Workforce Investment Act

Five-Year Plan Modification

PY02

Executive Summary

Workforce Region                      Colorado Rural Workforce Consortium

One Stop Operator                    Colorado Department of Labor & Employment

Address                                     1515 Arapahoe Street, T2-400, Denver, Colorado 80202

Director                                      Thomas J. Looft                                          phone     (303) 318-8812      

Program Contact                        Wayne Bulander                                          phone     (303) 318-8830      

Fiscal Contact                            Barbara Hunter                                            phone     (303) 318-8115      

MIS Contact                              Angie Oswalt                                               phone     (303) 318-8810      

Provide a brief overview of your regions’ One-Stop operations.  Describe any new initiatives, program changes or pilot projects.

The Rural Consortium is composed of 52 counties, divided into eleven local sub-regions, each with individual labor market, economic, and geographic interests.  The local sub-regions are Eastern, Southeast, Pueblo, South Central, Upper Arkansas, Southwest, Western, Mesa, Rural Resort, Northwest, and Broomfield.  Establishing and maintaining this consortium of Workforce sub-regions allows the maximization of resources for the delivery of Workforce programs in this large geographic area.

In each of the Rural Consortium’s sub-regions, a Workforce Board and Elected Official directs, and provides oversight to the local workforce development system.  Local Elected Officials (LEOs) appoint sub-regional Workforce Board members to the Rural Consortium Workforce Board.  One designated LEO from each sub-region similarly comes together to form the Rural Consortium’s Board of Local Elected Officials, which guides, directs, and oversees Workforce development activities in the 52 counties.  Rural Consortium Workforce Board membership meets the federal requirements of WIA.

The Rural Consortium provides employment and training services in a number of ways.  Eight of the sub-regions are state administered, and in four of these regions community based organizations are contracted with to provide WIA services.  In the Mesa and Western sub-regions, Mesa and Montrose counties administer and operate Workforce development programs.  In Broomfield, state workers will assist as the county implements its local Workforce development system, and then turn operation over to the county in July 2002.  Each sub-region writes its own local 5-year plan and Partner Memorandums of Understanding.  Each sub-region provides core, intensive, and training services, and operates a youth program under the guidance of its local Youth Council and the Rural Consortium’s Youth Council.

The Consortium is currently undertaking an exciting marketing initiative focusing on employers.  The Consortium has designed and produced a high quality, full color employer packet and CD resource directory containing easy to understand descriptions of services for and information of interest to business people.  The packet includes a CD resource directory with web site connections to labor market information, labor standards, UI benefits & tax, workers compensation, & employment & training programs.  Local Workforce staff have received training and an Employer Relations Procedures handbook about the best techniques to approach employers with the packet and CD.  Each Consortium sub-region has designated a staff person to oversee its marketing operation and coordinate its efforts with the other sub-regions.

• Identify your Performance Standard Outcomes for PY2000.  If any were missed, please identify what programmatic changes will be made.

The Consortium met all of its Performance Standards for PY2000.

• Provide a flow chart of services for all programs.

Please see the flow chart attached to this Executive Summary.

• Please identify any funding concerns that might hamper your ability to achieve planned performance levels.

There are no specific funding concerns.  Workforce programs could, as always, provide greater benefits to the public with higher levels of funding.

• Please complete the following chart (exclude administrative costs from calculations):

PY 2002

Five-Year Plan Modification

WIA & Wagner Peyser

Programs

Program Narrative

I.               Local Planning and Labor Market

a.      During PY01, many Workforce Regions experienced changes to their economic sector and labor force.  Describe the sectors experiencing growth and decline and discuss some of the factors contributing to this.

The Rural Consortium includes 52 Colorado counties subdivided into 11 Workforce Sub-Regions, each possessing unique economic and labor market characteristics.  The Eastern, Southeast, Southcentral, Southwest, and Northwest regions rely primarily on agriculture as the dominant industry.  The Rural Resort, Western, and Upper Arkansas regions rely on their tourism and related service and retail industries as well as agriculture and ranching.  Upper Arkansas has an especially high level of government employment, especially in Fremont County where thirteen prisons are located.  The Mesa County, Pueblo County, and Broomfield regions include urban populations.

Over the last program year, unemployment has been on the rise in all the Consortium’s sub-regions.  Some rural counties currently experience very high unemployment rates: Conejos 10.1%, Costilla 11.9%, Dolores 12.1%, Moffat 8.1%, Montrose 9.3%, Rio Grande 8.7%, Saguache 10.0%, and San Juan 28.6%![1]  In the Rural Consortium as a whole, 5,251 individuals requested Workforce Center services between October 1 and December 31, 2001. This is an increase of 64% from the same period in the year 2000. Of these 5,251 people, all of whom were potentially eligible for the dislocated worker program, only 359 individuals could be served with current funds.

The Consortium Region is also home to Colorado’s mountain resort towns, the locations of the skiing and tourism industries, which have been hit hardest by September 11. Resort bookings are down from the previous year, and the result is rippling through the local economies. The Rural Consortium has experienced layoffs in service, retail, construction, and lumber occupations. City Market, a food-store chain located in the Mesa Region of the Rural Consortium, is currently releasing 127 workers.  Pueblo’s Columbia House, ABC Rail, and Montgomery Wards closures all negatively impacted the local economy.  Sectors in need of workers are health care and agriculture.[2] 

b.         Identify the current and projected employment trends and needed job skills needed for individuals seeking employment and for employers seeking employees.

As explained above, the Colorado Rural Workforce Consortium is a group of distinct geographic and economic sub-regions.  Job Vacancy Surveys conducted by the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment show that, on the whole, the rural sub-regions rely on government, services, retail, construction, and agriculture industries.  Many of the sub-regions are dominated by small businesses with fewer than five employees and with wages low in comparison to the urban areas of the state.  Drought and the proposed sale of water hampers agriculture in the Southeast Region.  Construction industry presence in the Southwest and Western Regions is a positive aspect and indicates a potential for economic growth.  Mesa and Pueblo Counties have the lowest growth rates in the state, except for Pitkin County of the Rural Resort Region.  Until recently, employment growth in the Northwest & Rural Resort regions outpaced that of the labor force.  The Rural Resort and Upper Arkansas regions show a high percentage of seasonal employment.  For reference, Job Vacancy Surveys for the Consortium’s sub-regions can be viewed at the web site http://www.coworkforce.com/LMI/WRA/vacsurv.asp 

c.         Describe the workforce investment needs of businesses, job seekers and workers and how these needs were determined.

The Rural Consortium and each of its sub-regions has a local Workforce Board and Local Elected Official who meet regularly to discuss business and job seeker needs, together with how Workforce Centers and Partners might address these needs.  Board membership is consistent, and interest in providing responsive and effective Workforce development services is strong.

During Workforce Board meetings, business people repeatedly emphasize the need for basic reading, writing, computation, and interpersonal, and communication skills for their new employees.  These skills make for successful workers no matter what the occupation, and employers are often able to provide skill training to workers possessing these basic qualities.

Workforce Board discussion also focuses on employer need for a better technically & professionally trained workforce.  Computer literacy, technical drafting and engineering skills are in demand.  Middle management skills, such as planning, supervision, labor law knowledge, and the like, are in short supply.  Since many sub-regions’ wages fall below those offered in Colorado’s metropolitan areas for the same jobs, people who train for skilled, technical and management occupations often move out of rural areas to go to work.  Rural businesses are short of trained supervisors and managers who are able to organize, train, and retain good workers, and the process of matching skilled workers with jobs over rural commuting distances is difficult.  Monolingual Spanish speaking workers in most of the rural regions create a need for Spanish language proficiency on the part of supervisors, a need presently unmet.

Along with the ever-present demand for retail sales workers and cashiers, the Consortium regions need childcare workers, teachers, computer support specialists, customer service workers, truck drivers, construction trades people, and health care workers.  Each individual region, however, has unique business, labor market, and worker, and job seeker needs.  Local Workforce Boards and Workforce Centers continually join with educational institutions and other Partner agencies to meet these needs as effectively as possible.  The challenge to Workforce Centers is to identify job opportunities that match the skill levels of the job seekers and/or remedy the mismatch through training.

II.             Workforce Investment Board

a.         Please describe any changes in your organizational structure and submit an organizational chart.

Over the last year the Consortium added Colorado’s new Broomfield County to its organization.

On the administrative side, the Consortium has added to its marketing and web site development capabilities, and to its internal monitoring/quality control expertise.

Please refer to the Rural Consortium’s organizational chart at Attachment A.

b.         Please submit copies of your Local Workforce Investment Board (WIB) and Local Youth Council lists.

Please see this information at Attachment B to this plan document.

c.         Describe how the WIB involves the community in discussions and ensures input in establishing program goals.

The Consortium web site, http://workforcecenters.state.co.us/rc/, contains a wealth of information from and about the Workforce Board.  The WIB, as overseer of this web site, uses it to communicate with its own membership, local community members, employers, and staff, all of whom can access information about Workforce services and locations, Consortium policies, upcoming events and meetings, local best practices, awards, and news.

The Consortium Workforce Board gains input from the communities of its local sub-regions in other ways.  The Consortium Board members are appointed from sub-regional Workforce Boards.  All of the sub-regional Workforce Boards come together regularly in open meetings to discuss local needs, Workforce services, program goals, and performance.

The WIB also uses Workforce Centers to maintain contact with local communities.  Community members are always welcome to access services, ask questions, voice concerns, and receive information.  Workforce staff are themselves civic-minded members of their communities, and many are active members of local organizations and boards, from education to citizen advocacy to support service.  Their first-hand knowledge of local concerns and issues adds to the Consortium Board’s capacity to tailor program services to people’s needs.

d.         Identify any changes to the process for prioritizing services.

About half of the Consortium sub-regions give priority to TANF recipients and other low-income persons in their Adult WIA programs.  The following exceptions have been approved by local Workforce Boards:

·        The Eastern Regional Board has established The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute’s study, “The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado: A Family Needs Budget.” to determine Adult priority for service.

·        The Pueblo Region allocates participant funds by comparing cost to available dollars.  The availability of funds is reviewed periodically at the time that 50% of funds have been obligated or if the number of WIA referrals are so numerous that training costs exceed allocation.  Long-term classroom training, however, is provided only to economically disadvantaged and incumbent individuals.  Locally it has been determined that TANF training & support dollars are sufficient so that public assistance participants are not identified as a priority for WIA dollars.

·        The Northwest, Rural Resort, and Upper Arkansas Regions give priority to adults based on needs and barriers but not on income, since the allocation meets the demand for services.

·        The Western region Board periodically reviews program expenditures and projected needs to determine if it is necessary to prioritize adult WIA-funded services.  If prioritization is necessary, the Board will issue a resolution at that time stating the date this procedure goes into effect.

e.         Provide a copy of any new or revised policies and procedures.

Please see the web site, http://workforcecenters.state.co.us/rc/, for the Rural Consortium Operations Handbook.  Work on this policy manual began with the inception of WIA and was completed during PY01.

f.           Describe the monitoring and oversight responsibilities of the WIB.

The Rural Workforce Consortium Board and LEO together provide oversight to the Consortium and its sub-regional Workforce Boards in the performance of the following tasks:

·        Creating the comprehensive five-year Workforce Development plan, with yearly updates.  The Consortium plan incorporates all sub-regional five-year plans, and each sub-regional plan is approved by its own local Workforce Board/LEO;

·        Designating and overseeing Workforce Centers and activities;

·        Establishing a Youth Council to develop the youth portions of the plan and oversee youth services;

·        Identifying Eligible Training Providers;

·        Developing and entering into Memorandums of Understanding with Workforce Center partners;

·        Negotiating performance measures with the state;

·        Developing employer linkages with Workforce Investment activities;

·        Promoting participation of private employers and making sure their hiring needs are recognized and met to the fullest extent possible;

·        Applying for, recording, and reporting expense of Workforce grants;

·        Designating Workforce Center program operators;

·        Developing local Workforce development policy which is in compliance with law and regulations; and

·        Providing local program & performance oversight.

The Board is responsible for monitoring and providing technical assistance to each of its sub-regions, using the assistance of the Consortium’s internal Quality Control staff.  Monitoring is accomplished through performance review, desk and on-site reviews, and includes the assessment of a sample of participant files of each WIA Program (Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth).  The Consortium maintains a permanent record of sub-regional performance, its monitoring activities, reports, sub-region responses, and follow-up activities.

III.            Local One-Stop System

a.         Describe the various orientations provided to all customers.  In particular, describe any changes that will streamline the process for registrants (WP) and Dislocated Workers (WIA).

The topics of orientation include:

·        Information about Wagner Peyser and WIA services including core self services, staff assisted services, intensive & training services, and youth services;

·        Information about Workforce Partner services;

·        Introduction to the Resource Center and all the information it contains;

·        Information about how to apply for Unemployment Insurance;

·        Equal Opportunity rights & grievance procedures;

·        Local labor market information;

·        Job search tips;

·        Career planning assistance;

·        Eligibility information for WIA and partner programs.  Eligibility documentation requirements;

·        Initial assessment of customer job skill levels, training needs, and supportive service needs;

·        Information about supportive services available at the Workforce Center and in the community;

Wagner Peyser registrants, Dislocated Workers, and others who need to quickly find work may start their job search the same day they come to the Workforce Center.  Over the next few visits, those who do not immediately find work are given increasing amounts of staff assistance to develop job search & interviewing skills, develop resumes, consider their skills in light of today’s labor market and think about learning new skills, consider relocation, find support services in the community, and if all else fails, enroll in training.

The elevation of the rural unemployment rate over the last several months has caused increased numbers customers seeking jobs or training to come to the Consortium’s Workforce Centers for assistance.  Since most Centers have few staff, there is a strain to serve customers as soon as they seek services; however, staff’s priority is to offer services without making customers wait, and usually the wait is minimal, no more than a few days at most.

b.         How do you deliver these orientations and what is the average wait time for each process prior to enrollment?

Orientation delivery varies by Workforce Center size.  Some Centers are staffed by a single individual who delivers all programs: WIA Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth, and Wagner Peyser.  In these situations, staff conduct orientation with individuals, reviewing the topics listed above in III.a.  Where several staff work together in a Center, orientation has been developed into a more formal group process and includes an initial assessment of customer needs as well as the information-giving procedure.

Customers may access Wagner Peyser and WIA core self-services the day they contact the Workforce Center.  Staff assisted core services are also provided the same day.  Informal, one-on-one orientations are provided on a daily basis.  Formal orientation classes are usually provided weekly.

Customers seeking intensive and/or training services are delayed not by waiting for orientation and registration, but by the gathering of eligibility documentation and by the process of Initial Assessment, Comprehensive Assessment, Individual Employment planning, and the development of appropriate intensive, training and support services.  This process usually takes from three days to two weeks.

c.         Provide new or revised copies of memorandums of understanding (MOU).  If you are unable to complete an MOU with a partner agency, please state the reasons why and what approaches to rectifying the issues have been employed.

With the exception of the new Broomfield region, all Rural Consortium sub-regions have complete MOUs in place, and no new or revised agreements are anticipated.   Broomfield is in the process of writing its Five-Year Plan and MOU.  These documents will be complete and on file by July 1, 2002.

d.         How many full service One Stop Centers are in your workforce region?  How many satellite offices are there?  If your full service centers are co-located with particular agencies, describe the process.  If not, describe what the issues are that are keeping this from happening.

Except for Pueblo and Broomfield, each of the Rural Consortium’s sub-regions contains two or more Workforce Centers, and in addition, many provide outlying Satellite Offices and itinerant staff services.  (Attachment C lists Workforce Center and Satellite locations by sub-region.)  Each sub-regional Workforce Board has done its utmost to use the limited funding available from all possible sources to create as many strategically located Centers and Satellites as possible, minimizing the distances customers must travel to receive services.  Workforce Centers and Satellites are all located on major highways or thoroughfares.  Customers may also access services through each sub-region’s web site or toll free telephone number.  Various partner agencies, including Social Services, Vocational Rehabilitation, Community College/education programs, community based organizations, Older American’s Act programs, and Job Corps, co-locate full time or part time at Workforce Centers, and other partners provide their own Workforce services at their locations.  Workforce Satellites are normally co-located in public libraries or community centers.

e.         Describe the strengths and weaknesses of current programs in your workforce region.

Rural Consortium Workforce programs are enhanced by the strengths of committed staff people who live in and are interested in the betterment of their (mostly) small communities:

·        In most regions there is little staff turnover.  Staff are experienced and knowledgeable of their programs and their communities. 

·        Staff know their customers and can provide personalized services as a result.  Bilingual Spanish/English-speaking staff are regularly available where needed.

·        Staff have developed the trust of most employers, who make use of the Workforce Centers to recruit and screen their applicants.

·        Workforce Partners have known each other and worked together for years.  Workforce partnering is rarely a problem, and customers benefit by being able to access a broad array of services.

·        WIA and Wagner Peyser programs are well integrated; Workforce staff have received both Job Link and WIA training.

Rural areas also experience difficulties:

·        In order to minimize distances that customers must travel, rural regions create as many Centers as possible, and staff them sparingly.  Group or classroom activities such as program orientations, job search and career planning workshops are difficult to conduct.

·        Rural customers are accustomed to personal attention from staff, and some are reluctant to use the self-help Resource Center materials.  Resource Center use needs further development.

·        The rural employer base is small.  Labor markets are burdened with low wage job openings and shortages of good career opportunities.

·        When employers do need highly skilled or professional employees, they are difficult to find, because the labor force is also small and widely scattered.

·        Public transportation is mostly lacking.

·        There is a need for greater access to post secondary education and community college programs.  The distance many rural residents travel to school programs is many miles.

·        Few community-based organizations and public agencies are available to offer a comprehensive array of support services, especially for youth.

·        Rural areas experience an out migration of young adults, who leave for education, employment opportunities, and recreational aspects in urban areas.

·        The Eligible Training Provider requirements are difficult for all schools, but especially difficult for small and private training programs to meet.  The result is a decreased number of training opportunities for WIA participants.

f.           What process has been employed for internal monitoring and contractor monitoring?

The Rural Consortium’s internal monitoring and contactor monitoring has been established for the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and Welfare-to-Work (WtW) programs for the local one-stops.  Monitoring policies have been established in both programs reflecting the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s (CDLE) monitoring policies.  No monitoring process is currently in place for the Wagner-Peyser component.

The Workforce Consortium’s policy is to maintain a consistent monitoring and evaluation system for the WtW program.  Since the program will terminate no later than June 30, 2004, monitoring procedures will occur a minimum of one time prior to the end of the WtW program for each of the Workforce sub-regions.   All monitoring activities and procedures are consistent and in compliance with the rules and regulations promulgated by 20 CFR 645.245 and 20 CFR 645.425 and all pertinent CDLE Policy Guidance Letters.

A consistent monitoring and evaluation system for the WIA program has been developed and is operational.  For each program year, not less than 50% of the sub-regions’ WIA programs in the Rural Consortium will be monitored.  All monitoring activities and procedures are consistent and in compliance with the rules and regulations promulgated by 20 CFR 667, Subparts B, D, and G; and all pertinent CDLE Policy Guidance Letters.

Program monitoring is accomplished primarily through on-site and desk reviews to determine if the various programmatic, administrative, and/or financial management requirements have been met.  The scope of the areas to be reviewed may include, but are not limited, to those outlined in the citations noted above.

For an on-site review, the sub-region contractor / workforce director is to be contacted prior to monitoring and informed when the monitoring will occur, including the time and place of the monitoring, requesting workspace be provided, and requesting an organizational chart.  An initial conference with the manager / workforce director responsible for the sub-region’s WtW program should be held as soon as possible to review the administrative, program access and performance, and outcomes.  Copies of the organization’s policies and procedures relating, but not limited to, audits, internal monitoring and control procedures, record-keeping, and financial reporting (including previous year’s annual report), and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) may be requested for review.

During on-site reviews a minimum number of case files will be reviewed for each sub-region.  For sub-regions having very small numbers in a program, the program universe will be monitored.  A report of findings is submitted to the Rural Consortium Director, the contract / monitoring file, appropriate workforce director and/or contractor and other parties as appropriate.  A response is required within 30 days from receipt of the report by the responsible monitored entity.

An internal monitoring guide/instrument has been developed for each sub-region to use locally for monitoring case files to ensure compliance.  The form may be used by each sub-region or may used as a guide if a sub-region wishes to developed its own guide/instrument.

Sub-regions with substantial monitoring deficiencies or non-compliance concerns will have a follow-up monitoring procedure to determine if compliance has been attained.  Technical assistance may be required if financial, program or administrative issues/concerns are identified, or requested independently.

g.         If your workforce region’s performance standard achievement was less than a 100% in any measure, list which measures fell short.  Identify what steps will be taken to ensure an outcome of 100% for PY2002.

The Rural Consortium met its performance standards the last Program Year.

h.         Describe how the WIB will ensure continuous improvement of services by eligible training providers that will address the employment needs of local employers and participants.

The Rural Consortium and its sub-regional Workforce Boards and Local Elected Officials meet regularly.  Membership is consistent, and there is strong interest in providing Workforce development services that are responsive to the employment needs of local employers and participants.  In their regular meetings, the Consortium and Sub-Regional Workforce Boards and Local Elected Officials review Workforce Center performance against standards and plan, oversee the effectiveness and usefulness of local programs, assess customer satisfaction, and assist in making service adjustments (allowable within policy & regulation) to better suit changing economic conditions.

To build upon Workforce Center staff skills and to continue to enhance services, the Consortium has instituted a training program in the following areas:

·        Case management and assessment

·        Working with diverse populations

·        Ethics of working with clients in a workforce setting

·        Career development theory and application

·        The role of information in career planning for your clients

·        Computers and career planning

·        Job seeking land employability skills

·        Working with groups

·        Program planning and public relations

·        Administrative and program functions

·        Management information system

IV.         Wagner-Peyser

a.         Please provide an update on the level of integration of the Wagner-Peyser programs into the One-Stop service delivery system.  Discuss any changes or enhancements planned for the PY2002 Wagner-Peyser program.

Services funded by the Wagner-Peyser Act are an integral part of the Consortium’s Workforce structure and do not exist as a stand-alone system.  Wagner Peyser activities are integrated into the core, intensive, and employer services of each Workforce Center and Satellite.  Wagner-Peyser staff work toward integration by jointly planning the entire array of services with WIA staff and other partners.  This planning takes place at the sub-regional and local Workforce Center level, and it results in service arrangements that meet the needs of local job seekers, people seeking to change or develop their careers, and employers.

An interface has been created between the Unemployment Insurance and Job Link automated systems to transmit information back and forth, and this interface has enhanced the seamless nature of Workforce Center services.  When a new claim is filed, the common data elements are copied from the UI system; at the same time, a daily report is generated that contains the names and social security numbers of all claimants who have filed a new, reopened or additional claim and need to register for work.  After the claimant registers for work with the workforce center, the information is transmitted to UI and their claim record is automatically updated.

Another example of service integration is the Rapid Response effort.  Local coordination consists of sharing layoff and business closure information as early as possible between members of the local Workforce Center and the state's rapid response network.  Local Wagner Peyser staff, WIA staff, and Workforce partners work with employers to plan and conduct layoff workshops and other appropriate programs, provide retraining and employment services to affected businesses and their workers.  Available services from the rapid response network include on-site mass unemployment claims taking, worker adjustment workshops and orientations, coordination with Trade Adjustment (TRA/TAA and NAFTA) funded training as appropriate, assistance in forming labor-management teams, and readjustment and retraining services.

b.         With the recent shift in the economy and its impact on local employment trends, please discuss current or planned efforts to increase employer partnerships.  Identify how these partnerships will affect placement opportunities for program participants.

During PY01 the Consortium began a region-wide marketing effort aimed at employers, and it will continue to focus on this program during PY02.  The Consortium has designed and produced a high quality, full color employer packet containing easy to understand descriptions of services for business people, including, as expected, recruitment, screening, and referring, but adding information about other benefits: labor market information, Internet advertising, customized employee workshops, skill testing, interviewing facilities, multi-media resource center, employee layoff assistance, immigrant hiring assistance, worker tax credits, welfare to work services, on the job training assistance, veterans’ assistance, and an offer for staff to individually tour a business to better promote individual job requirements.  The packet includes a CD resource directory with web site connections to labor market information, labor standards, UI benefits & tax, workers compensation, & employment & training programs.

Local Workforce staff have received training and an Employer Relations Procedures handbook about the best techniques to approach employers with the packet and CD.  Each Consortium sub-region has designated a staff person to oversee its marketing operation and coordinate its efforts with the other sub-regions.

c.         Discuss what changes are being considered for recruiting new employers and/or matching employees to employers.

Please see the description of the Consortium’s employer marketing effort described above.  This program will be refined and highlighted during the coming Program Year.  Staff expect to approach employers new to their communities, employers who have not recently used the Workforce Center, and other employers as time allows.  Local Workforce Boards and staff have favorably reviewed the packet and CD.  As Workforce Centers recruit more employers using their new marketing materials, it is expected that job listings will increase, providing more opportunities to match employees to employers.

V.           Adult & Dislocated Worker

a.         Provide a general description of the barriers that customers are currently facing when looking for employment.  Identify what skill gaps will need to be addressed and the types of supportive services needed to get them employed.

The Workforce Centers are designed to address the needs of individuals with multiple barriers.  A large number of persons with barriers seek services.  Assessments and Individual Employment Plans provide the mechanism to serve these individuals, including applicants with limited English language, limited literacy, poor math skills, incomplete education, limited work experience, lack of job skills, as well as specific handicapping conditions such as disability, prison record, homelessness, and other labor market problems.  The Workforce Centers have anticipated applicants with barriers, and provide the most staff-intensive services to those who lack the ability to succeed in the job market on their own.  Applicants with employment barriers may not be able to benefit from self-service at the resource center.  Many are eligible for case management, training, and supportive services paid for by WIA, the Community College system, and state and federal educational grants or loans.  Those who are not eligible can still be given individual attention, information, and referral to entry-level jobs.

Supportive services are provided by WIA funds and community partner funds.  They include work or training related transportation, clothing, safety equipment, tools, dependent care, medical expenses, professional mental health or substance abuse counseling, job coaching, mentoring, tutoring, short term housing rental, lodging and meal costs.  Please see the Consortium Operations Handbook, Chapter 9, at http://workforcecenters.state.co.us/rc/ for a full description of Supportive Service policy.

b.         List the array of services and/or new levels of services available to adults and dislocated workers.

The appropriate combination of services is chosen with each WIA Adult or Dislocated Worker based on their individual needs.  Currently there is more demand for adult services and as a result, the Consortium will transfer 20% of our Dislocated Worker funding into the Adult program.  Services are organized below by category.

Core Services:

1. Outreach - recruitment of applicant customers

2. Intake/registration - interview and input applicant information into the Job Link system

3. Orientation - explanation of services, introduction to resource center

4. Eligibility determination - preliminary screening to determine eligibility for WIA, Vocational Rehabilitation, Unemployment Insurance, etc.

5. Initial assessment of skills, aptitudes and abilities - interviewing and asking questions that would prompt and assist applicant to consider his/her skills aptitudes and abilities-may assist applicant in computer assessment

6. Job search and placement assistance, including general information workshops - search of available position openings, job development for individuals or groups of individuals-workshops for overview of application completion, resume preparation, cover letter introduction and interviewing skills.

7. Employment referrals - reviewing employer job requirements, determining qualifications and referring to employer for consideration.

8. Resource center - area within the workforce center that would assist applicants in their job search (written and computer information and access, printers, telephone(s), access to fax and copy machine)

9. Provision of employment data and labor market information - information for local and out of area applicants in order to assist in their job search and/or relocation decisions

10. Provision of performance information - feedback to applicants concerning their resumes, application completion and work information as available.

11. Follow up services - applicant are contacted in order to review needs, verify work,