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Plan: Louisiana PYs 2024-2027
Combined Plan C

Section: WIOA State Plan Common Elements

Narrative: III. a. 2. B.

Published
Located in:
  • III. Operational Planning Elements

    The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an Operational Planning Elements section that supports the State’s strategy and the system-wide vision described in Section II(c) above.  Unless otherwise noted, all Operational Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs.  This section must include—

    • a. State Strategy Implementation

      The Unified or Combined State Plan must include–

      • 2. Implementation of State Strategy

        Describe how the lead State agency with responsibility for the administration of each core program or a Combined Plan partner program included in this plan will implement the State’s Strategies identified in Section II(c). above. This must include a description of—

III. a. 2. B. Alignment with Activities Outside the Plan

Describe how the activities identified in (A) will be aligned with programs and activities provided by required one-stop partners and other optional one-stop partners and activities provided under employment, training (including Registered Apprenticeships), education (including career and technical education), human services and other programs not covered by the plan, as appropriate, assuring  coordination of, and avoiding duplication among these activities.

View corresponding narrative from PYs 2022-2023 (Mod)

Current Narrative:

To align the activities identified with the programs and activities provided by required one-stop partners and other optional one-stop partners, Louisiana will focus on enhancing collaboration and coordination across various sectors. This effort will bridge employment, training, education, and human services to ensure a comprehensive and unified approach to workforce development.

Enhanced Data Integration and Analysis

  • Comprehensive Workforce Analysis: Leverage the data collected by the Board of Regents and LCTCS on program enrollments, completions, and employment outcomes to perform a comprehensive analysis of the workforce pipeline, identifying trends, gaps, and opportunities in high-demand fields.
  • Outcome-Based Metrics: Develop and utilize outcome-based metrics in partnership with the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) to evaluate the success of educational and training programs in meeting workforce needs and aligning with labor market demands.

Strategic Educational Pathways

  • Expanding Dual Enrollment: Build on the success of dual enrollment programs by identifying and reducing barriers to participation, especially in CTE fields, to ensure that more students can access these opportunities, regardless of their geographical location or economic background.
  • Targeted CTE Expansion: Specifically focus on expanding CTE dual enrollment in alignment with regional and state workforce needs, ensuring that students gain the skills and credentials demanded by employers.

Collaborative Workforce Development Efforts

  • Industry-Academia Partnerships: Strengthen partnerships between educational institutions and industry sectors to ensure that curricula and training programs are directly aligned with current and emerging job market needs, facilitating real-time responsiveness to labor market shifts.
  • Advisory Role of Workforce Development Boards: Involve local workforce development boards more actively in shaping and evaluating the educational and training programs to ensure they are effectively addressing the workforce needs of their respective regions, including the review of existing performance matrices.

Support Services and Accessibility

  • Enhanced Support for Work-Eligible Individuals: Through TANF and SNAP E&T programs, provide comprehensive support services, including job preparation, work, and training, to improve employment prospects for work-eligible individuals, thereby contributing to an increased labor force participation rate.
  • Barrier Removal Initiatives: Implement specific initiatives to remove or reduce barriers to accessing education and training, such as transportation, childcare, and financial constraints, particularly focusing on rural, underserved, and disadvantaged populations.

Integration with Statewide Workforce Strategies

  • Seamless Workforce Pipeline Development: Develop a seamless workforce pipeline that integrates education, training, and employment services across the state, ensuring that individuals can smoothly transition from education to employment.
  • Consistent and Unified Workforce Programs: Align the Fast Forward pathways and other training initiatives across different regions to ensure consistency and coherence in workforce development efforts, making these programs more predictable and accessible to students and job seekers.

Continuous Improvement and Innovation

  • Feedback Loops and Continuous Learning: Establish continuous feedback loops with all stakeholders, including students, educators, employers, and workforce professionals, to regularly assess and improve the effectiveness of workforce development programs.
  • Innovative Work-Based Learning Models: Expand and enhance work-based learning models, such as apprenticeships and work-experience, to provide real-world experience to students and job seekers, aligning educational outcomes with practical workforce needs.

By adding these detailed elements to the strategy, Louisiana will be able to create a more dynamic and responsive workforce development system that not only meets the current needs of its labor market but is also adaptable to future changes and challenges. This strategy will foster a skilled, competitive workforce that contributes to the state's economic growth and long-term prosperity.

LWC and its local workforce partners have aligned with the Louisiana Department of Corrections on several reentry initiatives across the state. Participants are justice involved individuals and sentenced to serve time in the re-entry program. This alternative sentencing structure is designed to work with men and women while they are incarcerated in an effort to provide job skills in demand occupations, reducing the chances of recidivism among participants and complying with the terms and conditions of sentencing. Minimally, engagement in the re-entry program ensures the following:

•         Inmate receives workforce individualized career services prior to release.

•         Inmate must secure employment prior to release.

•         Peer mentors are assigned to each inmate.

•         Peer mentor must verify the inmate’s readiness for release.

OWD is 100% dedicated to this initiative and has specifically assigned specialized staff toward this initiative working in/with Day Reporting Centers (DRC) to provide individualized career services through the case management framework. LWC has added workforce specialist to assist the DRCs in the Orleans/Jefferson, St Tammany, East Baton Rouge, Calcasieu, Ouachita and Caddo Parishes.  Furthermore, OWD has increased its presence at nine different specialty courts throughout the state to assist with re-entry barriers to employment.

Additionally, OWD’s Veterans’ Unit offer re-entry services to incarcerated veterans statewide.  Staff work with these individuals starting nine months prior to release.  They continue to engage both parish and state formerly incarcerated personnel with significant barriers to employment in a concentrated effort of giving people a second chance to become productive, gainfully employed citizens.

LWC ensures that all workforce programs maintain access, equity, inclusion and diversity within a universal service delivery.