NASWA Bulletin - June 29, 2015
In This Issue:
- Senate Panel Restores Governors Set-Aside to 15 Percent; House Panel Increases it to 11 Percent
- House/Senate Appropriations Committees Approves Funding Bills with Reductions to USDOL
- NASWA and NGA Jointly Submit Comments on WIOA Proposed Regulations
- House-Senate Overcome Differences and Pass Trade Legislation, Reauthorization of TAA
- Customs Bill Goes to House-Senate Conference: Includes Wage Record Provision
- Job Seekers Using National Labor Exchange (NLx) Increases in 2015
- House Subcommittee Discusses Safety Net Programs; Work Incentives
- NASWA Executive Director, Scott Sanders, Opens NAUIAP Conference
- Registration Open for the 79th Annual NASWA Conference!
- Announcing NASWA's 2015 Salute to Leadership Awards!
- Registration Now Open for the 2015 UI Integrity Technology Symposium – September 1-2, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency in Washington, DC
- Announcements, Notices, Advisories, and Reports
Senate Panel Restores Governors Set-Aside to 15 Percent; House Panel Increases it to 11 Percent
Last week the Senate Committee on Appropriations approved a funding bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, known as the Labor-HHS-ED bill. The Senate measure restored the Governors set-aside for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 to 15 percent, resulting in a $111 million increase over the FY 2015 enacted level.
Across the Capitol, the House Committee on Appropriations also approved a funding bill for its version of the Labor-HHS-ED bill, but only increased the set-aside from 10 to 11 percent. The differences in the House and Senate bills will be reconciled later this summer or early fall. NASWA sent letters to the House and Senate urging the restoration of the Governors set-aside for FY 2016. The letters were signed by the NASWA leadership.
The Senate Appropriations Committee, in their committee report, which accompanied the legislation, called the Governors Set-Aside, “a powerful tool for States to meet their own unique workforce and employment needs on a State-wide or regional basis.” In contrast, the House Appropriations Committee, in their committee report, indicated support for full restoration of the Governor’s Reserve to the authorized limit of 15 percent, [but] expressed concern that “many States “continue to carryover high unobligated balances.” Committee reports usually accompany the legislative text of legislation and help explain why a committee took certain actions.
NASWA is concerned the House Appropriations Committee may not be accurately interpreting the obligation and expenditure data, and is examining this information as posted on USDOL’s website. USDOL’s most recent report covers the Quarter ending September 30, 2014, the first quarter under which the Governor’s Reserve had been increased to 8.75 percent. Please click here for the USDOL data. NASWA will share it’s response to the House Committee on Appropriations with the membership.
The set-aside was reduced from 15 to 5 percent in Program Year 2011 (June 30 –July 1) due to carryover balances, in the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, PL 112-10. Although the funds can be spent and obligated over three years, and essentially all set-aside funds are spent after the third year, the Administration was seeking to use these funds for Competitive Grants in their Workforce Innovation Fund (WIF). However, Congress eliminated the WIF program in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The set-aside was increased to 8.75 percent in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, PL 113-76, and to 10 percent in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, PL 113-235.
House/Senate Appropriations Committees Approves Funding Bills with Reductions to USDOL
Last week, both the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations approved their Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 appropriations bills covering the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. The appropriations bill, (known as Labor-HHS-ED) would set funding levels for FY 2016, beginning on October 1, 2015.
- For a summary of the Senate bill, please click here; For the Legislative Text of the Senate bill, please click here; For the Committee Report on the Senate bill, please click here.
- For a summary of the House bill, please click here; For the Legislative Text of the House bill, please click here; For the Committee Report on the House bill, please click here.
Highlights include:
- The House bill cut funding for USDOL by 2 percent (or $212 million) while the Senate bill cut funding for USDOL by 5 percent (or $568 million).
- The House bill kept ETA formula programs funded largely at FY 2015 enacted levels, but made significant cuts to the Dislocated Workers National Reserve (a 66 percent cut mostly impacting National Dislocated Worker Grants) and UI State Administration grants (a 4 percent cut).
- Through increasing the Governor’s set-aside limitation back to 15 percent, the Senate bill increases the Governor’s set-aside by $111 million. However, the bill cuts funding for WIOA Adult, Youth and Dislocated Worker Programs by 5 percent, Reintegration of Ex-Offenders by 73 percent, Wagner-Peyser Employment Service Grants to States by 4 percent, Older Americans by 8 percent, and UI State Administration grants by 3 percent.
- There were significant cuts above five percent to the Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), and Department Management in the House bill, and cuts to all USDOL agencies except Veterans Employment and Training (VETS) in the Senate bill (click here).
The table in the PDF version shows the main differences between the House and Senate appropriations bills for USDOL affecting state workforce agencies and the unemployment insurance system. Please note, the appropriations process is just beginning and will not be completed until early fall. Each bill must pass their respective Chamber; and, while the House Labor-HHS-ED bill may be brought up for a vote, it is unlikely the Senate counterpart can get the 60 votes needed to overcome a procedural motion by Senate Democrats who expressed displeasure with the cuts. House and Senate Appropriators faced a difficult task because under the Budget Control Act, they could not exceed each Subcommittee’s discretionary allocation, which represented about a $3.7 billion cut from the FY 2015 enacted levels. Otherwise, across-the-board cuts, known as sequestration, would be triggered.
NASWA and NGA Jointly Submit Comments on WIOA Proposed Regulations
On Monday June 15, 2015 NASWA and the National Governors Association (NGA) submitted joint comments on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs). Please click here for the comments. Although there were five NPRMs implementing WIOA, the NASWA and NGA comments focused primarily on the DOL-Only NPRM and the DOL-Education NPRM.
The NASWA and NGA comments synthesized the states’ most pressing concerns, as expressed by our leadership, formal committees, and through a survey of our respective memberships. The comments underscore three important themes: (1) The need for maximum flexibility; (2) The need for sufficient implementation time and resources and; (3) The desire to be a true partner and voice in the implementation process. Some 31 states' provided comments on the NPRMs and those state comments were submitted (without state names) as an addendum to the NASWA and NGA comments and have been posted on the NASWA website. Please click here for the state comments on the DOL-Only NPRM and click here for the state comments on the DOL-Education Joint NPRM.
The NASWA and NGA comments are structured in the five categories below and include 26 separate subcategories and 66 recommendations:
- Planning and Governance: Set-Aside; Unified and Combined State Plans; Single Area States; Local Area Designation; Waivers; State Workforce Development Boards; Regional Planning; Maintenance of Effort.
- Unfunded Mandates: Impact on States; Integrated Data Systems; Common Branding; Research and Evaluations; Implementation Costs.
- Performance Accountability: Participation; Statistical Model, Negotiations, and Standards; Penalties; Indicator(s) for Employer Services; Credential Attainment; Employment Outcome Measures; and the Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL).
- Service Delivery: Unemployment Insurance; Coordination of Career Services; Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA); and Youth.
- One-Stops: Infrastructure Funding; and Selection of One-Stop Operators.
The two organizations stressed the importance of recognizing that the readiness to implement WIOA varies from state-to-state and the federal government should provide a “flexible timeline for implementation to allow for changes in state policy and necessary improvements to state infrastructure.” NASWA and NGA also noted “that the WIOA rulemaking process should be a coordinated effort among the Departments of Labor, Education and Health and Human Services with timelines, data reporting and requirements that are aligned and streamlined. In a similar vein, across all six regions, USDOL must deliver consistent and reliable information, guidance and rulings to state and local governments.”
Some 764 comments were received on the DOL-Only NPRM and can be seen by clicking here and some 546 comments were received on the USDOL-Education NPRM and can be seen by clicking here. These comments reside on the regulations.gov website.
House-Senate Overcome Differences and Pass Trade Legislation, Reauthorization of TAA
After a last-minute push from President Obama last week, Congress approved H.R. 1295, reauthorization of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program and H.R. 2146, the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), otherwise known as “fast-track,” which allows the President to complete negotiations on a 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.
The TAA legislation reauthorizes the program through June 30, 2021. Following the final vote on TPA and TAA, the President issued a statement praising Congress for passing the legislation in a bipartisan manner and signed both bills into law on Monday, June 29.
- TAA offers a variety of benefits and re-employment services; with the two largest components being training assistance for workers and income support for workers who have exhausted their unemployment insurance. Some workers age 50 or older are eligible to participate in Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA), a wage supplement program, and both TAA-and ATAA-eligible workers can receive a Health Coverage Tax Credit that provides a refundable tax credit to offset a portion of qualified health insurance premiums.
- State Workforce Agencies act as federal agents in providing program information, processing applications, determining individual worker eligibility for benefits, issuing payments and providing reemployment services and training opportunities. States are reimbursed from federal general revenues for benefit payments and program costs.
- The TAA program was modified in 1994 to include workers affected by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and it was expanded again in 2009 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), PL 115-5, which allowed service-sector workers to be eligible for the program; expanded access for manufacturing and secondary workers; significantly increased training funding and the health care subsidy; and expanded or created various programs. The overall program and various benefits were scaled back when TAA was reauthorized in 2011 in tandem with congressional approval of the South Korea, Colombia and Panama Free Trade Agreements.
- Please note that H.R. 1295 is titled the “Trade Preferences Extension of 2015,” and TAA was folded into this measure last week. It previously passed the House and Senate as S. 1268 and H.R. 1892. Click here For a Section-by-Section Summary of TAA prepared by the House Committee on Ways and Means and Click here for the Committee Report from the Senate Committee on Finance. See the PDF version for specific elements of the legislation.
Customs Bill Goes to House-Senate Conference: Includes Wage Record Provision
The House and Senate have one remaining trade bill to finish, a customs enforcement measure, (HR 644 and S.1269), formally known as The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015. Both chambers have passed differing versions and it will go to a negotiating conference to produce a compromise in July. Of interest, the Senate version (Section 913) requires employers to report on the occupational classification of employees on a quarterly basis and require the Department of Labor to make that information available to state and federal agencies. The House version does not contain this provision.
There has been interest by the Workforce Information Council (WIC) and Labor Market Information (LMI) Directors about making the SOC data available as a way to enhance data sharing across state agencies, improve services to customers and provide better information to policy makers. In late 2012, the WIC established an Administrative Wage Record Enhancement Study Group to examine the feasibility of adding variables to reports that employers submit to all states as part of the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program. The WIC and LMI Directors have noted this type of information would provide a clearer understanding of career pathways and opportunities, improved evaluation of the effectiveness of workforce training, and better decision support to policy makers on trade impacts and jobs.
Concern has been expressed from some employer organizations that this provision could be costly, difficult to implement, and time consuming for employers to comply. The Congressional Budget Office, as part of their cost estimate of the bill, concluded “states would incur costs to adapt their wage reporting systems to comply with the bill’s requirements.” Under the Federal-State unemployment compensation system, states receive federal grants for their administrative costs. CBO estimates that additional federal grants to states would cost $66 million over the 2016-2020 period, to offset the cost of state compliance with the new requirements.
Overall, CBO estimates “that in total, this provision would cost $274 million over the 2016-2020 period.” CBO further explains “Because this data is not currently collected; employers, states, and DOL would need to develop systems for reporting and collecting the information. Based on preliminary information from the BLS, developing federal systems to collect this data would cost $208 million over the 2016-2020 period.”
Job Seekers Using National Labor Exchange (NLx) Increases in 2015
The number of jobseekers using the National Labor Exchange (NLx) at state job banks has been steadily increasing through 2015. The 10 states below show the highest number of job seeker traffic in the most recent six month period as measured by the number of times a job seeker clicks on a job to view the complete job details.
State job banks, supported by the National Labor Exchange job feed, is a public-private partnership between NASWA and DirectEmployers Association. The NLx collects and distributes job openings exclusively found on corporate career websites and state job banks. States can access their own analytics dashboard tool, which allows states to document that a state job bank is sending traffic to an employer’s website, track hire information online, and demonstrate the value of state online self-services. To receive access to the analytics dashboard, please contact Josie Link, NLx Program Specialist, at jlink@naswa.org.
House Subcommittee Discusses Safety Net Programs; Work Incentives
Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee held a joint hearing between its Subcommittees on Human Resources and the House Agriculture Nutrition Subcommittee on how certain welfare programs and related benefits can discourage work as a result of the high effective marginal tax rates they impose on certain populations. The hearing discussed the interaction between safety net programs and workforce incentives for low-income Americans.
Several committee members expressed concern that the fear of losing benefits may deter individuals from seeking employment or increasing their hours worked. Other members highlighted the success of safety net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Several witnesses urged additional federal investment as well as state flexibility to combine federal funding streams to improve coordination of benefits and services. For more information, click here.
As part of his opening statement, House Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany (R-LA) noted that, “Promoting work is the real key to helping people avoid poverty. Benefits can and should serve as a temporary bridge between jobs, or to supplement earnings when someone can only find part-time work. But unless we are willing to tolerate excess poverty—and I am not—those benefits need to reinforce, not undermine, the importance of work. Redesigning welfare benefits to do just that is the challenge before us.”
Witnesses included the following:
- Casey Mulligan, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Economics, University of Chicago - Chanel McCorkle of Baltimore, MD, accompanied by Marsha Netus
Director of Operations at America Works, Baltimore, MD - Erik Randolph
Senior Fellow, Illinois Policy Institute - Olivia Golden
Executive Director, Center for Law and Social Policy - Eugene Steuerle, Ph.D.
Senior Fellow, Urban Institute
NASWA Executive Director, Scott Sanders, Opens NAUIAP Conference
On June 24, 2015 NASWA’s Executive Director, Scott Sanders, delivered the plenary session at the National Association of Unemployment Insurance Appeals Professionals (NAUIAP) and United States Department of Labor (USDOL) Training Conference in Washington D.C. NAUIAP is an organization of persons involved in deciding unemployment insurance appeals, and the conference focused on providing education, sharing best practices, and assuring due process in all matter related to unemployment insurance and appellate review.
Mr. Sanders discussed the work of NASWA, especially as it relates to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the changing nature of the public workforce system. He presented a number of charts showing the trends in UI Administrative funding, claimant separation issues, and the rate of appeals “won” by employers compared to claimants (please see chart on next page). Executive Director Sanders noted that even seemingly unrelated policies, such as the legalization of marijuana in some states, can cause issues for UI appeals professionals because of discrepancies in state laws and employer policies.
Mr. Sanders discussed two programs administered by NASWA’s Center for Employment Security Education and Research (CESER), which is the leading education, research and information technology center focused on workforce development and unemployment insurance issues.
He first addressed NASWA’s Information Technology Support Center (ITSC), which operates as a national technical information and knowledge repository, applying best practice solutions, approaches, and technologies, to limit risks, and increase IT compatibility among states. ITSC has played a major role in the effort to modernize Unemployment Insurance Information Technology systems.
Mr. Sanders also breifed participants on NASWA’s Unemployment Insurance Integrity Center of Excellence; a partnership between NASWA/CESER, the State of New York, and USDOL, that was established as a laboratory of innovation for integrity strategies in unemployment insurance, to assist in preventing, detecting and recovering improper payments.
Registration Open for the 79th Annual NASWA Conference!
NASWA and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development are pleased to announce the 79th Annual NASWA Conference, which will be held October 7-9, 2015. For more information about the Conference as well as attendee, sponsor, exhibitor and vendor registration, please visit the Conference website at http://www.naswa.org/meetings/Indy2015.
The Board of Directors meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 6, 2015. The Annual Conference will start Wednesday morning, October 7, and conclude before noon on Friday, October 9. The Conference will be held at the Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre in downtown Indy.
Information to make hotel reservations and book transportation from the airport is available on the Conference website. The agenda for the annual conference will be available shortly.
Announcing NASWA's 2015 Salute to Leadership Awards!
Nominations are now being accepted for this year's “Salute to the Leadership” Awards. Every year, NASWA's President, Board of Directors and Committees present awards recognizing state and individuals for their excellent contributions to the public workforce system. Award winners will be announced and recognized at NASWA’s 79th Annual Conference scheduled to take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, October 7-9, 2015.
The award categories include:
- The State Excellence Award for Leadership (SEAL) Award -- honoring a state for a workforce related program addressing an issue or challenge.
- The Eagle Award -- honoring individuals who soar to new heights in their efforts to serve employers and workers in the United States.
- The James F. Walls Employee Award -- honoring an employee whose conduct demonstrates outstanding dedication to customers and colleagues, and extraordinary service to the local community.
- The James F. Walls Team Award -- honoring a local office, one-stop center, central office division or unit, or a special team, demonstrating extraordinary service in its assignment area, functions, local community or area.
- The Mark Sanders Award for Exceptional Service to Disabled Veterans -- recognizing efforts of an entire local office/one-stop center, not just a veterans’ unit or veterans’ staff, whose efforts demonstrate “exceptional” service and dedication to improving employment opportunities for disabled veterans.
- The Merrill Baumgardner Award -- honoring an individual who has demonstrated excellence in the field of information technology in a state workforce agency.
- The Vladimir Chavrid Award -- recognizing excellence in the field of Labor Market Information (LMI) and Employment Security operations research.
- The William J. Harris Equal Opportunity Award – recognizing excellence in the field of equal opportunity (EO) and to honor a state workforce agency administrator and the EO workforce agency director/officer for outstanding accomplishments within the agency; and,
- The NASWA National Business of the Year Award -- recognizing a business demonstrating outstanding accomplishments resulting in a positive impact on its workforce, industry and community.
To nominate an individual or state to receive an award at this year’s Annual Conference, simply login to NASWA's website with your user name and password, and follow the link below to make your nominations. Nominations not fully completed can be completed at a later date, as long as members are logged in.
Make your nominations for the 2015 Salute to the Leadership Awards today!
The deadline for nominations is Friday, August 7, 2015.
Registration Now Open for the 2015 UI Integrity Technology Symposium – September 1-2, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency in Washington, DC
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is sponsoring, in collaboration with the Unemployment Insurance Integrity Center of Excellence (Integrity Center), the 2015 UI Integrity Technology Symposium. The two-day Symposium is a new technical information sharing forum where states and vendors with the latest software and analytic tools dedicated to identifying and preventing potential overpayments and fraud will demonstrate and discuss solutions that have been implemented and are proving to be successful.
The Symposium will also explore promising practices in the use of information technology to reduce overpayments, fraud risk, and increase the rate of overpayment recovery. The agenda is designed to educate and inform attendees about new information technology tools, and to promote successful practices and management strategies in preventing and reducing improper payments and fraud. The symposium will provide attendees the opportunity to hear from private entities, other Federal agencies, and ETA officials. The symposium will also allow for participation in a series of workshop sessions featuring states’ technology efforts in this arena.
The target audience is UI Administrators, UI Directors, Benefit Payment Control Managers, UI Benefit Managers and other appropriate staff as determined by the states. ETA recognizes that state efforts are critical in reducing improper payments and fraud in the federal-state UI program and encourages state participation at this symposium by providing a process to assist states with travel costs for this event.
*See conference website for event registration, agenda, Hotel registration, travel assistance details and exhibitor information. http://www.naswa.org/meetings/2015uisymposium
Announcements, Notices, Advisories, and Reports
General:
June 18, 2015: DOL Awards Job Training Grants. The Department of Labor (DOL) awarded $138 million in grants to develop innovative job-training programs for industry-focused collaborations between employers, educational institutions, and the workforce system through the Sector Partnership National Emergency Grant program: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ETA20151200.htm
June 18, 2015: DOL Publishes Semiannual Agenda of Regulations. DOL published an agenda of regulations being developed by its agencies during the coming year: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-06-18/pdf/2015-14356.pdf
June 16, 2015: CBO Releases Long-Term Budget Outlook. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report that presents its projections of federal outlays, revenues, deficits, and debt for the next few decades and discusses possible consequences of the projected budgetary outcomes. CBO projects that the deficit will remain roughly stable as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) for the next several years if current laws remain unchanged. However, the long-term budget outlook is projected to worsen, with spending for major health care programs and Social Security expected to rise significantly. Click here to access the report: http://www.cbo.gov/publication/50250
ETA Notices and Advisories:
June 26, 2015: The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of USDOL released TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER No. 41-14 to explain the requirements and timelines for determining training provider eligibility in order to utilize WIOA title I-B training funds and for publicly disseminating the eligible training provider list.
June 26, 2015: ETA released TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER No. 40-14 to assist State Workforce Agencies or agencies designated by Governors as "Cooperating State Agencies" (CSAs) (also jointly referred to as "states") in administering the TAA program by identifying the FY 2015 Second Distribution amounts to states and describing the formula methodology the Department of Labor (Department or We) used to calculate these amounts; and to describe the process for states to request TAA program reserve funds for training, employment and case management services, job search allowances, relocation allowances, and related state administration.
June 22, 2015: ETA released TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER No. 39-14 to provide policy and program guidance for the development, management, and delivery of workforce and labor market information (WLMI) funded through WIGS.
June 08, 2015: ETA released TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER No. 38-14 to provide guidance and instructions on the transition of participants, funds, performance reports, grants, and subrecipient contracts under title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) and under the Wagner-Peyser Act to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA or the Act).
May 26, 2015: ETA released TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER No. 36-14 to provide Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Section 166 INA grantees with (1) the requirements for Program Year (PY) 2015 adult and youth funding allocations; (2) performance measures and recommended levels of performance for PY 2015; (3) guidance on the period of performance for current grants and the close out of previous grant awards; and (4) an extension to the current grantee strategic plan through PY 2017 (6/30/2018).
May 22, 2015: ETA released TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER No. 35-14 to provide guidance and planning information to NFJP grantees on the activities associated with the implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
May 12, 2015: ETA released TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER No. 27-14, Change 1 to update Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 27-14, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Transition Authority for Immediate Implementation of Governance Provisions, to specify that Concentrated Employment Programs (CEPs) are eligible to request initial and subsequent designation as local areas under WIOA. Additionally, this guidance corrects a typographical error concerning new requests for local area designation.
May 11, 2014: ETA released TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER No. 34-14 to allot PY 2014 Dislocated Worker National Reserve funds to states, Outlying Areas, and WIA Section 166 Indian and Native American grantees specifically for WIOA implementation activities including training of front-line staff, convening boards and supporting planning, transitioning to serving out-of-school youth, and assessing and improving state information technology (IT) systems.
Recent Publications:
Successful Youth Workforce Programs Linked to Effective Support Services
The MDRC organization published a report reviewing existing research on workforce development programs for out-of-school youth. The report is in response to the updated federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which now requires states spend 75 percent of youth funding on out-of-school youth, 45 percent more than the previous requirement. To encourage youth engagement, the authors recommend offering financial incentives and paid work opportunities, connecting youth to the broader community, and offering support services that alleviate barriers to work (for example, transportation and mental health services). The authors also highlighted the GED bridge career pathway model, which offers connections to postsecondary institutions and provides support services to guide students to college programs and careers.
Self-Management Skills Linked to College, Career Readiness
The National Forum on Education Statistics released a report examining ways in which education agencies are using data to support students preparing for careers and postsecondary education. The researchers concluded that to be ready for college or and career students require both academic knowledge and soft skills, notably the self-management skills necessary to succeed in postsecondary courses or workforce training programs. Additionally, they found currently collected data can be used to identify students who need additional academic supports, provide information to high schools on the outcomes of their graduates, and assist students with academic and career planning.
Key “Soft Skills” that Foster Youth Workforce Success
Child Trends has issued a report entitled, Key Soft Skills that Foster Youth Workforce Success, in which researchers examined more than 380 international resources across multiple disciplines and held focus groups and interviews with stakeholders. The study looks at relationships between soft skills and four workplace outcomes: getting a job or being employed, performance on the job, wages, and entrepreneurial success. The report found that there is strong evidence that five skills--social, communication, higher-order thinking, self-control, and a positive self-image--increase workforce success among youth ages 15 to 29.
Workforce Webinars
July 1 Webinar: WIOA Partnerships in Action
The Employment and Training Administration and the Department of Educations’ Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services have announced a July 1 webinar from 2:00-3:15 pm, ET, to make the case to partners to work together on WIOA implementation.
WIOA-TANF Alignment Webinar
The National Skills Coalition is hosting a webinar on July 1, 2015 from 3:00-4:15 pm, ET on new opportunities for aligning the workforce system (WIOA) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. Regardless of whether a State opts to develop a unified plan or a combined plan under WIOA, TANF representatives should be included in the planning process from the outset to help define TANF’s role in achieving the State’s goals, and to identify and address potential barriers to collaboration. Panelists include: Kermit Kaleba, Federal Policy Director, National Skills Coalition; Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Policy Coordinator & Director, Income and Work Supports, Center for Law and Social Policy; and Cindy Blakeney Varner, Assistant Director for Employment Assistance, Arkansas Department of Workforce Services
Career Pathways in Manufacturing Webinar
The U.S. Department of Education is hosting a webinar entitled, Career Pathways in Manufacturing - Rethinking the Pipeline with the End in Mind. The event will take place on July 10, 2015, from 2:00-3:00 pm, ET. The webinar will highlight the process of constructing effective career pathway programs in the manufacturing sector. Presenters include: Debbie Mills, Director, National Career Pathways Network; Libby Livings-Eassa, Founding Partner, The Divergent Group; and Ann Ifekwunigwe, Career Pathways Supervisor, Newport News Public Schools. To register for the webinar, click here.
Webinar on Best Practices in Pre-apprenticeship for Nontraditional Occupations
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grantees are hosting a webinar on July 14, 2015, from 2:00-3:00 pm, ET, on best practice models for achieving better program outcomes in the construction industry. Speakers include: Jayne Vellinga, Executive Director, Chicago Women in Trades; Kelly Kupcak, Program Director, Chicago Women in Trades; Leah Rambo, JATC Administrator, Local 28 Sheet Metal Workers; Kathleen Culhane, Executive Director, Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW); and Meg Vasey, Executive Director, Tradeswomen, Inc.
For questions or comments, please contact NASWA Bulletin Editor Marc Katz at mkatz@naswa.org.
