Narrative: III. a. 2. C.

The main theme of this cycle's WIOA plan in West Virginia is focused on the restructuring of the statewide workforce system to foster collaboration and build communication from the federal, state, and local partnerships. While changes to the system have been recurring over the last several years, the establishment of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Resiliency in late 2022 has guided a robust overhaul to processes, policies, and procedures to address gaps in the systems overall delivery.

The Workforce Resiliency Office has been charged to develop strategic improvements to

modernize West Virginia’s WDS utilizing the issue areas identified by the Blue Ribbon

Taskforce. Improvements undertaken in the past year include:

• Reshaping the West Virginia WDB to reflect evolving industry sectors through employer

and community-based organization representation.

• Conducting a thorough policy review and implementing policies and procedures to

guide the work of system partners while engaging the appropriate state agencies in

coordinated and streamlined policies and practices.

• Implementing the previously mentioned No Wrong Door referral system.
• Identifying ways to better braid funding, including discretionary investments through

IIJA and IRA funds provided to West Virginia agencies and organizations.

• Providing training and technical assistance to state and local system partners and

stakeholders, including MOU development and infrastructure agreements, collaborative case management and implementing the one-stop common identifier.

The Governor’s Office of Workforce Resiliency, the Workforce Development Board, and WorkForce West Virginia began the process of restructuring operating procedures, review and modifying internal and external policies, education on roles and responsibilities, and with the creation of the 2024 – 2027 WIOA Plan West Virginia’s workforce system is establishing a new way of doing business.

Underlying all of West Virginia’s workforce development efforts is the persistent problem of

West Virginia's labor force participation rate (LFPR), which is the lowest in the nation. Factors

such as an aging population, disability rates, and limited job opportunities in certain regions

contribute to this lower participation rate. Much of the state’s population resides in rural areas,

where access to education, training, and employment opportunities may be limited. Infrastructure constraints, including transportation and broadband access, exacerbate these challenges and hinder workforce participation and economic development. While efforts are underway to strengthen the state's workforce development infrastructure, there may be gaps in

service delivery, coordination, and accessibility, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Investing in WDSs and partnerships is crucial to addressing these gaps and ensuring all residents have access to quality education and training opportunities.

While efforts to modernize West Virginia’s WDS continue, and work is underway for deepening partner engagement, there are still some structural issues stemming from a slow adaptation to new economic realities. One structural issue is the lag in transitioning from traditional industries to new economic sectors. West Virginia has historically relied on industries like coal mining and manufacturing, which have faced significant challenges in recent years due to market shifts and technological advancements. Additionally, the state's geographical and socioeconomic factors contribute to structural challenges in workforce development. Rural areas often face limited access to education and training resources, exacerbating disparities in skill development and employment opportunities. By addressing these challenges and fostering greater collaboration among stakeholders, West Virginia can better position itself to adapt to new economic realities, promote innovation, and create opportunities for sustainable economic and workforce growth.

The State of West Virginia’s vision for the 2024-2027 state plan cycle is to clarify and consolidate the state’s efforts to meet the unique and localized needs of West Virginia workers and residents. The urgency is clear. West Virginia’s demographic profile makes both retaining younger workers and engaging older workers critical to the state’s sustainability. 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.

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.

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 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 and supportive services. 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 DoHR, 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. https://nowrongdoor.wv.gov/

By providing greater access and ease of access to supportive services through the No Wrong Door referral platform, partners can maximize their funding, time and efforts to allow for true wrap-around services and address gaps rather than duplication.  Collaboration with community organizations and effective delivery mechanisms are essential for providing comprehensive supportive services and fostering successful workforce participation.  Programs within WIOA and outside partners are key to providing a full array of support services to individuals. 

The West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services (WVDRS) maintains cooperation and coordination with various agencies and entities. This section describes WVDRS’ association with agencies or entities that are not in the statewide workforce development system, education officials, private nonprofit vocational rehabilitation service providers, and supported employment and extended services providers for individuals with the most significant disabilities.

WVDRS continues to maintain strong relationships with many agencies and organizations that are not in the statewide workforce development system and whose functions, in some capacity, involve the provision of services to individuals with disabilities. WVDRS’ association with other organizations occurs with varying degrees of involvement depending upon joint initiatives that may be planned and/or that may occur within any given year. Generally, WVDRS representatives may be included in advisory functions for other agencies, as are other agencies with the strategic planning that occurs within WVDRS. Some examples include:

• A WVDRS representative is actively involved with the West Virginia Behavioral Health Planning Council in the monitoring and oversight of behavioral health services in the state. The WVDRS representative participates in quarterly Council meetings and serves on various subcommittees.
• WVDRS representatives participate with the West Virginia Developmental Disabilities Council. WVDRS maintains a close working relationship with the staff and members of this Council and has provided support and received effective feedback for its work.
• WVDRS is partnering with the West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health in implementing the pilot project "Enhancing Employment for People with Mental Illness."
• WVDRS also collaborates with the West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health, which involves increasing employment opportunities for individuals in recovery who want to become Peer Recovery Support Specialists through our On-the-Job Training program.
• WVDRS is represented on the State’s Interagency Collaborative Team (ICT), a group (including agencies not under the state workforce development system) centered around WorkForce WV to provide ongoing attention to addressing issues that will build and continually improve the statewide Workforce Development System (WDS). The team is the single  state-level interagency group for addressing issues or concerns regarding building and maintaining the most effective and efficient implementation of the overall WDS in WV. WVDRS participates in and hosts regular, monthly meetings of the ICT, and is one of the signatories of the ICT Memorandum of Understanding, which is drafted annually. The ICT membership includes:
  • Department of Commerce – WorkForce WV – WV Employment Service
  • Department of Commerce – Division of Rehabilitation Services
  • Department of Commerce – Development Office – Community Development Division
  • Department of Commerce – Development Office – Business Industry Development
  • Bureau of Senior Services – State Unit on Aging
  • Council for Community and Technical College Education
  • Department of Education – Office of Adult Education and Workforce Development
  • Department of Education – Office of Diversion and Transition Programs
  • Department of Human Services – Bureau of Children and Families
  • Department of Human Services –Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
  • Department of Human Services – Food Stamp Employment and Training, United States Department of Agriculture
• WVDRS has a good working relationship with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at the district level, which allows direct referrals of appropriate veterans from VA facilities to WVDRS’ Rehabilitation Technology Unit for assistive technology and rehabilitation engineering services. Furthermore, WVDRS maintains liaisons for multiple VA offices in WV. WVDRS representatives from one district office also attend the yearly Homeless Veteran Stand Down event to increase outreach to veterans who are unhoused. WVDRS will continue to provide internship opportunities for veterans to increase their knowledge, skills, and abilities which will allow them to be more competitive job seekers.