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:
(1) Describe the strategies the State will implement, including industry or sector partnerships related to in-demand industry sectors and occupations and career pathways
West Virginia is participating in the USDOL ETA Workforce System Technical Assistance Collaborative and is working with SAFAL Partners to complete a sector partnerships/employer engagement strategies study. Toward that end, state partners will elect staff to serve on a West Virginia Sector Strategies Team. Recent information sessions in West Virginia have shed light on the vision, goals, and potential impact that sector-based strategies could have in the state. These strategies will serve to foster collaboration, share expertise, and collectively address workforce challenges. This work is beginning now and will continue through the year with the end goal being a sector strategies framework identifying key partners in industry sectors that will work to provide clear career pathways that include educational outlines and employment opportunities.
The WVWDB includes an advisory committee related to industry partnerships and employer engagement, which includes multiple employers from several industries that will work to collaborate with colleges, high schools, labor, workforce agencies, community organizations, and other community stakeholders. These partnerships will help align training with the skills needed for that industry while facilitating training, hiring, and career advancement for workers. Main goals of this committee include continued partnerships with employers to identify key workforce needs and improving job matching rates.
The Career Pathways Committee of the WVWDB comprises education, community organizations, employer, and workforce partners. This committee meets with partners from around the state and gathers information and ideas on how groups can align, share resources, and collaborate. Key goals of this committee include enhancing West Virginia’s current Career Pathways system, sharing information about career pathways training with individuals and employers, providing youth a clear pathway to success, and exploring additional opportunities to establish career development in K-12 education curriculum starting with eighth grade.
CTCs in West Virginia actively participate in sector strategies by engaging with industry partners to identify skill gaps, develop relevant curriculum, and provide training programs that align with industry standards and certifications. Each college has industry advisory boards comprising representatives from local businesses and industry associations. These boards provide input on curriculum development, equipment needs, and workforce trends to ensure that the college’s programs are relevant, up-to-date, and responsive to needs of employers. Many West Virginia CTCs offer customized training programs tailored to the needs of specific employers or industries, which are often developed in collaboration with industry partners and delivered on-site or at college campuses. By offering customized training solutions, colleges can help employers address immediate skill needs and support workforce development initiatives.
(2) Describe the strategies the State will use to achieve fully integrated customer services
West Virginia is working on fully integrated customer service from multiple angles, including the following in-flight and planned strategies:
West Virginia’s No Wrong Door Approach: The WVWDB has been discussing this model and plans to move forward with policy development based on this approach. West Virginia’s No Wrong Door approach utilizes a “franchise model” design to deploy services to employers, workers, and job seekers. No Wrong Door asserts a vision where people in need of workforce development services can seamlessly obtain the services regardless of the program or organization providing those services. In doing so, state and local workforce, education, social services, and economic development partners come together to fashion a unified program delivery and referral structure that ensures statewide consistency and regional flexibility in the services provided.
Under the No Wrong Door model, the Governor and WVWDB set standards and expectations for West Virginia’s No Wrong Door approach and the delivery of services through the one-stop delivery system. LWDBs and Chief Local Elected Officials have responsibility for adopting and applying standards to deliver services in a way that is accountable, transparent, and high quality while collaborating closely with state and community-based partners.
LWDBs are the regional franchisees of the No Wrong Door model. LWDBs are expected to leverage regional planning and policies to implement strategies that maximize positive impact of services for customers while meeting regional economic development priorities. LWDBs establish policy for their respective local workforce development areas within the state policy framework, and they are expected to serve as regional strategic conveners in partnership with state and other local partners to provide workforce solutions for their customers. LWDBs provide administrative oversight over one-stop centers and ensure that centers provide value-added and cost-effective services, using a braided funding approach that does not overly rely on WIOA title I programs for service provision.
To support No Wrong Door implementation, WVWDB and WFWV host multiple training sessions for LWDB and partner staff on MOU and IFA expectations and development, roles and responsibilities of partners, and best practices from other states on integration of services. The No Wrong Door model seeks to utilize flexibilities and innovation embedded in current law to achieve statewide consistency in service delivery while allowing for appropriate flexibility in local service delivery tied to unique features of communities and people who are served.
No Wrong Door WV Platform: This is a statewide initiative in West Virginia that operates on the basis that there are no wrong doors for accessing workforce assistance. It seeks to streamline the process by identifying available resources by zip code, ensuring that individuals receive support tailored to their unique needs, and facilitating quick access to services. Benefits of No Wrong Door include eliminating the need for individuals to repeatedly share personal information, expediting access to services, enhancing coordination among support organizations, reducing duplicative processes, and improving the tracking of individual referral progress. The system allows different service providers to securely share data and make electronic referrals, ensuring that relevant information is readily available to partners serving the same individual. Current partners in the No Wrong Door initiative include WFWV, WV DoHS, WV DRS, Jobs & Hope WV, WV Department of Education, WV Adult Education, WV Community and Technical College System, WV Higher Education Policy Commission, and LWDBs.
No Wrong Door does not replace existing case-management systems but instead serves as a connector for automated referrals and tracking. Referrals can extend to non-partner organizations, with an online platform managed by Findhelp that accesses a nationwide social care network. There are no fees associated with becoming a No Wrong Door partner and utilizing this technology, which enables a stronger statewide approach to streamlining services.