Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) - Gary Chambers, Outreach Specialist, Career Path Services - gchambers@careerpathservices.org - 253-472-8094
- What can we do to empower folks to be self-sufficient. The Workforce Innovation ad Opportunity Program (WIOA) is designed around that.
- What is WorkSource and what is it made up of?.
- Several agencies created a unified group that operates as a unified whole – that is WorkSource
- It is made up of ResCare, The Department of Labor and Industries, Employment Services Department, and others all working together as WorkSource.
- We’ve identified an underserved group of folks over 25 with no high school diploma. This totals some 38,000 folks. A goal by 2025 is for 50% of these folks to complete their education. We can’t do that work alone. We’re trying to increase awareness.
- The General Education Diploma (GED) was created for soldiers returning from World War II who were conscripted before they finished high school. The goal was to complete their adult basic education so they could get a living wage job.
- There are few positions where a GED or High School Diploma is not mandatory. Even folks employed for decades who don’t’ have a high school diploma have trouble getting back into the workforce if they leave their job.
- Video on GED “why earning a GED is important” – comment from the speakers in the vide: (sorry I didn’t get the link to this video. –ed.)
- Want to get it to be a role model
- Wanted to learn better
- I push my kids to do well in school – how could I push them if I don’t a have a diploma
- I worked in restaurants in back of house - the GED will allow me to open my own restaurant
- That is a cross second of the folks we serve in PC
- 30% take the GED to improve income
- 65% take it to go on to further education (and 5% take it to make their mothers happy? –ed.)
- Colleges often have support programs around GED students
- The GED is in its 5th revision – GED has writing, math, science and social studies – test is proctored and can be taken over a 2 year period. Can’t take the test on-line, but there are test sites across Pierce County. Preparation is at the 4 colleges – Tacoma Community College, Pierce College, Bates Technical College, Clover Park Technical Collge, as well as the Family Investment Center, Tacoma Community House, REACH, Goodwill, Tacoma area literacy council, and MDC
- Test costs $30 per module – and there are 4 modules - $120 per quarter. These costs can be a barrier – as you’ve taught me over the past few weeks. Even $5 can be a huge barrier for folks.
- WIOA - Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act
- Career planning – short term training or getting folks ready for a 2 year degree
- Short-term training
- Paid internships
- Supportive services – for folks with a GED and looking for technical education
- If someone doesn’t have transportation, they can enroll in WIOA so they can get to school, get their GED, their work clothes, eye glasses, transportation, housing, child care, utility payments – all things we can provide. It is not comprehensive, but it is a larger piece of a puzzle. We have lots of community-based and faith-based organizations that integrate with what we do.
- WIOA eligibility
- Primary focus – is low income adults and displaced workers.
- low in come adults – though not just focused on adults – appreciate referral for any and everyone, including youth.
- Dislocated workers – these are folks who experienced a mass layoff and meet eligibility. Common scenario is the closing of something like a Sears store, where there could be a mass layoff and we could provide all the WIOA resource to get those displaced workers into unsubsidized employment. Folks off unemployment can fit this category as well.
- Age 16-24 work with a youth provider – ResCare – which is operates as WorkSource.
- Employment Services Division provides unemployment insurance.
- These initiatives have been tried before, but by listening to needs identified by the community partners, the response time to participants has been improved. Also, we not only reach out, but when we get a referral, that comes to a single point of contact, and that is all that you need – a case manager is immediately assigned. Within 24 hours the client is phoned or e-mail to expeidite the enrollment process. We recognize that folks who have barriers like transportation – we attempt to address it by going to them. We’ll meet the at school or go to their home in Eatonville or wherever. We are expediting the process and going to them. We are trying to avoid someone calling our office and not getting a response to a v-mail.
- If you are working with someone who is labor ready , we want to work with them to determine if they are eligible and get them enrolled.
- Creating a scrappy, grassroots soft launch through December. We are working very grassroots to do what we can to get the ball rolling. We are using the Employment Services Department network to get the word out.
- We need to leverage all of you – so we can work together – it takes a village to address this issue. I can come to you to fully describe the program
- We set up a table and will go out and do outreach anywhere. (you can’t ask more than that –ed)
- WIOA can help with retraining dollars. We need to get that word out.
- Job Center – on Cedar Street (3650 S Cedar St, Tacoma, WA) and at the downtown location (1305 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA). We are merging the two location into a facility being remodelled at State street and 19th. We’ll move in mid-December.
- In the WorkSource model, the specific contractor providing services it isn’t as important as the unified approach
- Larry – 38,000 people over 25 with no high school diploma. How many 18-24? Gary – it is estimated at 12,000.
- Valeo – referrals directly to you? Gary – Yes, instead of Friday orientation, have them contact me directly. You can fill out or scan and e-mail me the referral form, instead of the customer having to come to our facility and we can reach out to them without them needing orientation – they just start with a case manager.
- Question - any chance instead of working with different municipalities that persons can start doing community cleanup? Something that is easy for folks to access – like 4 hours per day – being developed for folks that are unwilling to get a GED but are willing to work? Gary – we can provide career advancement and wrap around services. We can partner with People Ready to get folks working. I’ll scan the people ready flyer.
- Martha – lots of our folks lose their phones or can’t access them over their cheap phones. Gary - We’ll have some kiosks, though, and folks could check that every day.
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