Workforce Strategies: Best Practices in Six States National Association of State Liaisons for Workforce Development Partnerships Winter Meeting January 22, 2007 Washington D.C.

2 Study Objectives  Explore what other states have done to consolidate, integrate, or coordinate their workforce systems  Examine costs and benefits of each strategy  Identify cross-cutting themes

3 Data Collection  Interviews with six national experts who recommended states to review  Interviews with 24 state respondents—4 per state, representing state workforce system and partners, including: –State WIB directors –State workforce agency administrators –Education & adult ed administrators –Community college and technical education administrators

4 Selected States

5 Definitions  Consolidation: merging multiple workforce programs into a single agency  Integration: diminishing program-specific boundaries at the state and local levels  Coordination: using formal or informal mechanisms, such as work groups, to manage the workforce system

6 CONSOLIDATION

7 Consolidation  To bring multiple partners involved in workforce investment under one roof, including economic development and education agencies  To achieve alignment of workforce system vision  To attain efficiency What Guides Choices

8 Programs Consolidated with Workforce Development in Six States FLMIORPATXUTWA JTPA / WIA ES / UI Adult Basic Education Career Technical Education Community Colleges Economic Development * TANF Vocational Rehabilitation *Until six months ago, Michigan’s Division of Economic Development was consolidated within its Workforce Development Agency.

9 Consolidation  Decide to consolidate: executive order, legislation, consensus from state agency heads  Turn workforce agency into a quasi-public entity  Seek federal assistance— inform DOL staff  Create evaluative measures Steps to Implement

10 Consolidation: Costs & Benefits Costs  Resources—dollars, staff time, technology  Organization & culture change chaos Benefits  Avoid duplication of services  Resource & personnel efficiencies  Increased performance

11 INTEGRATION

12 Integration: Approaches –Cross-program accountability measures –Common management information system Local One- Stop system integration –Local administration of workforce programs –State-directed guidance, policies, technical assistance Integration through accountability measures

13 Integration: Steps to Implement  Transfer authority to local boards  Federal waivers to facilitate local control  Develop policies (One- Stop certification, co-enrollment)  Create uniform One- Stops Local One- Stop system integration

14 Integration: Steps to Implement  Legislative mandate  Inclusive MOUs, agreements  Scorecards, real-time reports  One-Stop MIS  Connections to other MIS Integration through accountability systems & integrated MIS

15 Integration: Costs & Benefits Local One-Stop system integration  Time (planning & implementation) costs  Redesign, staff training costs  Cost overruns & mistakes are inevitable  Job-seekers receive services from any staff  Employers receive consistent services  State saves money and garners partner support

16 Integration: Costs & Benefits Cross-program performance measures & integrated MIS  Lack of state government agreement  Resistance from partners  MIS development/data collection costly  Encourages integration  Develops consistency, quality  Increases partner stake in the system

17 COORDINATION

18 Coordination: Steps to Implement  Create positions or leadership groups  Redraft MOUs  Intra-agency staff meetings  Inter-agency project staffing  Local career center review process Coordination within the primary workforce agencies

19 Coordination: Steps to Implement  State board committees (Alignment, WFD/EcoDev/Ed)  Mutual representation on boards  Weekly meetings w/WFD & EcoDev  Sector strategies  Regional planning Coordination w/economic development

20 Coordination: Steps to Implement  State funding for voc/tech & community colleges based on LMI alignment  State board & other committees  Inclusive strategic planning  Workforce liaison to partner agencies  Referral pathways to partner agencies Coordination w/education

21 Coordination: Costs & Benefits  Struggle to maintain partner involvement and foster deep system building  Challenge of cultural differences  Deciding where partners “fit”  Beneficial to all customers  Aligned decisions, collaboration on project efforts

22 CROSS-CUTTING THEMES

23 Cross-cutting Themes Leadership  Develop a vision and a strategy  Identify the desired outcome  Align workforce development, economic development, and education  Make business a primary customer  Establish principles and priorities within which the local system can operate

24 Cross-cutting Themes Process  Acknowledge that different efforts call for different types of state intervention  Collect data to support the chosen reform approach  Engage multiple levels of leadership  Anticipate the challenges of cultural differences across partner agencies  Document everything

25 Cross-cutting Themes Funding  Fund your priorities--it demonstrates the state's commitment to change  Do not underestimate the talent requirements for successful implementation  Invest in change management  Foster mini-entities within the larger system to innovate and experiment

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