Process Evaluation of the Integration of Title I & Title II Services

This study is a process evaluation that seeks to identify the extent to which Title I and Title II programs and related services under WIOA are being integrated within New Jersey’s 18 local areas.

The study team developed the following set of research questions:

• What are the most promising strategies for WIOA Title I and Title II services integration in local New Jersey workforce development areas and literacy consortia, and what are the key components needed for those integration strategies to be implemented statewide?
• What are the most common challenges to integrating WIOA Title I and Title II programs in New Jersey?
• How has the COVID-19 public health crisis affected local WIOA Title I and Title II service integration strategies, and what do local areas need to implement them during the current COVID-19 public health circumstances?
• What programmatic or policy changes are needed, at the local and state levels, to facilitate better integration of WIOA Title I and Title II services in New Jersey to make a more seamless service delivery system for the consumer and achieve improved educational and employment outcomes?

The research for this evaluation occurred in two phases, the period of September 2019 through September 2020. Work began with extensive background research to define the nature of integrated programming across the Title I and Title II service areas. Those efforts were followed by exploratory research to measure the perceptions of local practitioners in New Jersey who provide services about the extent of integration across Title areas, their views about the challenges to providing integrated services, which promising strategies they use, and to obtain more details about some specific programs that showcase integrated programming.

(This report is 41 pages long.)

(This study took place between September 2019–September 2020.)

The researchers identified the following findings:

Survey data yielded seven commonly used strategies to integrate aspects of service delivery, which are listed with respective percentages of their use:

• Co-enrollment in Title I and Title II services (71 percent)
• Orientation/introduction of Title I services to all adult learners in Title II programs (68 percent)
• Shared intake assessment/testing across WIOA programs (68 percent)
• Input from business, industry, and nonprofit organizations (68 percent)
• Established data-sharing policies between Title I and Title II (65 percent)
• Standard case management for individuals who are enrolled in Title I and Title II (48 percent)
• Single point of entry for all WIOA services (48 percent)

The researchers proposed the following recommendations:

• The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) should examine the quantitative data to search for evidence of workforce-related outcomes that resulted in local areas utilizing integrated services and for tracking participants through the WIOA system.
• NJDOL should invest in the professional development of staff for vital skill sets, including service delivery in virtual settings and strategic planning.
• Statewide, more emphasis and effort should be directed toward increasing engagement of business/industry to obtain their input into programming for both adult literacy education and workforce development to ensure that relevant skills are being developed and training programs are being funneled into workplace opportunities.
• There is a role for the State Employment and Training Commission and its State Council for Adult Literacy Education Service’s subcommittee to play in facilitating the sharing among local areas of useful tactics for integrating WIOA service delivery, engaging the business community, finding ways to braid funding and other promising strategies that emerge in local area operations.

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2022
• Author(s): Harrington, L.; Donovan, B.; Palius, M.; Satish, N.; Starace, J.
• Funding Source: John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: India Johnson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies