Located in:
- III. Operational Planning Elements
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an Operational Planning Elements section that supports the State’s strategy and the system-wide vision described in Section II(c) above. Unless otherwise noted, all Operational Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs. This section must include—
- a. State Strategy Implementation
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include–
- 2. Implementation of State Strategy
Describe how the lead State agency with responsibility for the administration of each core program or a Combined Plan partner program included in this plan will implement the State’s Strategies identified in Section II(c). above. This must include a description of—
- 2. Implementation of State Strategy
- a. State Strategy Implementation
III. a. 2. D. Coordination, Alignment and Provision of Services to Employers
Describe how the entities carrying out the respective core programs, any Combined State Plan partner program included in this plan, required and optional one-stop partner programs will coordinate activities and resources to provide comprehensive, high-quality services to employers to meet their current and projected workforce needs and to achieve the goals of industry or sector partners in the state. The activities described shall conform to the statutory requirements of each program.
Current Narrative:
Louisiana‘s core program partners along with One-Stop partner programs in each of the 8 regions coordinate activities and resources through local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs), focusing on delivering regional business services and creating a positive long-term economic impact in the regions. The coordinated activities and resources are designed to provide comprehensive, high-quality services to employers to meet their current and projected workforce needs. This regional approach is appropriate for the following reasons:
● It builds strategic partnerships among businesses, training providers, community organizations and other key stakeholders in a labor market region that is designed to bolster the region’s economic competitiveness and promote systemic change to achieve ongoing benefits.
● This approach is more responsive to labor demand than solely traditional job-matching and training services because it is problem-oriented (versus program-oriented), addresses needs interdependently (versus independently) and works to understand the collective needs of business.
The Regional Business Service Team (RBST) determines the skills, recruitment and retention needs of employers, as well as the training, employment and career advancement needs of job-seekers and workers. This meeting of the needs of businesses in the region has the potential to strengthen a region’s overall economic vitality by:
● Addressing the needs of employers through an intense focus on the workforce needs within specific industry sectors and businesses over a sustained period, often concentrating on a specific occupation or set of occupations within that industry.
● Addressing the needs of workers by creating formal career paths to good jobs, reducing barriers to employment and sustaining or increasing middle-class jobs.
● Bolstering regional economic competitiveness by engaging economic development experts in workforce issues while aligning education, economic and workforce development planning.
● Engaging a broader array of key stakeholders through partnerships.
● Promoting systemic change that achieves ongoing benefits for the industry, workers and community.
Regional Business Service Team
The Regional Business Service Team is a partnership between core program partners and mandatory/optional One-Stop partner programs with local Workforce Development Boards that convene and provide guidance to the team. The Regional Business Service Team within each region consists of the following programs:
● Wagner-Peyser.
● Local Veterans Employment Representative (LVER).
● Adult/Dislocated Worker Youth Program.
● Louisiana Rehabilitation Services.
● Incumbent Worker Training Program.
● Rapid Response.
● WorkReady U (Adult Education)
● Other stakeholders that engage employers in the region.
The RBST should meet on a regular basis in order to collaborate and coordinate their focus on employers’ needs in the region. The RBST supports and aligns One-Stop business services within each region. Below is a list of business services in the region the team provides to the employer community:
● Develop and facilitate industry or sector partnerships.
● Customized screenings and referrals of qualified participants in employer based training services to employers (e.g. on-the-job, customized and internship etc.).
● Customized services to employers, employer associations or other such organizations on employment-related issues.
● Customized recruitment/hiring events, job fairs, workshops and related services for employers (e.g., targeted hiring, new business openings, seasonal hiring and safety training).
● Human resource consultation services, such as writing/reviewing job descriptions and employee handbooks, developing performance evaluation and personnel policies and creating orientation sessions for new workers.
● Teaching job interview techniques for efficiency and compliance.
● Analyzing employee turnover, explaining labor laws to help employers comply with wage/hour and safety/health regulations.
● Providing customized labor market information for specific employers, sectors, industries or clusters.
● Increasing coordination with stakeholders to support and develop pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship opportunities.
● Providing assistance or referral for assistance in the development of registered apprenticeships.
● Creating job order listings and applicant referrals through HiRE. Providing access to One-Stop Centers to develop innovative workforce investment strategies to meet the needs of the region’s employers.