Overview of ETA Aging Worker Initiative Grants November 18, 2010 – 8:30 a.m.

Overview of Aging Worker Initiative $10 million ETA effort, part of ETA’s High Growth Job Training Initiative Demonstration with two objectives: Develop models that recognize older workers as a key labor pool and include strategies to retain and/or connect workers to jobs in high growth/high demand industries Build the capacity of public workforce system to serve older individuals

SGA Had 6 Major Focus Areas: SGA Focus Areas SGA Had 6 Major Focus Areas: Innovative training techniques and service delivery strategies Facilitating self-employment for older workers Career pathways Career awareness and outreach Building education and training capacity Strategies that focus on the training and placement of particularly disadvantaged and underutilized groups among the older worker population Judith AWI grantees intend to engage in a wide range of grant activities to serve older workers. What kinds of strategies and approaches will your grant focus on?

Aging Worker Initiative Grants Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc. Vermont Associates for Training and Development, Inc. Baltimore County Office of Workforce Development South Central Workforce Investment Board Quad Area Community Action Agency Goodwill Industries of Houston, Incorporated Tecumseh Area Partnership, Inc. Macomb/St. Clair Workforce Development Board, Inc. Fox Valley Workforce Development Board, Inc. Seattle-King County Workforce Development Council Judith On July 30, the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration announced 10 grants under the Aging Worker Initiative. One-Pagers about each grantee can be found on the Web site noted in this slide.

Industries and Sectors Healthcare Manufacturing Information Technology Transportation Energy/Green Jobs Construction and Architecture/ Engineering Financial and Administrative Office Support Telecommunications Judith The Aging Worker Initiative grants will provide training and employment help in a variety of industries and sectors, including…

Key Grant Aspects of AWI Grants Eligible participants are individuals 55 and older from any income bracket Each grant includes a strategic partnership comprised of the workforce system, employers, and education and training providers Grantees were asked for plans for how projects will be sustained through workforce system

Key Outcome Categories Key Service Outcomes: Participants Served, Beginning and Completing Training, Entering Employment Common Measures Entered Employment Employment Retention Rate Average Six-Month Earnings Megan We are going to provide extensive training on common measures and how to prepare your quarterly performance reports. In the interim, we felt it was important for you to be aware of what you are required to track and report. 1) Your High Growth grant is held accountable for Adult Common Measures, which are Entered Employment, Employment Retention, and Average Earnings. We will go into the definitions of these terms in the coming weeks. Grantees are required to prepare and submit an electronic file of individual records on all participants who exit or complete grant funded services during each reporting quarter, as well as a narrative report that includes information about capacity building activities, leveraged resources, and technical assistance needs. 2) What is most important for you to know at this stage is if you are able to collect SSNs for participants who exit or complete grant funded services, ETA is able to calculate the common measures for you. Friends, this is a beautiful thing. 3) If your organization is the Workforce System OR if you have a Workforce System partner who will be calculating the common measures for you, you are 10 steps ahead of the game! 4) If you are unable to collect SSNs you must collect supplemental data to demonstrate employment-related outcomes. Examples may include copies of pay stubs, employer documentation (including written affidavit or telephone conversation indicating the individual was employed some time during the period of performance, etc.—and ETA will provide you with further guidance in the near future.

AWI Projects Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County: The Reinvesting in Older Workers project will enable workforce partners to provide direct training and placement of older workers in order to close skill gaps and create new career pathways. Project is a regional expansion of the Mature Workers Alliance of Puget Sound and will target individuals with disabilities, ex-offenders, and individuals with low-level English proficiency. The project’s alignment with and customization of regional postsecondary training options will increase the number of training points for older workers. Workshops and trainings in information and communication technology will be customized to the needs of older workers, and project includes entrepreneurial training.

AWI Projects Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc. (Maine) Seasoned Worker Opportunity Project will promote strategies for connecting older workers to occupations critical to Maine’s economy and educate employers on the value of older workers. Statewide education strategy will encourage older workers to remain on the job beyond the age at which they might retire, and will identify, recognize, and promote Maine employers whose practices match the needs of mature workers. Capacity of Maine’s Workforce System will be expanded to connect older workers to employers by establishing Seasoned Worker Navigators in each local area, expanding the Seasoned Worker Forums and establishing pilot Service Network Access Points (SNAPs) in older worker-focused organizations. Older workers will be offered education and training opportunities through work-readiness and short-term training programs.