Workforce System Strategies: A Year in Review

State and Local Efforts to Strengthen Workforce System Governance and Planning Under WIOA
This report focuses on the implementation of changes to state and local workforce board governance and the engagement of the workforce system under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The study analyzes data from site visit interviews in 14 states and 28 local areas and discusses the successes, challenges, promising practices, and areas for further technical assistance. While encountering some challenges during the initial implementation of WIOA, the changes generally increased coordination and emphasized stronger approaches to strategic planning. Other findings include more planning and administrative tasks undertaken by state boards and more inclusive and beneficial partnerships to gather input.

American Job Center Service Delivery in Rural Areas
This brief discusses features of American Job Centers (AJCs) in rural areas. The study, conducted during the early implementation of WIOA in 2016, identified key variations in the AJC service delivery system, organizational structure, and administration. Challenges included job seekers traveling large distances to access services, increases in barriers due to the opioid epidemic and social changes, older and less skilled customers due to the outmigration of younger workers, and limited services due to inconsistent access to broadband internet. Notable AJC practices included subsidizing or providing transportation and internet access for job seekers and adopting an itinerant staffing model to bring services to where people were rather than concentrating programs and services in any particular center.

Freedom to Achieve Pathways and Practices for Economic Advancement After Incarceration
This report examines the unique challenges of people who have experienced incarceration relative to the traditional workforce development model. Drawing on best practices, the researchers describe pivotal workforce development strategies, highlight models applied to people who have been incarcerated, and look at anti-racist strategies to end the disparities. Promising practices include transitional education and training to support stabilization and rapid labor market attachment, coaching to plan for movement from transitional to permanent jobs and advancement to higher-wage jobs, offering paid work-based learning opportunities and providing comprehensive and structured support services, including financial aid.

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• Posted by: India Johnson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies