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.
- a. Economic, Workforce, and Workforce Development Activities Analysis
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an analysis of the economic conditions, economic development strategies, and labor market in which the State’s workforce system and programs will operate.
- a. Economic, Workforce, and Workforce Development Activities Analysis
II. a. 1. C. Comparison of Economic and Workforce Analytical Conclusion. Describe areas of opportunity for meeting hiring, education, and skills needs identified in the economy compared to the assets available in the labor force in the state.
Current Narrative:
An analysis of the economic data indicates that there is still a high need for entry and mid-level workers in the service industry. The MPWS can play a role by educating youth on these industries while working with employers to develop career pathways to retain employees. The provision of work-based learning experiences such as job shadowing, on-the-job training, and apprenticeships will also aid in building more solid pathways in these industries.
There will also continue to be a need for more skilled workers in health care, information technology (IT), accounting, and secondary school teaching. The MPWS is addressing these issues through innovative practices. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is developing a teacher apprenticeship program to cultivate this pipeline. Several registered apprenticeships have been developed for the information technology field, and Missouri’s college and university system is responding to employer demand by ensuring students are provided many options for IT specialization. Finally, the MPWS, through collaboration with the Office of Workforce Development and the Department of Health and Senior Services, has formed a Health and Public Health Workforce Advisory Taskforce to focus solely on the development of innovative practices to grow the talent pipeline in this industry.
The workforce data analysis defines characteristics of Missouri’s current workforce and helps the MPWS identify gaps for improvement. There is a continued need to focus on diversity and equity practices, as well as inclusion for workers with disabilities. Missourians with barriers to employment have been and will continue to be the main focus moving forward. This includes justice-involved individuals, people in poverty, and veterans. Finally, the data yields a new focus area for the MPWS. Both men and women ages 20 to 24 years had an unemployment rate at nearly twice the overall average. This information will be critical to support strategies for youth services, including educating and engaging youth in career exploration and employment opportunities. The MPWS will also focus on flexible service delivery methods to attract more youth to its programs.
Further analysis of the state’s workforce development activities, including education and training, reveals Missouri’s commitment to deliver services to meet the education and skill needs of its jobseekers and the hiring needs of its employers. These activities align with Governor Parson’s initiatives of strengthening workforce development across the state.