Located in:
- II. Strategic Elements
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a Strategic Planning Elements section that analyzes the State’s current economic environment and identifies the State’s overall vision for its workforce development system. The required elements in this section allow the State to develop data-driven goals for preparing an educated and skilled workforce and to identify successful strategies for aligning workforce development programs to support economic growth. Unless otherwise noted, all Strategic Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs. Where requirements identify the term “populations”, these must include individuals with barriers to employment as defined at WIOA Section 3. This includes displaced homemakers; low-income individuals; Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians; individuals with disabilities, including youth who are individuals with disabilities; older individuals; ex-offenders; homeless individuals, or homeless children and youths; youth who are in or have aged out of the foster care system; individuals who are English language learners, individuals who have low levels of literacy, and individuals facing substantial cultural barriers; farmworkers (as defined at section 167(i) of WIOA and Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 35-14); individuals within 2 years of exhausting lifetime eligibility under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program; single parents (including single pregnant women); and long-term unemployed individuals. Additional populations include veterans, unemployed workers, and youth, and others that the State may identify.
II. c. State Strategy
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include the State's strategies to achieve its strategic vision and goals. These strategies must take into account the State’s economic, workforce, and workforce development, education and training activities and analysis provided in Section (a) above. Include discussion of specific strategies to address the needs of populations provided in Section (a).
1. Describe the strategies the State will implement, including industry or sector partnerships related to in-demand industry sectors and occupations and career pathways, as required by WIOA section 101(d)(3)(B), (D). “Career pathway” is defined at WIOA section 3(7) and includes registered apprenticeship. “In-demand industry sector or occupation” is defined at WIOA section 3(23)
2. Describe the strategies the State will use to align the core programs, any Combined State Plan partner programs included in this Plan, required and optional one-stop partner programs, and any other resources available to the State to achieve fully integrated customer services consistent with the strategic vision and goals described above. Also describe strategies to strengthen workforce development activities in regard to weaknesses identified in section II(a)(2)
Current Narrative:
MPWS partners have analyzed the effectiveness of services and developed the following strategies to meet its goals, fulfill its vision, and to address identified challenges:
1. Provide leadership and guidance to implement state plan goals and support the vision
It is clear that strong, consistent, and collaborative leadership is essential to effectively delivering services within the MPWS. Oversight of the state plan implementation is conducted through the WIOA Steering Committee. This committee is comprised of agency decision-makers and influencers to support and carry out the goals for the vision. This includes ensuring programs, resources, and staff are in place to serve those with barriers to employment, services are easily accessible statewide and jobseekers are able to establish clear career pathways. Additionally, these leaders ensure that workforce challenges are identified and addressed, particularly in collaborating to integrate and align services system-wide. Finally, the committee works to ensure employers are educated, provided feedback, and given the resources necessary to hire and retain employees.
The Steering Committee is also responsible for assessing the overall performance of the MPWS and analyzing the effectiveness of service delivery. Further, the team provides leadership to ensure that any identified strengths can be scaled across other partners and programs and that processes can be put in place to fill any service gaps for both jobseekers and employers.
2. Develop partnerships with employers to provide resources for engagement with an emphasis on employee retention
Providing quality and valued services to employers is a critical part of growing Missouri’s workforce. This includes first listening to employer needs and positioning the MPWS to provide services to meet those needs. It also includes educating employers about the workforce, sharing labor market trends, identifying local talent pipelines, updating job postings and job descriptions to harvest the best talent, and also dispelling stereotypical myths about barrier groups, including those collecting TANF and SNAP benefits and persons with disabilities. Finally, the MPWS has a responsibility to educate employers on diverse options to fill their talent pipeline, including work-based learning opportunities such as on-the-job training and registered apprenticeships.
Collaboration among MPWS partners in engaging employers also reduces duplication of outreach efforts and provides a well-rounded and solid delivery of services.
3. Streamline efforts to share data
The MPWS acknowledges the need but also the complexity in sharing data across agencies. Sharing data allows for reducing or eliminating duplication of services to jobseekers and identifies underserved groups, which can be targeted for outreach to access workforce services.
In past years, strides have been made in Missouri with regard to data sharing, notably in 2023 with the passing of support to implement the P20W longitudinal data system.
While these efforts are promising, Missouri realizes a fully integrated data system is a shared vision that may take years to achieve. Therefore, the MPWS has identified this as a strategy to ensure its progress is continually evaluated.
4. Implement policies and practices for service design and delivery
Quality service delivery to customers is critical. Identifying and implementing policies and practices for referrals, customer flow, co-enrollment, cross training needs of staff, and braiding of services are all key in ensuring that jobseekers are being served.
In addition, current policies and practices must be regularly analyzed and evaluated to ensure that the services provided truly meet the needs of employers and jobseekers. By implementing the right services to the customer and aligning the vision, goals, and strategies statewide, the MPWS can positively impact services provided to jobseekers and enhance the strategic development of sector strategies and career pathways to benefit both jobseekers and employers.
5. Target best practices and implement processes to impact services for youth
Youth, particularly those with barriers to employment, continue to be an underserved population through the MPWS. In Missouri schools, over 34,000 students are estimated to be experiencing some form of homelessness over the course of a school year. In addition, in Missouri there are more than 13,000 kids in foster care who will need services while in care or after leaving the care. This includes placement settings such as temporary care with relatives, traditional foster families with strangers, and group residential homes. Over 109,000 children enrolled in Missouri schools have been identified as having a disability. This data tells us that the MPWS has a lot of work to do in connecting with and engaging with this population.
A recent survey conducted by the University of Missouri Extension indicated that more than 1 in 5 Missouri high school graduates elect to directly enter the labor force upon graduation. Partners are uniquely positioned to address this need by pooling resources and sharing best practices in serving youth. Expanding the MPWS network to include entities serving this population is important in growing youth access to service delivery and in providing talent for employers. Key services such as high school career exploration and education on various postsecondary options to youth, including college, career and technical education, or registered apprenticeships are needed to engage youth as they enter the workforce.