Narrative: III. a. 2. A.

REACH Act
On June 24, 2021, the Governor signed the landmark REACH Act modifying Section 14.36, Florida Statutes.  The REACH Act addresses the evolving needs of Florida's economy by increasing the level of collaboration and cooperation among state businesses and education communities while improving training for access to a more integrated workforce and education system for all Floridians.

The REACH Act established the Office of Reimagining Education and Career Help within the Executive Office of the Governor whose purpose is to facilitate alignment and coordination of entities responsible for the state’s workforce development system. The head of the office is the Director of the Office of Reimagining Education and Career Help and is appointed by the Governor.

The REACH Office has the following duties, as outlined in statute:

• Serve as the advisor to the Governor on matters related to the state’s workforce development system.
• Establish criteria and goals for workforce development and increased access to the state’s workforce development system.
• Provide strategies to align and improve efficiency in the state’s workforce development system and the delivery of workforce related programs.
• Coordinate state and federal workforce related programs, plans, resources, and activities provided by CareerSource Florida, Inc., FloridaCommerce, and FDOE.
• Oversee the Workforce Development Information System described in Section 1008.40, Florida Statutes to verify the validity of data collected and monitor compliance of workforce related programs and education and training programs with applicable federal and state requirements as authorized by federal and state law.
• Serve on the Credentials Review Committee established in Section 445.004, Florida Statutes to identify nondegree and degree credentials of value and facilitate the collection of data necessary to conduct committee work.
• Coordinate and facilitate a MOU for data sharing agreements of the state’s workforce performance data among state agencies and align, to the greatest extent possible, performance measures adopted under Sections 445.004 and 1008.43, Florida Statutes.
• Develop the criteria for assigning a letter grade for each LWDB under Sections 445.004, Florida Statutes.
• Streamline the clinical placement process and increase clinical placement opportunities for students, hospitals, and other clinical sites by administering, directly or through a contract, a web-based centralized clinical placement system for use by all nursing education programs subject to the requirements in Section 464.019, Florida Statutes.
• Direct the objectives of the Florida Talent Development Council established in Section 1004.015, Florida Statutes.

CareerSource Florida

The CareerSource Florida Board of Directors includes representation of WIOA’s core programs within the FloridaCommerce; FDOE Divisions of DCAE, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), and Florida Division of Blind Services (FDBS); and WIOA combined planning partner, DCF.

As staff to the state board of directors, CareerSource Florida will:

• Establish regular meetings with core and combined partners, in collaboration with the REACH Office at the Executive Office of the Governor, to:
• Provide regular reports on state goals, individual partner initiatives, and implementation of the REACH Act.
• Identify challenges and opportunities to eliminate barriers to collaboration, leverage resources across agencies, and review and report on ongoing implementation efforts.
• Explore collaboration opportunities with core and combined planning partners and stakeholders to develop new jointly funded initiatives and engage in coordinated projects designed to continue implementing and enhancing the workforce system within the WIOA framework.
• Lead efforts to create a State Plan Dashboard to track outcomes against the performance goals documented in this plan.
• Lead statewide efforts for three-pillar plan for workforce system transformation to include:
• Alignment and consolidation of workforce development areas reducing the number of LWDBs from 24 to 21 and designating of new workforce development areas.
• System-wide improvements including organizational and structural changes, streamlined user experiences and modernized processes and technologies.
• Regional planning to develop WIOA planning regions that combine two or more LWDBs and areas to align workforce development activities and resources with larger regional economic development areas and available resources to provide coordinated and efficient services to both job seekers and employers.
• Support the Credentials Review Committee required under the REACH Act and recommend credentials of value that meet the established Framework of Quality for inclusion on the statewide MCL.
• Support apprenticeship expansion efforts through the network of Apprenticeship Navigators.
• Continue to seek policy improvements that will expand access to and impact of WIOA dollars for job seekers and businesses.
• Expand the utilization of the state’s suite of Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forecaster tools both within the CareerSource Florida network and among core and combined partners.
• Leverage the Governor’s 15% set aside funding to identify opportunities for joint funding collaborations to meet the goals of this plan.
• Regularly review the state’s funding allocation formula to ensure it is aligned to the state strategies.

Current initiatives funded by the state board include:

Hope Florida
Hope Florida – A Pathway to Promise strengthens coordination between DCF and Florida’s LWDBs to better assist eligible Floridians with overcoming barriers to education, training, and employment. Under the Hope Florida – A Pathway to Promise initiative, a referral process involving regional DCF offices and LWDBs will be developed, and specialized services and programming made available using these funds to help Hope Florida program participants find jobs, enroll in training, and launch new career pathways that lead to self-sufficiency and economic prosperity. LWDBs can also refer potential clients in need of immediate support to DCF to address barriers and challenges not related to employment to access resources that are beyond the allowability of WIOA funding.

Florida Healthcare Training Initiative (FHTI)
FHTI is a specialized program under WIOA that enhances healthcare training opportunities and fosters a skilled healthcare workforce in Florida. FHTI recognizes the critical role of well-trained healthcare professionals in delivering quality healthcare services and aims to provide accessible and comprehensive training programs to individuals seeking healthcare careers.

A key goal of the FHTI pilot is to assess the impact of fully leveraging the flexibilities allowable within WIOA to remove barriers to enrollment and increase both the type and length of services to increase credential attainment in healthcare, along with initial employment and employment retention for one year.

The objectives of this initiative include:

• Promote High-Quality Training: FHTI will promote high-quality healthcare training programs aligned with industry standards and best practices. These programs will cover a range of healthcare occupations including nursing, medical coding, medical assisting, pharmacy technicians and laboratory technicians. Training curricula will emphasize both theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for employment.
• Expand Access and Minimize Eligibility Requirements: FHTI will prioritize accessibility by fully utilizing the flexibilities allowed in WIOA through minimizing eligibility requirements and expanding available services. The goal is to increase access and opportunities to enroll in healthcare training programs and attain employment. The initiative will focus on expanding pathways for healthcare careers.
• Supportive Services: FHTI will establish a robust system of supportive services to address participants' needs throughout their training journey. These services may include career counseling, academic advising, mentorship programs, transportation assistance, childcare support, and access to affordable healthcare. The goal is to provide innovative, individualized, and allowable wraparound support that enables participants to focus on training and successful attainment of a credential as well as employment by continuing supportive services throughout the participants’ first year of employment in healthcare.
• Employer Engagement and Work-Based Learning: FHTI will foster partnerships with healthcare employers, industry associations, and healthcare education providers to develop work-based learning opportunities. These may include apprenticeships, internships, and clinical rotations, allowing participants to gain practical experience, develop professional networks, and increase their employability in the healthcare field.
• Data-Driven Approach: FHTI will use data to drive decision making and continuously evaluate the effectiveness and outcomes of the initiative. By monitoring participant outcomes, program performance and labor market trends, FHTI will be able to make informed adjustments to training programs, supportive services, and partnerships to maximize the impact on and achieve positive employment outcomes for participants.

Supporting Aviation, Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing through a Comprehensive Sector Strategy Approach
The CareerSource Florida Board of Directors approved $9 million to support talent pipeline development in aviation, aerospace, defense manufacturing, and IT/cybersecurity. Funds were awarded to three LWDBs on Florida’s Space Coast in support of the new Florida Atlantic Workforce Alliance. This allocation represented close to 1/3 of an over $27 million investment in the industry sector leveraging funds from FloridaCommerce’s Job Growth Grant Fund and the FDOE’s Cybersecurity and IT Training Grant and Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant. A total of 164 participants have been served to date with 150 receiving training services and 50 employed.

Supporting Working Parents
In Program Year (PY) 2022 – 2023 WIOA funding was distributed to two LWDBs to identify coordinators to work with agency partners in directly assisting single pregnant women job seekers with securing employment and training with an emphasis on work-based learning models. The CareerSource Board of Directors authorized the award of $1 million to CareerSource Central Florida and CareerSource Broward to assist single pregnant women, as well as mothers of children ages 5 and younger, in engaging in a career pathway that leads to self-sufficiency. To date, 146 participants have been served with 67 receiving training services and 26 participants employed.

Support System Improvements and REACH Act Implementation
The CareerSource Florida Board of Directors allocated $3 million to support implementation of the REACH Act focusing on modernizing alignment of LWDBs to better support service excellence across the entire CareerSource Florida network. This investment produced comprehensive reports generated from stakeholder interviews, labor market analysis, and in-depth research into Florida’s existing 24 LWDBs. The research ultimately informed the Florida Workforce System Transformation Plan approved by the CareerSource Florida Board of Directors in February 2023.

Apprenticeship Navigators
The CareerSource Florida Board of Directors approved $1.5 million to fund dedicated Apprenticeship Navigators at each LWDB. Apprenticeship Navigators create and implement outreach plans to educate employers, job seekers, and other stakeholders about the benefits of registered apprenticeship programs. They support regional Apprenticeship Accelerator events, collaborate with employers to develop apprenticeship standards, and work closely with Apprenticeship Training Representatives from FDOE to expand apprenticeship programs throughout the state.

Apprenticeship Navigators are also responsible for connecting job seekers with apprenticeship opportunities and supporting employers and apprentices utilizing various funding mechanisms including Customized Training, Incumbent Worker Training (IWT), On-the-Job Training (OJT), Occupational Skills Training, and Supportive Services provided through WIOA.

IWT Program
IWT grants provide funding for customized, skills upgrade training for existing employees of for-profit businesses and not-for-profit hospitals in the state. Through these grants, employers can establish career pathways for their existing employees to higher-level positions while addressing talent gaps.  CareerSource Florida implemented a new priority evaluation for grant applications to align with the REACH Act. Priorities include training linked to credentials on Florida’s MCL and allowing hospitals to provide opportunities for employees to acquire new or improved skills. The CareerSource Florida Board of Directors approved $3 million for PY 2022 – 2023. CareerSource Florida awarded 87 IWT grants totaling $2.1 million to help companies train and retain more than 1,634 full-time employees. Industries served by IWT grants include Manufacturing, Professional Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Trade and Logistics, Construction and many others. Trainees’ wages increased more than 13% on average within 15 months of completing grant-supported training.

Quick Response Training (QRT) Program
The state of Florida appropriated $7.5 million for the state QRT Program. Available to new and expanding companies, this nationally recognized grant program provides funds to create specialized training specifically for new hires in high-skill industries. During PY 2022 – 2023, the program awarded 24 QRT grants to businesses in a range of industries including Trade and Logistics, Manufacturing, Professional Services and Life Sciences. More than 2,200 workers are projected to be trained using these grants.

Rapid Response Activities and and Layoff Aversion
The state-approved allocation for rapid response/dislocated worker assistance consists of funds allocated for rapid response activities with a balance set aside as emergency reserve. FloridaCommerce distributes and manages WIOA statewide rapid response funds. Each PY, up to 25% of Florida’s WIOA dislocated worker allotment is reserved for rapid response activities including layoff aversion.

The State Rapid Response Program office conducts statewide rapid response activities and monitors rapid response activities provided by the LWDBs. When employers submit layoff and business closing notices under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, FloridaCommerce staff distributes the WARN notices and associated background information to the affected LWDB and other appropriate economic development and workforce partners.

Rapid response services are provided when there is an announcement or notification of a permanent closure regardless of the number of affected employees, a mass layoff affecting 50 or more workers, a mass job dislocation resulting from a natural or other disaster, or when a petition is filed pursuant to the Trade Act. The State Rapid Response Program screens employers adversely affected by the influence of foreign trade and competition to facilitate Trade Act petitions. To support rapid response and layoff aversion activities, the state subscribed to EconoVue, a business intelligence data platform which provides real-time, actionable business information for use by state and local workforce development partners. For PY 2022 – 2023, a total of 163 WARN notices were processed affecting 8,906 workers.

Local rapid response teams include rapid response coordinators working with a combination of business development representatives, local Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) coordinators, VR business outreach specialists, WIOA case managers, Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives (LVERs), and representatives from DCF. Florida’s decentralized model for providing rapid response services facilitates immediate and, when possible, on-site sessions that provide direct linkage of adversely impacted workers to their local career centers.

In support of rapid response activities, FloridaCommerce’s mobile career centers can be deployed across the state to participate in job fairs. Mobile career centers offer a full array of employment, reemployment and employer services. In 2022, the State Rapid Response Program assisted adversely affected workers in 13 local workforce development areas (LWDAs).

By accessing the EconoVue platform, program staff and LWDBs have the ability to assess the material change within business operations and prioritize layoff aversion activities to businesses with high financial stress and provide information about available programs and resources. In response to mass layoffs, the platform allows staff to identify comparable opportunities for reemployment with local businesses and in surrounding counties.

Rural Initiatives
Florida identified 29 counties and five cities in three additional counties as Rural Areas of Opportunity. These counties and cities face economic challenges unique to rural communities. Accordingly, the CareerSource Florida Board of Directors designated supplementary allocations for LWDBs identified as rural boards to further support operations. The $2 million allocated to this category fund critical workforce development needs in Florida’s rural communities.

Core and Combined Partners commit to:

• Ensuring representation at the regularly scheduled partner meetings scheduled by CareerSource Florida in collaboration with the REACH Office at the Executive Office of the Governor.
• Provide regular data reporting to assist in the creation of the State Plan Dashboard.
• Work to identify barriers to partnership and collaboration and duplication of services and implement solutions to remove barriers and duplication of services.

Currently funded initiatives related to the goals and strategies in this plan include:

FloridaCommerce

FL WINS
The FL WINS program is an innovative, consumer-first workforce development system that seeks to provide Floridians with improved access to workforce programs and services through

interoperable systems and shared integrated data. FloridaCommerce recently completed a feasibility study that provides a roadmap for program establishment, technical integration, and enhanced business process integration. The FL WINS program will implement a “no wrong door strategy” and the below components in an online app that streamlines the process for accessing workforce services:

• Customer Portal – Enhances the customer experience through a single shared account that provides a common access point to update personal information, view program information, and submit common intake applications.
• Common Intake Form – Provides intake capabilities for applicable programs across the Workforce Partners.
• Data Integration – Enables the sharing of data between existing agency systems of record to enhance the user experience, orchestrates the data flow among systems, and enables robust data analytics.

These initiatives will take place over three to five years and set a foundation for enhanced coordination and service delivery for Floridians.

Answers to frequently asked questions about the FL WINS Workforce System Integration effort can be viewed on FloridaCommerce’s website.

The Florida Strategic Plan for Broadband
The FloridaCommerce Office of Broadband works with local and state government agencies, community organizations, and private businesses to increase the availability and effectiveness of broadband internet throughout the state, specifically in small and rural communities. Through these partnerships, the Office of Broadband encourages investment in grant funding opportunities for the broadband program that focus on the expansion of broadband.

The Florida Broadband Act of 2021 directed the Office of Broadband within FloridaCommerce to:

• Develop a map of broadband Internet service availability throughout the state.
• Review and verify public input regarding transmission speeds and availability of broadband Internet services throughout the state.
• Develop, market, and promote broadband Internet services in the state.
• Create a strategic plan to increase the use of broadband Internet services in the state.
• Build and facilitate Local Technology Planning Teams (LTPTs) or partnerships.
• Participate in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proceedings that are related to the geographic availability and deployment of broadband Internet in Florida.
• Establish the Broadband Opportunity Program and rules for the program to award grants to applicants who seek to expand broadband Internet to unserved areas, subject to appropriations (§ 288.9961(4), Fla. Stat.).

The Florida Legislature directed the Office of Broadband to develop a strategic plan to guide the State of Florida in broadband Internet expansion and improvement. Under the leadership of the Governor, the Department has undertaken this task with coordination, input, participation, and support from partners and Floridians across the state.

The Florida Strategic Plan for Broadband can be viewed on FloridaCommerce’s website.

In July 2023, the Governor announced more than $247 million through the Capital Projects Fund Broadband Infrastructure Program. Connecting more than 59,000 unserved and underserved businesses, homes, farms, and anchor institutions like hospitals and libraries to high-speed Internet. Infrastructure deployment through 63 strategic projects in 43 Florida counties ensures that Florida residents have reliable and efficient access to workforce, education, and health monitoring opportunities for generations to come.

In September 2023, FloridaCommerce hosted the inaugural Florida Broadband Summit. This event brought together more than 300 broadband industry professionals, local government officials, workforce and economic development professionals, and community organizations to share information and discuss the expansion and adoption of broadband across the state and how these services impact Florida’s economy.

More information about the Office of Broadband, its accomplishments, and ongoing efforts to expand high-speed internet service in Florida can be viewed on the FloridaCommerce website.

Reemployment Assistance (RA) Modernization
During the 2021 Legislative Session, the Governor and Florida Legislature directed and provided funding for FloridaCommerce to undertake a sustainable, continuous modernization effort of the RA Claims and Benefits Information System to implement immediate system performance and functional improvement needs while positioning FloridaCommerce with an integrated, modular, cloud-based system that is secure, scalable, and sustainable.

The primary goals for the RA Modernization Program are:

• Provide a system that is efficient, scalable, and meets the needs of providing RA benefits to protect workers employed in Florida who lose their job through no fault of their own.
• Enhance services provided to Floridians to access better career and workforce training opportunities and achieve economic self-sufficiency.
• Achieve RA national prominence, as measured through the federal core measures, program integrity measures, and standards required by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL).
• Improve access to the delivery of RA benefits.
• Sharpen the RA program’s focus on outcomes and accountability.
• Provide a system capable of responding rapidly to changes in law and economic conditions.
• Reduce cyber security risk and potential for fraud.
• Improve information flow with claimants, employers, and Third-Party Administrators (TPA) to provide quicker resolutions.
• Improve the RA program quality, accountability, performance, and integrity.
• Leverage new technologies to improve claimants, employers, and TPAs’ overall experience with the RA Program, including reducing the amount of time it takes to file a claim for benefits.
• Improve and effectiveness in managing claim workload and being better equipped to handle unexpected spikes in the number of claims that may result from emergencies, disasters, or economic factors.
• Eliminate manual, error-prone, labor-intensive processes.
• Enhance system usability, including accessibility.
• Reduce maintenance and support time and costs.
• Incorporate technical standards sufficient to develop modern technologies.
• Seamlessly integrate with other internal/external information technology (IT) assets.
• Modernize real-time and batch interfaces and all other systems exchanging data with the RA program.

The RA Modernization Program includes approximately 20 projects which are grouped into the following categories: infrastructure, software, data and analytics, and security. These initiatives address the immediate need to improve performance and usability of the RA Claims and Benefits Information System while also establishing the architectural framework and processes necessary to implement future business process and technology changes efficiently and effectively.

These initiatives take place over two years and set a solid foundation for ongoing modernization efforts to further improve the delivery of RA services to Floridians and coordination with workforce partners to empower Floridians through career development activities.

More information about the RA Modernization Program can be found on FloridaCommerce’s website.

Florida Job Growth Grant Fund
Chapter 288, Florida Statutes establishes the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund within FloridaCommerce to promote economic opportunity by improving public infrastructure and enhancing workforce training across the state. FloridaCommerce may identify projects, solicit proposals, and make funding recommendations to the Governor to approve state or local public infrastructure projects to promote:

• Economic recovery in specific regions of this state.
• Economic diversification or economic enhancement in a targeted industry.

The Governor chooses recommendations to meet the demand for workforce or infrastructure needs in the community to which they are awarded.

The Florida Job Growth Grant Fund awarded 20 projects in fiscal year 2021 – 2022 and 18 projects in fiscal year 2022 – 2023. Information about submitted proposals, awarded proposals and other announcements may be viewed on FloridaCommerce’s website.

Florida Department of Education

Division of Career and Adult Education

Regionalization Efforts
In the 2023 – 2026 competitive grant application cycle, DCAE provided eligible adult education providers with the opportunity to submit either individual or collective grant proposals. This cycle introduced collective grant applications as a new initiative, enabling providers to collaboratively develop, implement, and enhance adult education and literacy activities while aligning them with the workforce and educational needs of their local areas.

Collaborative partnership development yields many benefits by optimizing resource utilization, combining financial assets, instructional materials, and specialized personnel. This expansion enriches the educational experience for adults and results in more adaptive and comprehensive program design, addressing a broader spectrum of educational needs and service delivery.

Additionally, these partnerships lead to improved outreach, streamlined administrative processes, and an overall enhancement of adult education program quality, accountability, and sustainability.

Individual Education and Training (IET) Expansion
In Florida, 15 of the 17 career clusters are supported by IET programs. The top 5 career clusters engaging IET students are Health Science, Business Management & Administration, Education & Training, Architecture & Construction, and IT.

As of the 2023-2024 school year, all Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) grant recipients offer IET programs. In 2022 – 23, 58 out of 62 agencies offered IET programs to learners.

During the 2021 – 22 school year, 1,548 IET students participated in IET programs across Florida. The 2022 – 23 school year saw a 78% participation increase in IET programs with 2,765 adult learners benefiting from this educational model in 109 IET programs. Most of these programs also lead to an industry certification on the MCL.

The number of IET registered pre-apprenticeship programs has shown substantial growth, increasing from 7 to 23, a 228% surge since the 2021 – 22 school year. These programs cater to the following industries: Architecture & Construction; Manufacturing; Transportation, Distribution & Logistics; and IT. This expansion is a direct result of effective collaboration between adult education providers and employers.

DCAE is committed to supporting IET program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation through technical assistance and professional development opportunities. Agencies can tailor IET programs to meet current workforce demands and prepare learners for future employment needs.

Vocational Rehabilitation
VR launched a new case management system, Aware (Accessible Web-based Activity and Reporting), on August 28, 2023. Aware is a consolidated system that replaces more than 10 individual legacy systems. An industry standard case management system designed for state vocational rehabilitation agencies, Aware is used by more than 40 VR agencies in the United States. It is designed to collect and track information to ensure compliance and increase efficiency through reduction of paper-based processes. This system will allow VR to streamline internal processes to improve effective and efficient VR services to consumers.

VR has partnered or developed several programs that support strategies articulated in Section II:

• The Able Trust High School High Tech (HSHT) provides high school students with disabilities the opportunity to explore jobs or postsecondary education leading to in-demand careers. HSHT links youth to a broad range of academic, career development and experiential resources and experiences that will enable them to meet the demands of the 21st century workforce. HSHT programs are located in 45 sites across Florida.
• The Adults with Disabilities (AWD) grant serves individuals with the most significant disabilities who are not yet ready to enter the workforce but could benefit from pre-employment related services. FDVR serves as the monitoring agency overseeing the AWD grant programs verifying appropriate use of funds and evidence of return on investment of state funding in these programs. FDVR has been overseeing the AWD Grants for more than 18 years with 23 sites across Florida.
• VR currently contracts with nearly 100 service providers that provide Career Camps during four sessions of the school year (fall, spring, summer, and winter). The Career Camps provide pre-employment transition services (ETS) to youth with disabilities and potentially eligible youth.
• VR supports alternative training plans, like Agribusiness, a program that aids farmers, ranchers, other agricultural workers and farm family members with a disability, and LaunchIT, an instructional program designed to help individuals with disabilities acquire the skills to pursue a career in IT, to increase participation of Floridians with disabilities in employment in a wide variety of business sectors.
• VR has been awarded $13.1 million to realize the Florida Arts to Competitive Integrated Employment (ArtCIE) initiative. The initiative will create an innovative model that assists Floridians with disabilities currently employed in, or contemplating, subminimum wage employment to move toward competitive integrated employment (CIE) outcomes in the field of Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation. ArtCIE will offer opportunities to at least 1,000 individuals with disabilities; create a dual customer career exploration model with innovations in peer mentoring, work experience, virtual reality modules, and business engagement; and provide training for sheltered workshops and other subminimum wage providers, individuals, families, school personnel and employers. The award is part of the U.S. Department of Education's (USDOE) Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment (SWTCIE) demonstration project with fourteen state vocational rehabilitation agencies.