adult Education
  • Literacy
    • Workplace adult education and literacy activities
      • Family literacy activities
      • English language acquisition activities
      • Integrated English literacy and civics education
      • Workforce preparation activities; or
      • Integrated education and training that:
      • Provides adult education and literacy activities, concurrently and contextually with both, workforce preparation activities, and workforce training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster, and
      • is for the purpose of educational and career advancement.

Adult Education and Literacy Activities include instruction and education services below a postsecondary level in reading, writing, and speaking in English, and computing and solving problems. These services increase a student’s ability to achieve a secondary school diploma or equivalent, transition to postsecondary education and training, and obtain employment.

Workplace Adult Education and Literacy Activities include instruction at a workplace or an off-site location that is designed to improve the productivity of the workforce. will include contextualized literacy, English language acquisition, and workforce preparation at Educational Functioning Levels appropriate to learners. Successful workplace literacy activities involve strong partnerships with employers or employee organizations in the design and delivery of the instructional program based on workplace needs.

Family Literacy Activities include interactive literacy activities between parents or family members and their children. To offer family literacy activities as defined in WIOA requires coordination with other services for the children’s component.

English Language Acquisition includes adult education and literacy activities for English language learners with an additional skill requirement, comprehension of the English language.

Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education will provide Immigrants and English learners access to English language acquisition services and civics education and may include workforce training. English infused with civics education helps immigrants and English learners understand the American system of government and what it means to be a citizen and to be involved in civics activities. To live and work in the United States means not only a command of the language, but equally important are the civics-related skills and knowledge necessary to become involved parents, workers, and community members. Therefore, every adult education and literacy council program offering English language acquisition services will also include civics education.

Workforce Preparation includes activities, programs, or services designed to help individuals acquire a combination of basic academic skills and employability skills such as critical thinking skills, digital literacy skills, and self-management skills. These activities include competencies in utilizing resources, using information, working with others, understanding systems, and obtaining skills necessary for successful transition into and completion of postsecondary education or training, or employment. Workforce preparation skills will be integrated in the adult basic education and literacy curriculum, therefore, occurring concurrently with adult basic and literacy skills instruction

Integrated education and training activities include concurrent instruction in basic academic skills and/or English language acquisition skills, workforce preparation activities, and workforce training contextualized for specific occupations or occupational clusters. Education will be provided in the context of industry-specific needs that involve employers and is integrated with occupational skills training. Programs will provide work-relevant instruction through career pathways and integrated education and training activities. Instruction will be offered at Educational Functioning Levels appropriate to learners. The purpose of instruction will be education and career advancement. Providers will assist students in their roles as parents and family members by providing foundational skills that enable them to support their children’s learning needs and improve economic self-sufficiency for their families.

Funds may not be used for the purpose of supporting or providing programs, services, or activities for individuals who are under the age of 16 and are enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under State law, except for such purpose if such programs, services, or activities are related to family literacy activities. In providing family literacy activities under this title, an eligible provider shall attempt to coordinate with programs and services that are not assisted under this title prior to using funds for adult education and literacy activities under this title for activities other than activities for eligible individuals.

Allowable activities, referred to as vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, are those activities necessary to assist an individual with a disability to prepare for, secure, retain, or regain competitive integrated employment. In general, services can be divided into pre-employment transition, transition, and vocational rehabilitation services. Required pre-employment transition services target students with disabilities to better determine career interests by providing job exploration; work-based learning experiences; counseling on opportunities for enrollment in comprehensive transition or postsecondary educational programs at institutions of higher education; workplace readiness training; and instruction in self-advocacy.  Transition services assist students with disabilities in transitioning from secondary education into postsecondary education and employment. An individualized plan for employment (IPE) is the foundation for vocational rehabilitation services. The IPE, jointly developed by the client and VR counselor, takes into consideration the individual’s strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, interests, and informed choice. It identifies a client’s vocational goal, necessary services, and roles and responsibilities related to the achievement of the goal. Services provided could include vocational counseling, vocational training, restoration, assistive technology, on-the-job training, and job placement.

The Division of Services for the Blind engages in activities similar to its partner Arkansas  Rehabilitation Services. One hundred percent of DSB-funded services are focused on the significantly disabled, individuals who are blind or severely visually impaired. DSB provides this population with specialized vocational rehabilitation counseling services, which are designed to assist persons who are blind or have visual impairments to prepare for employment that is commensurate within their abilities, interests and informed choice, and is consistent with their strengths, resources, concerns and capabilities. Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors in conjunction with their consumers develop employability plans, which outline the barriers, services, and steps to reach their employment goals. Referrals are made to partner programs to provide any additional services necessary to meet or exceed the employment goals in their plans. In addition to vocational counseling, DSB funds transition services; training for careers that are in demand; post-secondary education; placement with employers; accommodations needed for job placement or retaining employment; restorative medical services; internships; paid work experiences; pre-apprenticeship training; vending stand opportunities under the Randolph- Shepherd Act; and business ownership opportunities under the Small Business Program. In recent years, DSB has begun placing more emphasis on the employer as a customer.

Strategic Changes Due to COVID-19

The core WIOA programs have worked diligently together to align and achieve strategies to support the Governor's vision for the State's workforce development system.  However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are reassessing our previous strategies to be more responsive to this changing work environment. Below are four major goals that form the basis of this strategic plan. 

These goals are to:

Prepare workers to succeed in the Arkansas economy by increasing skills and education attainment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted numerous individuals across the state, causing unprecedented increases in unemployment and rapid changes in the way people learn and access information. In a post-pandemic recovery era, Arkansas will need more focus on equity, education, and training, which is crucial to creating more skilled workers, deeper talent pools, and a more resilient workforce. As the skill requirements of jobs increase and change rapidly, businesses need a diverse, highly skilled pipeline of workers ready for the jobs they create, and Arkansans need access to training so they can be equipped for those jobs.

Create a workforce system that is responsive to the needs of the economy by fostering employer leadership.

Employer leadership includes an emphasis on increasing the number of employers participating in work-based learning experiences and apprenticeships while also establishing employer champions. These employer champions must include State and Local Workforce Board members.

Promote replication of creative solutions to challenging workforce problems by supporting local innovation.

“Local innovation” calls for promoting leadership development opportunities for the state’s workforce professionals, and for funding community-based initiatives that pilot new ideas or replicate proven programs. This goal prioritizes local COVID-19 workforce recovery initiatives leveraging technology to reimagine the talent pipeline.

Promote workforce system access, alignment, integration, and modernization.

This goal relates to the coordination of the workforce development system itself, which involves numerous partner agencies. Among other items, the plan calls for enhancing public awareness of the services provided through our workforce system for individuals and businesses, while researching new technological means to serve the system’s customers.

Coordination Across Programs at the State and Local Level

Arkansas continues to integrate programs under WIOA. Since the Governor's State Government Transformation effort, all four WIOA core programs are now operated by the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS).  One chief component of this transformation effort was the assembly of the WIOA Roundtable.

The WIOA Roundtable's membership includes high-level representatives of the WIOA core and non-core partners.  Additionally, the WIOA Roundtable's membership includes members of the Arkansas Workforce Development Board, to provide an additional level of synergy.

The WIOA Roundtable reviews progress on WIOA implementation and develops strategies for improvement. In addition, the WIOA Roundtable continues to review state policies that my inhibit programs from fully aligning required activities. The WIOA Roundtable provides feedback to the the Arkansas Workforce Development Board regarding challenges and barriers to completing the work and offers suggestions for new policies and procedures.

We have already begun enhancing our referral process guidelines among the core WIOA programs as well as provide guidance and technical assistance to local Arkansas Workforce Centers to develop an integrated referral system for services that meet local needs and ensure nonduplication of services and that provide equal access to all eligible clients.

As the referral processes are improved, based on the guidelines, the WIOA Roundtable will meet to review and assess referral process efficacy. The WIOA Roundtable also reviews current referral policy and strategies to identify ways to strengthen these processes to avoid duplication of services.