Located in:
- Employment and Training Programs Under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Programs Authorized Under Section 6(d)(4) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015(d)(4)))
- a. General Requirements [27]
The State agency must prepare and submit an Employment and Training (E&T) Plan to its appropriate Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Regional Office. The E&T Plan must be available for public inspection at the State agency headquarters. A State agency may include its plan for the SNAP E&T program in a Combined Plan under WIOA but will require FNS approval prior to implementation and must continue to make a copy of the plan available for public inspection. If a State includes SNAP E&T in a Combined Plan under WIOA, the State agency will detail the following for each year covered by the Combined Plan:
[27] 7 CFR § 273.7(c)(6)
- a. General Requirements [27]
a. 12. The relationship between the State agency and other organizations it plans to coordinate with for the provision of services, including organizations in the Statewide workforce development system, if available. Copies of contracts must be available for inspection; The State agency must document how it consulted with the State workforce development board. If the State agency consulted with private employers or employer organizations in lieu of the State workforce development board, it must document this consultation and explain the determination that doing so was more effective or efficient. The State agency must include in its E&T State plan a description of any outcomes from the consultation with the State workforce development board or private employers or employer organizations. The State agency must also address in the E&T State plan the extent to which E&T activities will be carried out in coordination with the activities under title I of WIOA;
Current Narrative:
DCF contracts with FloridaCommerce to administer the SNAP E&T components outlined in this state plan, Section I. These services and activities include supervised job search, job search training, education and vocational training, work experience, and/or a combination of components.
FloridaCommerce holds a grantee/sub-grantee agreement with each of the 24 LWDBs which outlines the LWDBs requirements to operate the SNAP E&T program in accordance with the federal and state laws and policy. As it relates to monitoring for adherence with 7 CFR 275.8, national target areas and/or at-risk areas as identified by Federally by Food and Nutrition Services, as well as compliance with the SNAP E&T Plan, Interagency Agreement and any other federal or state requirements as needed, DCF will work with FloridaCommerce to ensure compliance.
CareerSource Florida is the State Workforce Development Board for Florida. In the development of the FFY2024 SNAP E&T state plan, FloridaCommerce consulted with the CSF by providing the draft state plan to the CareerSource Florida professional team for review and input on June 22, 2023. Key members from DCF, FloridaCommerce, and CSF met to review the CareerSource Florida team's feedback and input.
Members of the CareerSource Florida team included its Chief Operating Officer and members of the Workforce Program Development Team. The below input was provided by CareerSource Florida to be incorporated in the SNAP E&T state plan:
- CLIFF Dashboard - Leveraging of the CLIFF Dashboard and associated suite of CLIFF tools by LWDB staff and extending use of the tools to partners and stakeholders serving recipients of public assistance to prioritize employment, emphasize education and training, reduce welfare dependency, increase economic self-sufficiency, and meet employer needs. The Florida CLIFF Dashboard offers a graduated series of informational resources to use in case management practices (e.g. highlighting wage information based on the desired occupation in supervised job search, education, vocational training components) such as the CLIFF Snapshot, Dashboard and Financial Planner. The CareerSource Florida Board of Directors published a strategic policy in June 2023 directing the LWDBs to implement and track the use of the CLIFF Dashboard in their case management processes. The CLIFF tools will be used by the LWDB staff when managing SNAP E&T participants to prepare them for potential cliffs when moving from receipt of food assistance benefits to self-sufficiency through employment. Additionally, the LWDB staff will use the career planning (forecasting) elements to assist with helping SNAP E&T participants to understand and visualize the timing, magnitude, and general effects of increased earnings as they progress along in-demand career pathways and tracking towards self-sustaining employment.
- Hope Florida-A Pathway to Promise program is a signature program of the Florida First Lady that helps participants identify barriers at the individual level, secure appropriate referrals, and facilitate the sharing of information between DCF, FloridaCommerce and LWDBs. On the whole, such cross-partner collaboration reflects the state's keen focus on transforming its workforce system to better assist participants and employers. To this end, Navigator positions created under this initiative assist with ensuring participants are provided holistic services to help move them towards self-sufficiency. In coordination with the LWDB case managers, Navigators will assist individuals, including SNAP E&T participants, in obtaining wraparound services that may be needed as they progress towards self-sufficiency.
- Master Credentials List - A statewide list of degree and non-degree credentials that respond to market demand and lead to careers with middle/high-level wages promoting self-sufficiency and stability. The Master Credentials List serves as a public and transparent inventory of state approved credentials of value, directs the use of federal and state funds for workforce education and training programs that lead to approved credentials of value, and guides workforce education and training programs by informing the public of the credentials that have value in the current or future job market. SNAP E&T participants have access to this information and can use the information as a basis for locating in-demand occupations that may be of interest.
FloridaCommerce also values the input of the LWDBs to ensure both state- and local-level perspectives are considered in the design of the state's E&T program. A workgroup comprised of subject matter experts from small, medium, and large LWDBs was formed and convened to gather feedback regarding the design and delivery of E&T services. This consultation helped gather feedback related to local needs in the development of the SNAP E&T program, needs of local employers, and needs of the participants.
Further, consultation with the LWDBs will occur throughout FFY2024 to gain meaningful feedback on a more consistent basis for improvement of services to E&T participants in Florida. Specifically, the consultation will cover:
- Design and delivery of E&T services (i.e. review of provider determination, participant reimbursement, etc.)
- New initiatives for FFY2024 (i.e. expansion of mandatory E&T participants and development of training modules for LWDBs to meet the needs of this new demographic.)
- Emerging challenges and needs for FFY 2025
The required consultation with the state workforce development board will occur in the first quarter of FFY2024.