Narrative: II. b.

1. VISION

The State of West Virginia’s vision for the 2024-2027 state plan cycle is to modernize the workforce system so that every West Virgininian needing services can access the menu of options available through a No Wrong Door approach. The urgency is clear. West Virginia’s demographic profile makes both retaining younger workers and engaging older workers critical to the state’s sustainability. This includes veterans, youth, and unemployed workers, which are an inherent focus in the strategic goals and actions under this Plan. The state’s geography and rural composition create unique workforce obstacles. Disproportionate challenges with substance use disorder have workforce impacts through both distributed caregiving responsibilities and labor force attachment and/or reattachment. Higher poverty rates and lower educational attainment translate to barriers for many West Virginia workers, especially in the transition to a service and knowledge economy. 

And yet, despite these historic realities, the state also shows signs of an economic renaissance. In the past several years, 18 large employers have established or announced their intent to establish large, new manufacturing hubs in the state. In October 2023, the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Agency (EDA) selected West Virginia for two Tech Hubs Strategy Development Grants from CHIPS investments. West Virginia is receiving $550 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding to boost maintenance of the state’s approximately 7,000 bridges. The state is also receiving $1.2 billion in federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the second highest award in the nation. The BEAD funding is accompanied by a workforce plan development by partners of the state WDS. 

Modernizing West Virginia’s workforce system to meet the skill needs of employers in the high-growth, high-tech economy is not easily or quickly done; the state’s vision focuses on evidence of change in both short- and long-term metrics. The following outcomes will guide West Virginia’s public workforce system and partnership efforts over the next four years: 

1. Increase prime-age LFPR for both men and women. 

This is an ongoing challenge for the Mountain State. As of December 2023, overall LFPR was at 55.3%, which is the state’s highest rate since March 2010. However, this rate was also the second-lowest national LFPR (with seasonal adjustment) for December. West Virginia’s prime-age men and women both have the country’s lowest LFPR, contributing to the challenges posed by its aging population. To achieve even a modest increase in the prime-age LFPR, the state would need to attract thousands of additional workers to join its workforce.⁴

2. Increase youth employment and retain a higher percentage of WV graduates (high school or postsecondary) for in-state employment. 

Youth employment can be examined through the LFPR of the age group between 16 and 19 years old. West Virginia will analyze data over the past four years and calculate the year-over-year growth in annual employment within this age bracket. This data will provide insight into trends and patterns in youth employment, offering valuable information for understanding the dynamics of the labor market for younger individuals.

3. Improve job-matching quality for workers outside of the workforce through increased number of referrals and shorter durations to reemployment. 

Improving job-matching quality for workers outside of the workforce requires a comprehensive approach that addresses both supply and demand-side factors. By implementing targeted interventions and fostering collaboration among stakeholders, workforce development agencies can help job seekers find meaningful employment faster and more efficiently. Through the MACC data system, West Virginia can track the number of dislocated worker referrals and develop baseline data to show achievement or improvement over time.  

^{4  Sources:https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LBSSA54;https://fred.stlouisfed.org/release/tables?eid=784070&rid=446;https://wvpublic.org/raising-w-va-labor-force-participation-to-national-average-would-means-thousands-more-workers/}

2. GOALS

Translating this new economic paradigm to the public workforce system’s operations and outcomes will require ingenuity, clarity, and a commitment to shared goals. The state’s goals follow four broad themes: 

Expand work-based learning: West Virginia will expand high-quality work-based learning opportunities for both youth and adult learners.

Robust evidence shows the positive effects of work-based learning. Workers develop skills (technical or soft skills), improve their employability, open doors for career advancement, and expand their network. Employers can recruit or retain skilled employees, reduce recruitment costs, and build their own pipeline of skilled talent. Educational institutions build effective two-way partnerships with employers and gain feedback to ensure that their coursework is directly connected and relevant to real-word work experiences. 

The state intends to widen the aperture on all forms of work-based learning, including but not limited to apprenticeships, co-ops, intern and externships, and service learning. These formats, even when used informally for incumbent workers, can engage workers otherwise at risk of leaving the state and/or the workforce. For youth and young adult learners and workers, this is particularly important as they navigate the transitions between education and employment. 

One immediate challenge is the lack of comprehensive knowledge about the current state of all publicly funded efforts on work-based learning. Cataloging the full spectrum of such opportunities is already underway, the first step of the state board and WIOA system’s efforts to meet the goal of expanding work-based learning. 

West Virginia plans to operationalize this goal by: 

• Increasing the proportion of statewide workforce funding going to work-based learning investments.
• Increasing the number of WV pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs and number of learners enrolled in these programs.
• Expanding the number of quality work-based learning opportunities at WV secondary education institutions and K12 Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.
• Increasing the number of students who gain college credit through work-based learning options. 

The intent of these measures is to see outcomes improvement in both #1 (improve prime-age LFPR) and #2 (increase youth employment and graduate retention). 

Reduce barriers to sustainable employment: West Virginia will address the specific barriers that preclude or reduce the likelihood of stable employment for West Virginians who would otherwise be able and available to work. 

Two of the largest and recurring employment barriers are transportation and caregiving responsibilities. 

Transportation and demographics are inextricably linked. Although there has been more population growth in suburban and urban areas, the transportation infrastructure of these areas is typically more diverse and developed. This leaves residents, particularly those without access to and/or ability to drive a car, disproportionately vulnerable to transit-related employment barriers. Transportation barriers are often a challenge for other populations: workers in re-entry, workers in recovery from substance abuse disorder, and the youngest groups of workers. West Virginia's future and sustainability depends on having workers from all of these groups contributing to its momentum. Given that, reducing transportation barriers is one of the primary goals over the next four years. 

Caregiving barriers, especially related to reliable and affordable childcare, present obstacles to steady work for many West Virginians. The state lacks adequate childcare capacity for the current workforce and does not have the additional capacity that will be required for new and incoming investments. This is also an issue for the large number of West Virginia grandparents raising their grandchildren, often as a direct result of the opioid epidemic. This has forced some older workers to return to the labor force and forced other workers out of the workforce due to caregiving responsibilities. 

A third of West Virginia’s children have parents without stable employment. 13% of WV families with children under the age of five had to change jobs due to childcare problems in 2023. Transportation and childcare barriers often intersect because many areas, even in more densely populated parts of the state, do not have childcare centers nearby. From the Kids Count annual survey, funded in part by the Annie E. Casey Foundation: 

“Even if parents can find an opening at a childcare center near their home, they often can’t pay for it. West Virginia’s average cost of center-based childcare for a toddler was $7,955, 9% of the median income of a married couple and 35% of a single mother’s income. While the cost of care burdens families, childcare workers are paid worse than 98% of professions. Median national pay for childcare workers was $28,520 per year or $13.71 an hour in 2022, less than the wage for retail ($14.26) and customer service ($18.16) workers.” (Source)

The pressing childcare situation and its resulting impacts on workers has attracted employer, legislative, and public workforce system attention. Although many of the needed solutions could come from outside of the core WIOA programs, the WIOA system plans to coordinate efforts to address childcare and transportation issues, particularly because so many WIOA customers face one or both of these barriers. 

West Virginia plans to operationalize this goal by: 

• Producing and/or assembling existing in-depth research analysis (including lessons learned) of the populations, demographics, and needs of those workers most impacted by the top two challenges of transportation and childcare.
• Improving the internal data collection and tracking on employment barriers to drive evidence-based changes to WIOA service delivery. 
• Implementing a comprehensive referral system and increasing the organizational database of service providers (including but not limited to transportation and childcare providers). 
• Analyzing demographics to identify the subpopulations most at risk of labor market exit due to these top two barriers.

The intent of these measures is to see outcomes improvement in both #1 (improve prime-age LFPR) and #3 (improve job matching for those outside of the workforce). 

Invest in high-growth sector strategies for key industries: The state’s workforce team will prioritize three sectors where wage premiums and labor market demand create win-wins for workers and employers—surveying, consolidating, and aligning sector-strategy investments for these industries to effectively measure outcomes and prevent duplication. 

Although the coming influx of public and private economic investment to West Virginia is somewhat diverse, certain industries and associated skill sets have disproportionate demand: advanced manufacturing, healthcare, tourism, and energy. 

Sector strategies and partnerships are foundational, evidence-based practices in workforce development, bridging the demand gap between employers’ needs and future workers’ needs. Focused employer engagement, worker training, and continuous learning are necessary elements of the successful sector strategies that are central to deploying a modernized and effective public workforce system. The Governor’s Workforce Resiliency Office and the State WDB are bolstering services for job seekers and workers through the No Wrong Door strategy, which effectively coordinates work between state and local workforce partners, employers, post-secondary education institutions, and community-based service providers.

As part of this sector-based approach, alignment between the state and local workforce system and the nine West Virginia CTCs can boost the skills of workers in alignment with employer engagement and feedback. As a key strategy, CTCs have created “hubs” of sector-based education and training for referrals by workforce system partners including federal investments. 

The following table captures the CTC Sector Education and Training Hub Model:

Complementing direct alignment of education and training investments through the Hub Model, West Virginia is implementing the following tactics: 

• Collecting and cataloging all federal or state-funded sector strategy interventions across the state, including post-secondary education and industry partnerships. 
• Recommending creation of a sector-strategy liaison in the governor’s office (for the top three industry clusters) to ensure ongoing executive attention and prioritization; this person should also be nominated to the West Virginia State WDB.
• Producing sector-specific, region-relevant opportunity awareness training for all case management or frontline staff across the core programs and large non-core partners (SNAP E&T, TANF, Perkins). 
• Creating a statewide, public data visualization dashboard to show the current and future demand for specific job skills and how many state residents either currently possess those skills or have been/are being trained in them. 

The intent of these measures is to see outcomes improvement in both #1 (improve prime-age LFPR), #2 (increase youth employment and graduate retention), and #3 (improve job matching). 

Integrate and innovate for service design and delivery: West Virginia will streamline and focus its workforce development infrastructure. 

The state’s service delivery model has not changed significantly under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and in the face of the pandemic experience and post-pandemic economic conditions, the status quo is no longer acceptable. After the June 2021 creation of the Blue Ribbon Taskforce on “Aligning the Roles and Missions of the State Community and Technical College System and Workforce Development System,” the Taskforce’s final report included many directly relevant recommendations related to infrastructure, service design, and delivery: 

Make it Easier for Citizens to be Successful

• Create a common application so citizens can easily enroll in services across organizations.
• Set up a work group to engineer case management referral and training support infrastructure.
• Expand Jobs and Hope case management services and train case managers to be familiar with all SNAP, TANF, federal and state financial aid, and core workforce programs.
• Preferably locate several services in one location.

Get State Agencies on the Same Page

• Establish shared metrics and goals for agencies that align with state interests.
• Establish a strong state WDB that meets regularly and creates a sense of accountability to the state.

Eliminate Duplication

• Develop a workgroup of agencies to assess duplicative expenditures and other budgetary inefficiencies.
• Conduct asset mapping, including a real estate review and examination of shared location expenses.

These recommendations point to the previous challenges within the system’s structure: program duplication; lack of coordination or communication; lack of shared definition of success; knowledge gaps between programs; diffuse service delivery locations; and lagging oversight by the State WDB. Further, many of these pressing problems are symptomatic of the need in West Virginia to overhaul the one-stop service delivery design to incorporate a “Franchise Model” whereby customers can expect high-value, consistent services tailored to their economic region. This is one goal of the “No Wrong Door” initiative described elsewhere in this plan.

Some of the needs for governance improvements are not unique to West Virginia. Therefore, West Virginia is tracking federal efforts to reform WIOA. The state supports opportunities to utilize expanded waiver authority and implement a statewide demonstration project, as consistent with current congressional proposals. West Virginia is also committed to using all available workforce system flexibility to reduce unnecessary layers, reorient the center of gravity for service delivery, and invest in streamlining processes, technology, and operations. 

To operationalize this goal, West Virginia will: 

• Strengthen and reestablish the role of the state board as the policy and strategy leader for the public workforce system. 
• Refresh (or overhaul where needed) the state’s workforce policy infrastructure to ensure appropriate consistency of service delivery.
• Invest in a statewide referral tool (as part of the “No Wrong Door” initiative) to provide insight about customer journeys and service response, especially across partner programs. 
• Conduct ongoing training and technical assistance for state and local partners to ensure compliance, but more importantly, create a dynamic and collaborative environment for implementing best practices and bolstering a shared commitment to one-stop system outcomes.

3. PERFORMANCE GOALS

Each core program will be assessed on the following performance measures from section 116(b) of WIOA:

• Employment (second quarter after exit)
• Employment (fourth quarter after exit)
• Median earnings (second quarter after exit)
• Credential attainment rate
• Measurable skills gains
• Effectiveness in serving employers

The Performance and Accountability Committee of the WVWDB is developing metrics and measurements for publishing comprehensive workforce data that will enable the West Virginia Workforce System to measure comprehensive accountability and performance. More details are provided in the Assessment section below.  The committee is currently developing and recommending performance measures to be reported by partners to develop baseline data and annual performance goals related to the goals of this plan.  

Benchmark development includes item such as:

• Baseline prime age workforce participation rate and annual increase benchmarks.
• Baseline youth employment rates and annual increase benchmarks to help indicate a smooth connection between education and employment for youth. 
• Baseline and annual benchmark reduction in migration data for youth age to indicate retention of more high schools students with WV employment and employers. 
• Collection of detailed budgeting information to create an increased allotment of state workforce funding going to work-based learning investments. 
• Set annual benchmarks for the increased number of WV pre-apprenticeship programs and learners.  As of March 2024 the state has 4,707 active apprentices in 129 active apprenticeship programs.  Committee will recommend an annual increase target. 
• Working with CTC’s and CTE’s to determine baseline data and annual increase to show expansion of work-based learning opportunities at WV secondary education institutions and k12 Career and Technical Education programs and to measure increase in the number of students who gain college credit through work-based learning options.  

The state’s workforce system is working to restructure and better operationalize the roles and responsibilities of all partners.  Through this process the state is using the strategic plan to create new measurable goals, create performance and assessment tools to measure achievement of the goals, and to encourage involvement and collaboration from all partners with inclusion in the process of development of the goals and assessments.  The performance goals will be in addition to the performance measures collected for WIOA.  The committee will develop reporting mechanisms that allow all partners to easily report information to the WVWDB.  These performance indicators and proposed collection mechanisms will be discussed at the June and August meetings of the WVWDB.

4. ASSESSMENT

The WVWDB and program partners use several means to assess and monitor progress towards accomplishing the strategic vision and goals for the WDS. The State Board has taken a more proactive approach in assessing the performance and impact of the workforce system with quarterly meetings of the entire Board to discuss issues, such as better coordination and integration of services.  Through the subcommittees, particular assessments occur with system partners engaged and involved. 

WVWDB Enhanced Oversight: The WVWDB has revamped its approach to its quarterly meetings and business agendas. Meetings engage partners at a deeper level, including holding labor market information updates, inviting partner and community presentations on services to different workforce populations, and engaging WVWDB members through subcommittees, new policies, and performance reports. The WVWDB has updated its committee infrastructure and has four standing committees:

Operations Committee: The Operations Committee supports the goal of utilizing a variety of strategies to align the core programs, one-stop partners, and other resources to achieve fully integrated customer services. This includes creating workforce development activities regarding gaps identified in the state’s workforce analysis; setting collaborative performance goals, certifying one-stop centers, sharing information/data working together to resolve problems and addressing gaps; and collaborating and coordinating on training, marketing and feedback by utilizing existing committees, workgroups and programs while aligning and sharing resources when appropriate.

Industry Partnerships and Employer Engagement Committee: The Industry Partnerships and Employer Engagement committee creates partnerships that pair employers across several industries with colleges, high schools, labor agencies, workforce agencies, community organizations, and other community stakeholders. These partnerships ensure that training aligns with skills needed for a particular industry, while also facilitating training, hiring, and career advancement for workers.

Performance and Accountability Committee: The Performance and Accountability Committee develops metrics and measurements for publishing comprehensive workforce data that will enable the West Virginia Workforce System to measure comprehensive accountability and performance. This committee, in consultation with other committees and the Board, recommends policy, budget, and administrative actions to the Governor to ensure that West Virginia can measure what matters for businesses, job seekers, and government entities. Elements from the Board’s strategic plan specifically assigned to this committee include:

• Design and implement a statewide survey measuring businesses’ satisfaction with the workforce system. 
• Develop and deliver a consolidated budget report including performance data to improve transparency in workforce funding, enabling smarter policy decisions.
• Advance recommendations to the Governor to improve system alignment, accountability, and efficiencies.
• Endorse a set of common state performance measures and champion the delivery of a performance accountability system to track workforce program outcomes.
• Promote a model that determines the return on public investment for workforce system programs in order to inform policy and resource allocation.

This committee is particularly engaged in identifying common cross-agency, cross-program performance metrics and ensuring that decisions made by the Workforce Board are informed by sound data and analysis. 

Career Pathways Committee: The Career Pathways Committee is comprised of representatives from educational, community, business, and workforce organizations. This committee meets with partners from around the state to gather information and ideas on how these groups can align, share resources, and collaborate.

Convene Partners: WFWV convenes core and combined program agency partners on a regular basis to discuss streamlined service delivery, coordinate policy, and track the strategic goals of the WIOA State Plan. They also focus on cross-agency training on new WVWDB state policies and procedures to ensure that partner agencies can operationalize these in a No Wrong Door manner that is accountable and transparent. Enhanced communications are a priority as the state moves in a coordinated direction to help employers, workers, and job seekers.

Performance Data Reviews: Leaders of program partner agencies engage in a performance accountability process that is informed by data and aligned to the vision and goals of the Governor and the WIOA State Plan. Under the WIOA State Plan, a renewed focus on dashboards and system performance is being implemented with shared responsibility for transparency and accountability in its systems. The WVWDB, the Performance and Accountability Committee, and WFWV staff will establish baseline data points and annual accountability points to measure success in meeting goals. The assessment process will:

• Establish performance metrics and indicators aligned with the goals of expanding work-based learning, reducing barriers to sustainable employment, investing in high-growth sector strategies, and integrating and innovating service design and delivery.
• Conduct regular data analysis and performance reviews to assess LWDB performance in these areas.
• Provide ongoing technical assistance, resources, and support to LWDBs to address challenges and capitalize on opportunities for improvement.
• Foster collaboration and information-sharing among LWDBs, state agencies, employers, educational institutions, and other stakeholders to maximize impact and achieve shared goals in workforce development.

State Monitoring: Through the state’s monitoring system, fiscal monitors will conduct at least one annual onsite monitoring review for each of the seven LWDBs for compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. Any issues are handled through the state’s monitoring resolution process.

Evaluation: The WVWDB and WFWV is developing a robust evaluation agenda and utilizing a portion of the state set-aside funds to conduct more formal mixed-methods evaluations of programs focused on best practices and impactful components of the state’s strategy that positively influence labor force participation, youth services, work-based learning enrollments, and access to education and training for skills development. The evaluation agenda will dig deeper into issues so as to inform stakeholders and the public about effective workforce development practices in West Virginia.