Narrative: III. a. 2. A.

The U.S. Department of Labor has reduced both administrative and programmatic funds available to state workforce agencies in both WP and WIOA.  At the same time, funding availability has been diminishing, the cost and complexity of providing service delivery, programmatic management and support, and fiscal and performance reporting have increased.  This makes it essential that LWC and local boards continue to work together to reduce overhead costs and streamline (economize) services.

 This plan supports the State’s commitment to supporting at least one “Comprehensive One-Stop Center” in each local area (defined as the presence of all WIOA required Partner Programs).   Smaller offices operated by local boards and/or One-Stop operators (contractors) where all Program Partners are not present, shall be designated and operated as “Affiliate” One-Stop centers and may have any subset of partners, but shall not be operated as Wagner Peyser stand-alone Employment Services offices.

 Under the plan, local boards will have the flexibility to include additional partners in One-Stop Centers, in particular and specifically identified by the law:

•             Employment and training programs administered by the Social Security Administration, including the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Programs.

•             Employment and training programs carried out by the Small Business Administration.

•             Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) employment and training programs.

•             Other programs authorized under the National and Community Service Act of 1990.

•             In addition to these specified additional partners the law and plan allows boards to include other partners as part of the one-stop delivery system -- local employers and community-based, faith-based, and/or non-profit organizations, as well as employment, education and training programs provided by public libraries or the private sector.

 This plan is designed to support a refined focus on employment, training, adult education and vocational rehabilitation programs designed to provide workers and their families an opportunity for economic prosperity.

The new infrastructure combined with the recently redesigned service delivery model strengthens existing workforce development and adult education programs in four ways that can benefit adults and youth with barriers to economic success by:

•             Increasing the focus on serving the most vulnerable workers (with limited skills, lack of work experience, and other barriers to economic success) through more focused profiling and assessment processes.

•             Expanding education and training options to help participants access good jobs to start/advance their careers.

•             Providing targeted, managed and appropriate levels of supportive services to disadvantaged and unemployed adults and youth while they receive training and effective employment-based activities.

•             Supporting the alignment of planning and accountability policies across core programs to support more unified approaches to serving employers and job-seekers (in particular those who are low-income, low-skilled individuals).

This plan creates an opportunity for chief elected officials (CEOs), boards and local communities to rethink reshape and expand workforce systems, policies and practices in a way that conforms to local needs while maintaining fiscal prudence and viability. The plan also drives the realignment of funding streams to improve accountability across core programs, support career pathways and sector strategies and create continuous opportunities to measure performance and to identify areas for improvement.  Operating in the most effective and efficient way by:

 Identifying inefficiencies and targeting improvements that will bring costs in line with reasonable standards.

●      Measuring local and regional performance so that decision-makers better understand the unit cost of a service, the productivity of staff, results achieved with programs and efficient use of assets.

●      Reducing waste (in particular waste created by redundancies in support and oversight), personnel costs, excess paperwork, wasted supplies, excess equipment, etc.

●      Maintaining, understanding and managing in real-time with the goal of efficiencies in the actual cost of services at the local and regional level.

●       Setting benchmarks as a process of comparing performance and practices locally, regionally and statewide.

●      Setting standards for the cost of services, efficiency, effectiveness, productivity and asset use for local, regional and state comparison to trend cost efficiencies as improving, declining or falling.

●      Using reporting, measuring and benchmarking as a foundation for goal setting and to shine a light on efficiencies and effectiveness on how funds are being used.

This plan establishes the state’s commitment to supporting the WIOA requirement that “Each local area must have one comprehensive One-Stop Center that provides access to physical services of the core programs and other required partners.”

The required partner programs, in addition to the core programs, (and if they are present) for a comprehensive One-Stop Center under WIOA are:

 ●      Career and Technical Education (Perkins).

●      Community Services Block Grants.

●      Indian and Native American Programs.

●      HUD Employment and Training Programs, Job Corps.

●      Local Veterans Employment Representatives and Disabled Veterans Outreach Program.

●      National Farmworker Jobs Program.

●      Senior Community Service Employment Program.

●      Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) (unless the Governor takes special action to make TANF an optional partner).

●      Trade Adjustment Assistance Programs.

●      Unemployment Compensation Programs.

●      Youth Build.

 For the purposes of operations under this plan regarding services provided in a Comprehensive One- Stop Center, each member of the partnership shall agree to core hours, core services, individualized services, supportive services, data sharing and the sharing of costs for business operations.

 This plan commits the state to providing support for one Comprehensive One-Stop Center in each local area.  Regionally, boards may choose how they use the resources provided under this plan and other support agreements.  However, the use of these resources shall not becontrary to the provisions and requirements of the U.S. Department of Labor or state laws, regulations and statutes.

 The relationship established under this plan between the local boards, required partners and all optional partners shall be operated as a Service Level Agreement (SLA).  That is, all resources shall be allocated by formula as defined or specifically detailed in the plan.  SLAs find their origin in the private sector where they are streamlined contracts between a provider of a service or product and a customer or subsidiary that could require provision or management of service delivery, and as such are the most cost-effective and simplest to operate fiscal and managerial processes for this activity.

 Key elements of the service relationship covered in this plan include implementation, performance, finances and operations.  All of these characteristic key elements and expectations can be directly related to service-delivery at a One-Stop Center regarding negotiated performance outcomes and managerial metrics.

 ●      Implementation:  As a minimum, the following details required in WIOA must be crafted into a cost allocation and operation agreement for each of these Comprehensive One-Stop Centers and although they will be specific to the individual LWDA, they must contain detail on the following as a minimum:

 o   Who will be physically present in the center – full or part time.

o   When not physically present will center staff be required to supply support, i.e. provide customer guidance when using an online tool, etc.?

o   What services will be offered, and how do those services support a Career Pathway?

o   Defined interface with partner programs to provide seamless services.

o   Method of supervision and guidance provided to staff.

o   Defined administrative or other supports required to be successful.

o   Facility costs.

o   Operational delivery, how services are delivered, by whom and when.

 ●      Performance: Services shall be provided as required under the relevant funding streams and partnerships identified/negotiated under the statutes, laws and regulations which, in detail, identify expectations, outcomes and outputs by the parties from the arrangements.

 ●      Finances and other resources:  Resource-pooling arrangements, fee structures, cost variances, adjustments, transparency and arrangements of settlements shall be detailed and agreed to by all parties.

  ●      Operations: The state provides WP-funded staff to support a single Comprehensive One- Stop Center for each WDB.  The state recommendation is that LWDA boards utilize this staff to support a centralized recruitment and placement effort, and for a centralized business engagement process.  Boards may operate other locations within their LWDA as “affiliate” sites and may from time to time have WP-assigned staff at these locations based on need.

 The state shall allocate Wagner-Peyser-funded staff by formula based on the level of effort necessary to support labor exchange services in an LWDA or region.   

Elements of the Local Delivery Structure

 ●      Board members and staff operate under prior consistent state law. As such, members and staff are primarily private-sector employers with some representing local education agencies, labor organizations, community-based organizations, economic development councils and One-Stop partners such as adult education and literacy (AEL) and vocational rehabilitation (VR). Each board develops a strategic and operational plan, with local plans subject to review by WIC and approval by the Governor.  Boards designate one-stop partners, identify providers of training services, and monitor system performance against performance accountability measures.

 ●      Board staff conducts the board’s day-to-day administrative operations.  Boards operate with a high degree of local flexibility for service delivery design and partner with local training and educational institutions to ensure employment and training opportunities meet area employment needs.

 ●      American Job Centers provide a variety of online, in-house and on-site services, including employer services, job search resources, labor market information and referrals for customized training.  In addition to traditional brick-and-mortar offices, mobile workforce units are utilized in providing on-site, rapid response assistance to area employers and communities.

 ●      Business Service Units (BSUs) address the ever-increasing need for skilled workers in high-demand fields by offering job search assistance, skills training and other workforce development services.  Supported by state and federal funds, most basic services are provided free of charge to employers registered with the state and federal government.  Some boards also provide certain services, including workshops and seminars, at nominal fees.  BSUs within an integrated workforce system offer a unique opportunity to ensure that all workforce services are structured to ensure that the business needs are considered when delivering services to job seekers and consumers.

 Boards shall develop new local plans under WIOA to align local goals and objectives set forth in the state’s Combined State Plan and also describe collaboration strategies with system partners.

To address limited financial resources yet still meet the needs of Louisiana’ employers, boards must:

 ●      Leverage additional funding sources.

●      Develop, analyze and share labor market information and regional economic studies.

●      Engage in planning and service delivery across workforce areas and/or with other workforce and community partners.

●      Incorporate new delivery strategies and adapt existing ones, such as the use of mobile units and new technologies that make service more accessible.

●      Strive for integrated, effective service delivery by sharing, modifying and replicating effective training models and processes.

 Events and projects provide the opportunity for boards and system stakeholders to collaborate, innovate and streamline services to improve workforce service delivery.  Continuous improvement efforts by the boards are facilitated and encouraged through activities such as:

 ●      Sharing best practices and other information at LWC’s annual conference, workforce forums and regional and local meetings.

●      Maintaining user-friendly, online resources for topics including:

o   Integrated workforce processes.

o   Performance measures.

o   Program-specific monitoring toolkits, through the ongoing work of OWD monitoring effort.