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Community-Based Organization Information Booklet

The Workforce Investment Act

In 1998 Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which represented the first major reform of the nation's workforce investment system in over 15 years. The Workforce Investment Act was designed to replace the patchwork federal system that developed over the last sixty years with a locally designed and driven system to improve the quality of the workforce, enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the nation and reduce welfare dependency. It also increased the opportunity for partnerships with faith-based and community organizations and their leaders.

The Workforce Investment Act became fully effective on July 1, 2000. It passed by a wide bipartisan majority in part because it was designed to permit communities and states to build a workforce investment system that respects individual choices, reflects local conditions, and results in increased employment, retention, and earnings of participants, and increases occupational skills attained by participants.

The Workforce Investment Act redesigned the nation's workforce investment system to:

Streamline multiple employment and training programs into an integrated One-Stop Career Center system, simplifying access to services for job seekers and employers.
Empower individuals to get the services and skills they need to improve their employment opportunities through qualified training programs of their choosing.
Increase accountability of states, localities and training providers for their performance based on job placement rates, earnings, retention in employment, skill gains, and credentials earned.
Involve local elected officials and the private sector in business-led boards for the local areas focusing on strategic planning, policy development and local oversight.
Allow state and local flexibility to implement innovative and comprehensive workforce investment systems to meet the needs of their communities.
Improve youth programs by creating Youth Councils that are linked more closely to local labor market needs and the community.

New Roles and Flexibility

Partnerships at all levels of government- local, state and federal - and across the system are the hallmark of the new workforce investment system. All levels are required to coordinate and collaborate with agencies and entities that have not been a part of the traditional workforce development system. Accountability and responsibility for outcomes at all levels of the system now exists, with each level having unique and integral roles and responsibilities.

Local Responsibilities

In the new system, the local level remains key for operational and administrative decisions. It is where customers access services and where the design for the new One-Stop Career Center system and the consumer-driven training system is implemented. Local Workforce Investment Boards have important roles in the new system.

The chief local elected officials have a central role in the administration of workforce investment activities. Specifically, the chief local elected official:

Appoints the members of the local board that establishes workforce investment policies in the local area;
Develops, in collaboration with the local board, the local workforce investment plan, which specifies the types of services that are provided;
Serves as the grant recipient for job training funds provided under the Act, and may designate a sub-recipient or fiscal agent;
Works with the local board to: conduct oversight of the One-Stop Career Center in the local area; designate and/or certify One-Stop operators; identify optional One-Stop partners from participating programs; and
Works with the local board to negotiate with the governor the performance levels that apply to local areas and that could result in incentive funds or sanctions.

Additionally, representatives of chief elected officials are members of the state board that develops the state plan and carries out other statewide activities.

State Responsibilities

The Act includes numerous features designed to provide states with increased flexibility in designing and implementing workforce investment systems. It also prescribes new roles for governors. For example, the Workforce Investment Act:

Requires that each state establish a business-led state Workforce Investment Board, consisting of the governor and appointees of the governor representing business, education, labor, local elected officials and others.
Requires states to develop a comprehensive 5-year strategic state plan for all workforce investment activities, and to monitor the operation of the workforce investment system.
Significantly increases, the governor's flexibility to finance activities that are state priorities by allowing the state to reserve fifteen percent of the funds for formula-funded youth, adult and dislocated worker programs to use for an array of workforce investment activities.
Provides the governor with a significant role in developing performance measures and negotiating expected levels of performance used to evaluate the effectiveness of the workforce investment system in his/her state.

State Workforce Investment Boards also play an important role in the design and implementation of state systems. For example, boards assist the governor in developing a 5-year strategic plan, continuously improving the system, designating local workforce investment areas, developing state performance measures, and developing funding formulas.

Federal Responsibilities

The federal role is also changed. The federal role is now primarily one of oversight that focuses on coordinating services with other federal agencies, and ensuring overall accountability for results. The federal role includes:

Strategic planning and policy formulation.
Performance accountability to ensure that states and localities meet program performance requirements and provide the highest level of service to customers.
Providing research and evaluation findings to the workforce investment system.
Providing expert assistance to state and local partners and other stakeholders.
Administration and oversight to ensure financial accountability of programs and compliance with legal requirements.

One-Stop Career Centers

A One-Stop Career Center is a site that organizes employment, education and training services into a single network of public and private resources at the local, state and national level. State and local communities began creating their own One-Stop Career Centers in the early 1990s. It wasn't until 1998, however, when a bi-partisan majority of Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) that many of the barriers to creating effective One-Stop Career Centers were eliminated and the centers became required by law.

At these integrated local One-Stop Career Centers, individuals can access high quality local information on available jobs, skill requirements, and training provider performance. While the Workforce Investment Act establishes certain minimum requirements for the structure of the local system, it allows local communities significant flexibility in the design and implementation of their One-Stop Career Center systems. The partners required by the law to be part of the One-Stop Career Centers are:

WIA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities
Employment Service
Adult Education
Postsecondary Vocational Education
Vocational Rehabilitation
Welfare-to-Work
Title V of the Older Americans Act
Job Corps
WIA Indian and Native American Programs
WIA National Farm Worker Jobs Program
Trade Adjustment Assistance
NAFTA Transitional Adjustment Assistance
Veterans Employment and Training Programs
Community Services Block Grant
Employment and training activities carried out by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Unemployment Insurance

Each One-Stop Career Center partner is required to be represented on the local board and to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the local board describing what services are to be provided at the One-Stop Career Center, how the costs of the services and the operating costs of the system will be funded, methods of referral of individuals between the One-Stop operator and the One-Stop partners, the duration of the MOU, and the procedures for amending the MOU.

A One-Stop operator is designated to manage the day-to-day functioning of the local One-Stop Career Center. Postsecondary educational institutions, local Employment Service offices, community and faith-based organizations, private for-profit entities, and government agencies are eligible to be One-Stop operators. A local board may be designated with the agreement of the chief local elected official and the governor.

Each local area must have at least one physical "full service" center where customers can access services from each of the One-Stop partners. Additional service structures may include other full service centers or a network of affiliated sites, or a network of One-Stop partners that can consist of physical sites or electronic access points. Regardless of the design, all One-Stop Career Centers must be based on a "no wrong door" approach that assures customers access to information on all of the core services.

A business-led State Workforce Investment Board is appointed by the governor to oversee each state’s One-Stop Career Center system and to develop a statewide five-year strategic plan. The governor also designates a state agency to oversee the eligible training provider identification process. In most cases, the governors have designated the state workforce agency that carries out the state’s labor exchange programs.

The federal role in the One-Stop Career Center system is generally to coordinate activities between federal agencies and to provide administration and oversight to ensure financial accountability of programs and compliance with legal requirements.

One-Stop Career Centers

Each One-Stop Career Center offers services ranging from self-service activities to more concentrated staff-assisted services. The Workforce Investment Act provides for a continuum of three levels of services that individuals are to progress through: core services; intensive services; and training, with the more extensive levels of services being provided only after the individual is unable to obtain employment with basic services.

Core Services

The Core Services required at each One-Stop Career Center include:

Outreach, intake (which may include worker profiling), and orientation to the One-Stop Career Center
Initial assessment
Job search and placement assistance, and career counseling
Provision of labor market information
Provision of information on:
- Eligible providers of training and other services
- Local performance outcomes
- Activities at the One-Stop Career Center
- Filing claims for Unemployment Insurance
- Supportive services
Assistance in establishing eligibility for Welfare-to-Work and financial aid assistance.
Follow-up services

Intensive Services

Intensive services may be provided to adults and dislocated workers who are unemployed, have received at least one core service and are unable to obtain employment through core services, or who are employed and have received at least one core service if the One-Stop operator determines the individual is in need of more intensive services in order to obtain or retain employment that leads to self-sufficiency. Intensive Services include:

Comprehensive and specialized assessments of skill levels (e.g., diagnostic testing)
Development of an individual employment plan
Group counseling
Individual counseling and career planning
Case management
Short-term prevocational services

Training Services

Individuals who have met the eligibility requirements for intensive services and are unable to obtain or retain employment through intensive services may receive training services. Through One-Stop Career Centers, these individuals will be evaluated to determine whether or not they are in need of training and if they possess the skills and qualifications needed to participate successfully in the training program in which they express an interest. Training services must be directly linked to occupations that are in demand in the local area, or in another area to which the individual receiving services is willing to relocate. As with intensive services, in areas where the local board and the governor have determined that adult funds are limited, those with the greatest need may receive priority in the use of funds for training services.

One-Stop Career Centers provide access to consumer information about training providers that can assist individuals in gaining relevant skills- including information on the performance of such providers in placing graduates in employment. Through local boards, each state maintains a list of eligible training providers that meet performance levels set by the governor. The performance levels may be adjusted upward, as appropriate, by local boards. Individuals may choose any provider from the list of approved providers, whether or not the provider is located in the local area where the individual resides.

With limited exceptions, training services are provided through the use of Individual Training Accounts (ITAs). States and local boards determine the structure of the ITA system in their local areas that may take a variety of forms including vouchers, credit cards or debit cards.

Career OneStop Website

Career OneStop is a portal website (www.careeronestop.org) that connects users to relevant links, resources, and community services offered over the Internet. It also directs them to the information and services provided through these core products:

America’s Career InfoNet (www.acinet.org)

America's Career InfoNet is great source of information to help individuals make smart career decisions. It is an electronic storehouse of national, state and local labor market data with employment trends, wages and more. It also lists millions of employers by industry, occupation, and name.

America’s Service Locator (www.servicelocator.org)

America's Service Locator helps individuals locate public service offices with information on finding a job, planning a career, locating training, dealing with job loss and recruiting employees. Visitors to the site can get a map and driving directions to the nearest location providing the desired services, just by typing in their address.

Workforce Tools of the Trade (www.workforcetools.org)

Workforce Tools of the Trade is designed to help workforce development professionals gain the knowledge and skills they need to excel at their jobs. It contains real life examples of what's happening in the field, an extensive database of training resources and providers and links to workforce Web sites across the nation. It also is a tremendous reference tool with access to extensive information on publications, including cutting edge research.

O*NET OnLine (online.onetcenter.org)

The Occupational Information Network is an integral component of Career OneStop. The O*NET database is a comprehensive source of descriptions and skill sets for specific occupations. O*NET OnLine allows both the public and private sector to directly access key data for identifying and developing the skills of the American workforce. Using O*NET information enhances hiring and retention for business, supports workers and students in career planning, and informs the development of skill-based curriculum.

Youth Programs

The Workforce Investment Act reforms the youth training system and the Job Corps program, creating a system that is closely linked to the labor market. It also gives local areas greater discretion in determining how to allocate resources and provide services to youth within a comprehensive statewide system.

The new youth program is based on integrating academic and vocational education, integrating work-based and classroom-based instruction, creating connections with employers and private sector involvement.

The Act requires the creation of a Youth Council under each local board. The Youth Councils include representatives of youth service agencies, parents, public housing authorities, Job Corps, former youth program participants, and other appropriate individuals.

The Youth Council may serve various roles, such as developing portions of the local plan relating to youth, recommending the providers of youth activities to be awarded grants by the local board, conducting oversight of these providers, and coordinating youth activities in the local area.

Youth services are delivered by entities that are competitively awarded a grant or contract by the local board. Such entities may or may not be the same as those providing other WIA services under the One-Stop Career Center system in the local area. Each local area can determine the extent to which they want to integrate youth services with the adult and dislocated worker delivery system in the One-Stop Career Center.

In order to be eligible for youth services, a youth must be 14-21, low income, and meet at least one of six specified barriers to employment including: basic skills deficiency; a school dropout; homeless, a runaway, or a foster child; pregnant or a parent; an offender; or require additional assistance to complete an educational program, or secure and hold employment.

Five percent of the youth served in a local area may be non-low-income if they experience one or more specified barriers to graduation or employment. In addition, in an attempt to focus resources on those most in need, thirty percent of funds in each local area must be expended on out-of-school youth. Youth who do not meet the eligibility requirements must be referred to the One-Stop Career Center or another appropriate program for further assessment in order to meet the basic skills and training needs of the individual.

The Workforce Investment Act requires an individual assessment of skill levels and service needs and the development of a service strategy for each youth participant. The Act also outlines ten required elements of the youth program, including:

Tutoring and study skills training and instruction
Alternative secondary school services
Summer employment opportunities
Paid and unpaid work experiences
Occupational skill training
Leadership development activities
Supportive services
Adult mentoring
Comprehensive guidance and counseling
Follow-up services

WIA emphasizes longer-term service by providing such things as: adult mentoring both during and after participation, for at least one year, and follow-up services for at least one year.

The Workforce Investment Act also strengthens the Job Corps program and ensures that it functions as an integral part of the workforce investment system.

Five Critical Roles Community Organizations Can Play
In Meeting the Employment Needs of Their Communities

Supplement the Resources of Your Staff and Volunteers by Allowing Your Local
One-Stop Career Center Staff to Assist You with the Employment Needs in Your Community

If your organization is like many others, the needs of your community far outweigh your resources. If that is your situation, you may want to supplement your staff and volunteers by having your local One-Stop Career Center assist you with the employment needs in your community.

The staff at your local One-Stop Career Center is trained to help people achieve their career goals. By referring those in your community with employment needs to their local One-Stop Career Center or to the Career OneStop website, you can get workers in touch with the help they need, while freeing up you and your staff's valuable time to concentrate on other critical problems. There are many ways you can encourage those in your community to get the help they need at their local One-Stop Career Center, including:

· Recommending and referring them to One-Stop Career Centers and Career OneStop electronic tools (www.careeronestop.org) in appropriate casual conversations, appropriate meetings and counseling sessions.

Including articles about One-Stop Career Centers and Career OneStop in organization newsletters.
Providing One-Stop Career Center and Career OneStop information on bulletin boards.
Sponsoring a trip to a local One-Stop Career Center.
Sponsoring a training session on Career OneStop.
Hosting a special career-planning seminar featuring a One-Stop Career Center staff member.

Empower Your Organization's Supporters and Volunteers to Help Those in Need

One of the greatest strengths of many community organizations is the sense of caring, compassion and support they demonstrate in their communities. People facing critical employment problems are often in need of that type of support. Whether a person is facing the loss of a job, an impending lay-off, or the need to change jobs, your organization is well positioned to provide those individuals with some of the support they need during these stressful situations.

Your organization may want to serve the people in your community by leveraging the skills and talents of people who are involved with your organization. Your organization can empower your supporters and volunteers to help those facing employment problems in numerous ways, including:

Internet access - Provide a resource room in your organization's building where job seekers can access Career OneStop (www.careeronestop.org) to search for jobs, enter a resume or explore career opportunities.
Mentoring - Pair someone with employment problems with a volunteer or team of volunteers who can support that person during their time of transition and difficulty. These mentors can provide advice and encouragement, and can serve as real-life success stories proving that perseverance will get results. Mentors can also help individuals access the resources they need.
Work experience - Ask your volunteers who own businesses and those who are managers to provide work experience to someone with employment problems. This can result in critically needed income, newly acquired work skills, valuable experience and positive references for their resumes.
Communications assistance - Ask those in your organization with good communications skills to help a job seeker create and proofread resumes and cover letters for proper grammar, punctuation and content.
Interview preparation - Ask your volunteers who have management or Human Resource experience to help a job seeker prepare for upcoming interviews. This could result in increased courage and confidence at subsequent interviews.
Education tutoring - Ask those in your organization who are well educated to tutor those wanting to improve their skills in areas such as reading, writing, mathematics and English.

All of these activities serve individuals by leveraging the skills, talents, and resources of others in your organization and community. By empowering your volunteers and supporters to help those facing serious job difficulties, your organization provides an invaluable service to them even as you strengthen your organization's impact and standing within the community.

Reach Out to Local Citizens by Providing Resources Needed in the Community

Your organization may already offer critical support services to remove barriers to employment for those in your community. These services are often ones that may fall between the cracks of government programs, including such things as:

Child Care
Transportation
Clothing
Life Skills Training

These resources can mean the difference between someone being able to work or having to go on public assistance. However, publicity about these services is often spread by word of mouth. Community organizations seeking to expand their reach into the community should consider forming a relationship with their local One-Stop Career Center.

Your organization can expand the number of people it reaches in the community by:

Informal Arrangement - Letting One-Stop Career Center leaders know about the services your organization already provides and inviting the local One-Stop Career Center staff to refer people in need of those services. For instance, many community and faith-based organizations have informed their local One-Stop Career Center that they offer clothing pantries for those who need clothes for interviews.
Formal Arrangement - Once approved by the local board and your community's chief elected official, you can sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the local board to become a formal One-Stop partner. Partners can be located on-site or off-site. One creative example is an organization that uses its own vans as a "Virtual One-Stop Career Center" to provide community services and outreach.

For more information contact your local Workforce Investment Board or your local One-Stop Career Center.

Verify That the Resources in Your Local Workforce Investment System are Being Used Wisely

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) established supervisory bodies at the local and state levels. In order to better serve the community, you might choose to verify that the resources are being used wisely by serving on the local or state Workforce Investment Board or simply attending board meetings and researching board activities.

The Workforce Investment Act established a workforce investment system that depends upon the active participation and leadership of businesses and community leaders. The supervisory bodies at the local and state levels created by WIA are:

Local Workforce Investment Board - The chief local elected officials of each local area that hosts a One-Stop Career Center must appoint a business-led Local Workforce Investment Board to:
- Establish the workforce investment policies in the local area;
- Develop the local workforce investment plan, which specifies the types of services that are provided;
- Conduct oversight of the One-Stop Career Center system in the local area, designate One-Stop operators, identify additional One-Stop partners from participating programs and negotiate and enter into Memoranda of Understanding under which One-Stop Career Centers are administered; and
- Negotiate with the governor, the performance levels that apply to local areas and that could result in incentive funds or sanctions.
Local Youth Council - Each local Workforce Investment Board is required to have a Youth Council, whose responsibilities may include:
- Developing portions of the local plan relating to youth;
- Recommending the providers of youth activities to be awarded grants by the local board;
- Conducting oversight of these providers; and
- Coordinating youth activities in the local area.
The Youth Councils include representatives of
- Youth service agencies;
- Parents;
- Public housing authorities;
- Job Corps;
- Former youth program participants; and
- Other appropriate individuals.
State Workforce Investment Board - Each state is required to establish a business-led state Workforce Investment Board, consisting of the governor and appointees of the governor representing business, education, labor, local elected officials and others. The board assists the governor in developing a five-year strategic plan, continuously improving the system, designating local workforce investment areas, developing state performance measures, and developing funding formulas.

Each of these supervisory bodies needs people who care about helping individuals meet their full potential and providing a qualified workforce for area employers.

Expand Your Resources by Applying for Local, State and Federal Dollars

Community and faith-based organizations may desire to become providers of services under federally funded programs through contracts, sub-contracts, grants and sub-grants. There are opportunities available for interested organizations to become such service providers, and President George W. Bush has undertaken an initiative to enhance the opportunities to do so.

In January 2001, the President established the Office for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in the White House and centers in the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Education, and Justice. These centers work to identify and eliminate improper barriers to effective participation of faith-based and community organizations in federal programs using legislative, regulatory and programmatic reforms.

The Department of Labor's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiative (CFBCI) keeps its website, www.dol.gov/cfbci, updated with information about DOL grants relevant to community and faith-based organizations and intermediaries. CFBCI works within the department to simplify the grant process so that it can be accessible to new grantees, community and faith-based organizations. The website also includes simple and clear information about how to write an effective grant proposal.

Besides looking into Federal DOL grants, it is important that your organization know about local and state funding opportunities. Eighty-five percent of DOL's Employment and Training Administration monies are given directly to states and localities in formula grants for the One-Stop Career Center system.

If appropriate, your organization can apply to become a service provider through your local One-Stop Career Center. Information about requirements for becoming a service provider is available through the One-Stop Career Center.

Your organization can also apply for grants through the local Workforce Investment Board, Youth Council, or State Workforce Agency. For specific information, contact these agencies directly. Contact information for Workforce Investment Boards may be found at www.nawb.org under Member Directory.

Organizations wanting to learn more about the Faith-Based and Community Initiative may visit:

Five Ways Faith-Based and Community Organizations Can Help Meet Their Community's Employment Needs:

Supplement

Supplement your organization's resources by helping those you serve access employment-related resources available through the U.S. Department of Labor.

Locate your closest One-Stop Career Center by calling 1-800-US2-JOBS or go online at www.servicelocator.org.

Refer individuals seeking employment assistance to their local One-Stop Career Center.

Empower

Empower volunteers in your community to help those facing employment difficulties.

Use your strengths and resources to aid those in need with their employment search.

Reach

Reach out to local citizens by making your organization's services available through your local One-Stop Career Center.

Speak to the One-Stop operator about the possibility of partnering through an informal arrangement, formal arrangement or a Memorandum of Understanding.

Verify

Verify that your local workforce needs and resources are prioritized appropriately by serving on an oversight body or as an information resource for workforce investment leaders.

Contact leaders of the local Workforce Investment Board to find out about their 5-year strategic plan and its allocation of resources. Contact information for Workforce Investment Boards may be found at www.nawb.org under Member Directory.

Attend local Workforce Investment Board meetings.

Inform the Workforce Investment Board about your organization, its commitments and its projects.

Expand

Expand your resources by becoming an eligible service provider through your local One-Stop Career Center.

Learn the requirements for becoming a service provider through your Workforce Investment Board.

Expand your resources by applying for local/federal/state grants.

Ask your Workforce Investment Board, Youth Council, county and city employment agencies about upcoming grants to be released through requests for proposals (RFPs).

Locate grants online by visiting your State Workforce Agency website which you may access at www.naswa.org or by visiting the U.S. Department of Labor's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives website at www.dol.gov/cfbci and clicking on Funding Opportunities.