Narrative: d.

WTCS will make awards to eligible providers through a competitive application process, ensuring that all applications are evaluated using the same rubric and scoring criteria. Funds will be used to support the operational expenses of local IELCE programs, including teacher salaries and benefits, classroom supplies, textbooks, and other items necessary to carry out instruction in English language acquisition, workforce preparation activities, and civics education.

The WTCS Grants Office will ensure that all eligible providers have direct and equitable access to apply for multi-year grants by posting guidelines utilizing various regional and statewide media, the agency’s website, and posting it on the state's Public Notices website. This process ensures that the same grant announcements, application, and proposal process are used for all prospective eligible providers. WTCS expects to issue these multi-year grant awards ranging from $25,000 to $75,000 dependent on the proposed number of participants to be served and reported to the National Reporting System (NRS), utilizing the state’s client reporting portal. Learners qualifying for NRS enrollment must have 12 hours of instruction and an approved pre-test score. Requests for grant funding are proportional with the number of students served.

Integrated English Literacy & Civics Education funds are made available through a competitive application process. These funding opportunities are posted on the agency website, shared through regional media, and posted on the state's Public Notices informational website. All eligible providers are provided the same information and all applications are evaluated using the same scoring criteria. All providers must demonstrate effectiveness in serving learners through the sharing of quantitative and/or qualitative data. As noted in section III.B.5.B.i. of the State plan, WTCS is able to establish that eligible providers are organizations of demonstrated effectiveness by requiring all applicants to demonstrate past effectiveness in providing adult education and literacy activities by providing performance data on its record of improving the skills of eligible individuals, particularly eligible individuals who have low levels of literacy, in the content domains of reading, writing, mathematics, English language acquisition and other subject areas.  An eligible provider must also provide information regarding its outcomes for participants related to employment, attainment of secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent and transition to postsecondary education and training.  A form has been created for applicants to complete and provide evidence of their ability to improve the skills of adults with low-level literacy skills and/or English language learners.

In addition, the scoring rubric used to rate applications are explicitly based on the 13 considerations for funding eligible providers. All submitted applications are shared with local Workforce Development Boards to gather feedback on the alignment with local activities. These grants are awarded on a four-year basis, with updated applications due each year.

Funds in this category will be used to provide educational programs for adults (including professionals with degrees and credentials in their native countries) that enable to achieve competency in English language and acquire basic and more advanced skills needed to engage effectively as parents, workers and citizens in the United States. WTCS will fund IELCE services that include instruction in literacy, English language acquisition and instruction on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and civic participation. These IELCE services prepare ELL adults for placement in unsubsidized employment in in-demand industries and occupations that lead to economic self-sufficiency. Additionally, these services are integrated closely with the local workforce development boards, who assist in informing the activities of the local IELCE programs as identified in the grant guidelines.

An eligible provider who receives funds through the IELCE program must incorporate IET by:

• Co-enrolling participants in integrated education and training as described in Stat. 463.74, subpart D, that is provided within the local and regional workforce development system from other sources other than section 243; or
• Using funds under section 243 to support integrated education and training activities as cited in 463.74, subpart D.

Funds in the IELCE grant category are allowable and often used for the following activities:

• Integrated English Language and Civics Education (IELCE) in all six levels of ELL;
• Preparing students for programs leading to high school credentialing and its equivalency;
• Integrated Education and Training (IET); Integrated Education and Training (IET) is a service approach that provides adult education and literacy activities concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation activities and workforce training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster for the purpose of educational and career advancement.
• Career Pathways’ related services and instruction including the ELL/ABE portion of concurrent enrollment in ELL/ABE and occupational training;
• Workforce Preparation (this includes employability skills); and
• Numeracy and/or Digital Literacy.

Wisconsin Title II IELCE offerings are informed by the analysis of regional labor market data, designed through ongoing collaborative activities with regional employers and local workforce development boards, and maintained to ensure industry relevancy through IELCE modification activities. Collectively, these intentional efforts ensure that IELCE offerings provide participants with employment in in-demand industries and occupations that lead to economic self-sufficiency.

Before formal approval from the WTCS Office, each IELCE offering will be fully vetted through a labor market needs assessment to ensure the offering is designed to prepare adults for employment in in-demand industries and occupations. The needs assessment process will include the collection, analysis, and synthesis of regional employer and local workforce development board input. Needs assessment data will be collected through surveys, focus sessions, or discussions with workforce system partners. Additionally, each IELCE offering will be aligned with at least one occupational classification code from the Department of Labor’s Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. Together, coordination with workforce system partners, regional employers, and alignment with the SOC system will support intentionality of IELCE to ensure gainful employment for participants.

Providers of IELCE collaborate with workforce system partners and regional employers to design IELCE curriculum and integrate the appropriate workforce preparation activities. Curriculum design efforts informed by workforce partners ensure IELCE learning activities provide participants with occupation specific knowledge, skills, and abilities that are vital for employability upon exit from the program. Through the curriculum design process with workforce system partners, IELCE participants have immediate labor market value upon exit from the program.

Once an IELCE is fully implemented and enrolls participants, employer partners continue to be engaged through the IELCE modification process. Providers of IELCE coordinate annual IELCE review activities with workforce system partners to verify continued IELCE curriculum and learning activity relevancy in relation to the pace of change in the workplace and industry. As appropriate, IELCE curriculum will be modified based on the findings from IELCE review activities. These modification activities ensure that IELCE career pathways are responsive to local workforce needs and provide participants with the skills to obtain employment.

Providers of IELCE services must work directly and jointly with their local workforce development system to carry out the activities of the program by jointly coordinating and developing programming that will assist adult learners with getting occupational skills integrated with English language acquisition and workforce preparation leading to economic self-sufficiency.

Jointly with the local workforce system, all recipients of IELCE grant awards work on determining the type of services needed by each participant in the program;  and after the initial assessment of their English language skills, are offered employability, mathematics and digital literacy skills. IELCE  providers make appropriate referrals to their local one-stop-center for additional services available to participants including occupational skills training, assistance with tuition,  and IET programming in coordination with other WIOA partners, including Title I. Participants with other barriers to employment including transportation and childcare are referred to other WIOA partners for assistance. Additionally, the local one-stop-centers and the IELCE providers coordinate on service and instructional hours to best meet the needs of program participants.  

Other examples how IELCE providers and WIOA partners collaborate include monthly WIOA leadership and committee meetings, agency updates, creating and participating in joint trainings, coordination of professional development (e.g. WIOA Roundtable, Common Ground Conference) and ongoing assessment of state and local training needs and providers/availability for occupational skills training.