I. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to outline the requirements for establishing
a workforce delivery system in the local workforce development area.
II. Effective
Date
Immediately
III. Background
The workforce delivery system is the cornerstone of the public workforce
development system. It is designed to increase access to, and opportunities for
the employment, education, training, and support services that individuals need
to succeed in the labor market, particularly those with barriers to employment.
The workforce delivery system brings together workforce development, educational,
and other human resource services in a seamless customer-focused service delivery
network that enhances access to the programs' services and improves long-term employment
outcomes for individuals receiving services. This is accomplished by providing all
customers access to high-quality American Job Centers (in Ohio, called OhioMeansJobs
centers) that connect them with the full range of services available in their communities,
whether they are looking to find jobs, build basic educational or occupational skills,
earn a postsecondary certificate or degree, or obtain guidance on how to make career
choices, or are businesses and employers seeking skilled workers.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requires the
State and local workforce development areas (local areas) to create and maintain
a workforce delivery system that enhances the range and quality of education and
workforce development services that employers and individuals can access. The system
must include at least one comprehensive physical OhioMeansJobs center in each local
area. The system may also have additional arrangements to supplement the comprehensive
center. These arrangements may include an affiliated site or a network of affiliated
sites and specialized centers.
Under WIOA, OhioMeansJobs centers and partner staff strive to:
- Provide job seekers with the skills and credentials
necessary to secure and advance in employment with wages that sustain themselves
and their families;
- Provide access and opportunities to job seekers,
including individuals with barriers to employment to prepare for, obtain, retain,
and advance in high-quality jobs and high-demand careers;
- Enable businesses and employers to easily identify
and hire skilled workers and access other human resource assistance;
- Participate in rigorous evaluation that support continuous
improvement of the OhioMeansJobs centers by identifying which strategies work better
for different populations; and
- Ensure that high-quality integrated data inform decisions
made by policy makers, employers, and job seekers.
A. OhioMeansJobs Centers
Comprehensive OhioMeansJobs Centers
A comprehensive OhioMeansJobs center is a physical location where
job seeker and employer customers can access the programs, services, and activities
of all OhioMeansJobs partners. Wagner-Peyser Act employment services must be co-located
in the comprehensive center. The workforce delivery system must include at least
one comprehensive physical center in each local area.
A comprehensive OhioMeansJobs center must provide all of the following:
1. At least one WIOA
Title I staff person physically present during operating hours, in a center that
provides career services;
2. Access to training
services;
3. Access to any
employment and training activities carried out under section 134(d) of WIOA;
4. Access to programs
and activities carried out by OhioMeansJobs center partners; and
5. Workforce and
labor market information.
Customers must have access to these programs, services, and activities
during regular business days at a comprehensive OhioMeansJobs center. The local
workforce development board (WDB) may establish other service hours at other times
to accommodate the schedules of individuals who work on regular business days. Centers
not open outside of the regular business hours should have a plan for how they will
provide services to individuals who cannot visit a center during regular business
hours.
All comprehensive OhioMeansJobs centers must be physically and programmatically
accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Affiliate OhioMeansJobs Centers
Local WDBs may also choose to operate access points to services in
addition to the comprehensive OhioMeansJobs centers. If used by the local area as
part of the service delivery strategy, affiliate OhioMeansJobs centers must be implemented
in a manner that supplements and enhances customer access to services.
An affiliate OhioMeansJobs center is an access point in addition
to the comprehensive center in each local area. These centers are created to supplement
and enhance customer access to services. This type of center makes available to
job seeker and employer customers one or more of the OhioMeansJobs partners' programs,
services, and activities. It does not need to provide access to every required OhioMeansJobs
center partner program.
Public libraries may provide an additional access point that local
WDBs can use as an affiliate OhioMeansJobs center. In addition to offering public
computers and internet access for job seekers and individuals, many libraries also
provide space for businesses to host career fairs and networking events. As trusted
institutions within their communities, libraries are often at the frontline of employment
and training related inquiries. Additionally, libraries also serve school-aged youth
who can use public resources for career and education planning, along with the traditional
adult job seeker.
Affiliate OhioMeansJobs centers allow for more flexibility in terms
of the services partner programs provide. These centers do not need to provide access
to every required OhioMeansJobs center partner program.
If Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Services are part of an affiliate
OhioMeansJobs center, the center must include at least one or more other partners
with a physical presence of combined staff more than 50 percent of the time the
center is open. In other words, if Wagner Peyser Act Employment Services are located
in an affiliate center, there must be staff of at least one other partner in that
center who are physically present more than 50 percent of the time the center is
open.
All affiliate OhioMeansJobs centers must be physically and programmatically
accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Specialized Centers
Based on local workforce needs, the local WDB, in conjunction with
the partners and OhioMeansJobs center operator(s), may determine that a specialized
center is more appropriate to serve a particular population and may choose to operate
a specialized center.
Specialized centers are centers that address specific needs, including
those for dislocated workers, youth, or key industry sectors, or clusters. These
centers may be time-limited transition centers for rapid response activities or
centers located within the prison system. The specialized center must be connected
to the comprehensive OhioMeansJobs center or any appropriate affiliate OhioMeansJobs
center. Wagner-Peyser Act employment services cannot stand alone in a specialized
center; a specialized center must include other programs besides Wagner-Peyser Act
employment services.
B. OhioMeansJobs Center Partners
Required Partners
Section 121(b)(1)(B) of WIOA identifies 13 programs which are required
partners in the local workforce delivery system unless that program is not available
or provided in the local area.
The required partners are as follows:
1. Programs authorized
under Title I of WIOA including:
a. Adults;
b. Dislocated Workers;
c. Youth;
d. Job Corps;
e. YouthBuild;
f. Native American
programs; and
g. Migrant and Seasonal
Farmworker (MSFW) programs;
2. Wagner-Peyser
Act Employment Services;
3. Adult Education
and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), (in Ohio, called Adult Basic Literacy and Education
(ABLE));
4. Vocational Rehabilitation;
5. Senior Community
Service Employment Program (SCSEP);
6. Career technical
education programs at the postsecondary level authorized under the Carl D. Perkins
Career and Technical Education Act of 2006;
7. Trade Adjustment
Assistance (TAA) activities;
8. Jobs for Veterans
State Grants (JVSG);
9. Employment and
training activities carried out under the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG);
10. Employment and
training activities carried out by the Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD);
11. Programs authorized
under State unemployment compensation laws;
12. Programs authorized
under the Second Chance Act of 2007; and
13. Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families (TANF).
If approved by the local WDB and the chief elected official(s), other
workforce development programs, including Federal, State, or local programs and
programs in the private sector, may serve as additional partners in the workforce
delivery system. Additional partners may include, but are not limited to:
1. Employment and
training programs administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), including
Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program;
2. Employment and
training programs carried out by the Small Business Administration (SBA);
3. Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) employment and training programs;
4. Client Assistance
Program authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973;
5. Programs authorized
under the National and Community Service Act of 1990; and
6. Other appropriate
Federal, State, and local programs, including, but not limited to, employment, education,
and training programs provided by public libraries or in the private sector.
Program Entity Serving as the OhioMeansJobs
Center Partner
The program entity carrying out the activities as the OhioMeansJobs
center partner is the grant recipient, administrative entity, or organization responsible
for administering the funds of the specified program in the local area. The term,
"entity," does not include the service providers that contract with, or
are subrecipients of, the local entity. For programs that do not include local entities,
the responsible State agency must be the partner.
If more than one entity carries out the same required program in
the local area, the participation of any of the entities in the comprehensive OhioMeansJobs
center meets the participation requirement for the program, although nothing precludes
the local area from including additional partners carrying out the same required
program in its comprehensive, affiliate, or specialized centers.
For the ABLE program, the entity or agency that carries out the program
is the sole entity or agency in the State or outlying area responsible for administering
or supervising policy for adult education and literacy activities in the State or
outlying area. The State eligible entity or agency may delegate its responsibilities
to one or more eligible providers or consortium of eligible providers.
For the Vocational Rehabilitation program, the entity that carries
out the program is the designated State agency or designated State unit specified
under section 101(a)(2) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that is primarily concerned
with vocational rehabilitation, or vocational and other rehabilitation, or individuals
with disabilities.
The national programs under WIOA Title I include Job Corps, the Native
American program, YouthBuild, and MSFW programs. The entity that carries out the
Native American program, YouthBuild, and MSFW program is the grantee of those respective
programs. The entity for Job Corps is the Job Corps center.
For the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006,
the entity that carries out the program is the eligible recipient or recipients
at the postsecondary level, or a consortium of eligible recipients at the postsecondary
level in the local area.
Collaboration with the Public Libraries
Community partnerships are critical to supporting the local area’s
workforce development system. WIOA explicitly identifies public libraries as potential
partners by acknowledging a library’s ability to provide an expansive array of services,
including boosting skills through online learning, improving individuals’ English
literacy and digital literacy, and helping individuals find work. Libraries are
also recognized as important providers of Federally-supported training and employment
for adult education and literacy. Public libraries provide and/or support employment,
education, and training programs.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Required
Partners
Jointly funding services is a necessary foundation for an integrated
service delivery system. All partner contributions to the costs of operating and
providing services within the workforce delivery system must be proportionate to
the benefits received and also must adhere to the partner program's Federal authorizing
statute and to the Federal cost principles requirement that costs be reasonable,
necessary, and allocable.
The required partner's initial priority in the OhioMeansJobs center
is their responsibility to implement their program. Once this priority has been
established, the partner may participate in shared services, such as overseeing
the resource room, assisting with greeting customers, etc., unless prohibited from
performing such roles by authorizing statute, order of selection, or other mandates
specific to the partner program. These shared services must be adequately distributed
amongst all partners able to participate in each activity.
Each required partner must:
1. Provide access
to its programs or activities through the workforce delivery system, in addition
to any other appropriate locations;
2. Use a portion
of funds made available to the partner's programs, to the extent consistent with
Federal law authorizing the partner's program and with Federal cost principles and
audit requirements in 2 C.F.R. Parts 200 and 2900 (requiring, among other things,
that costs are allowable, reasonable, necessary, and allocable), to:
a. Provide applicable
career services; and
b. Work collaboratively
with the State and local WDBs to establish and maintain the workforce delivery system.
This includes jointly funding the OhioMeansJobs center infrastructure through partner
contributions that are based upon:
i. A reasonable
cost allocation methodology as outlined in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act Policy Letter (WIOAPL) No. 16-06, State Mechanism for
Funding OhioMeansJobs Center Infrastructure Costs;
ii. Federal cost
principles and audit requirements; and
iii. Any local administrative
cost requirements in the Federal law authorizing the partner's program;
3. Enter into a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) with the local WDB relating to the operation of the workforce
delivery system;
4. Participate in
the operation of the workforce delivery system consistent with the terms of the
MOU, requirements of authorizing laws, Federal cost principles, and all other applicable
legal requirements; and
5. Provide representation
on the State and local WDBs as required and participate in Board committees as needed.
C. Services Provided in the OhioMeansJobs Centers
Career Services
The OhioMeansJobs centers provide services to individual customers
based on the individual's needs, including the seamless delivery of multiple services
to individual customers. Career services provide local areas with the flexibility
to target services to the needs of the job seeker. There is no required sequence
of services.
It is important to note that “providing” career services in the OhioMeansJobs
centers does not mean that each required partner must provide these services directly
on-site. However, it does mean that some career services must be provided directly
on-site at the OhioMeansJobs center. Career services may be provided through access
to OhioMeansJobs partner programs and activities may be delivered in one of three
ways:
1. Having a program
staff member physically present at the OhioMeansJobs center;
2. Having a staff
member from a different partner program physically present at the OhioMeansJobs
center and appropriately trained to provide information to job seekers about programs,
services, and activities available through all partner programs; or
3. Making available
a direct linkage, as defined in this policy, through technology to a program staff
member who can provide meaningful information or services.
The OhioMeansJobs center must ensure that the center is both physically
and programmatically accessible to individuals with disabilities. Physical accessibility
requires the OhioMeansJobs centers to be accessible and usable by individuals with
disabilities, including compliance with all applicable federal accessible design
standards. All partners must be able to operate ADA adaptive equipment and know
how to access language interpretive services, including sign language. The OhioMeansJobs
center must use a language interpretive service and may not use partner program
staff or the customer's family members who happen to be bi-lingual for language
translation.
There are three types of career services: basic career services;
individualized career services, and follow-up career services. While basic career
services are to all participants, individualized career services are available to
participants after the OhioMeansJobs center staff have determined that such services
are required to retain and obtain employment.
The applicable career services to be delivered by required OhioMeansJobs
Center partners are as follows and are authorized to be provided under each partner's
programs:
1. Basic career services must be made available and must include
the following services, as consistent with allowable program activities and Federal
cost principles:
a. Determinations
of whether the individual is eligible to receive assistance from the adult, dislocated
worker, or youth programs;
b. Outreach, intake,
orientation, and provision of information and other services available through the
OhioMeansJobs center. For the TANF program, individuals must be provided with the
opportunity to initiate an application for TANF assistance and non-assistance benefits
and services, which may be implemented through the provision of paper application
forms or links to the application web site;
c. Initial assessment
of skill levels including literacy, numeracy, and English language proficiency,
as well as aptitudes, abilities (including skill gaps), and supportive service needs;
d. Labor exchange
services, including:
i. Job search and
placement assistance, and, when needed by an individual, career counseling including
provision of information on in-demand industry sectors and occupations and provision
of information on nontraditional employment; and
ii. Appropriate recruitment
and other business services on behalf of employers, including information and referrals
to specialized business services other than those traditionally offered through
the workforce delivery system;
e. Provisions of
referrals to and coordination of activities with other programs and services, including
programs and services within the workforce delivery system and, when appropriate,
other workforce development programs;
f. Provision of
workforce and labor market information, including the provision of statistical information
relating to local, regional, and national labor market areas, including:
i. Job vacancy listings
in labor market areas;
ii. Information on
job skills necessary to obtain the vacant jobs listed; and
iii. Information relating
to local in-demand occupations and the earnings, skill requirements, and opportunities
for advancement in those jobs;
g. Provision of performance
information and program cost information on eligible providers of education, training,
and workforce services by program and types of providers;
h. Provision of information,
in usable and understandable formats and languages, about how the local area is
performing on local performance accountability measures;
i. Provision of
information, in usable and understandable formats and languages, relating to the
availability of supportive services or assistance, and appropriate referrals to
those services and assistance;
j. Assistance in
establishing eligibility for financial aid assistance for training and education
programs not provided under WIOA; and
k. Provision of information
and meaningful assistance to individuals seeking assistance in filing a claim for
unemployment compensation.
2. Individualized career services must be made available if
determined appropriate in order for an individual to obtain or retain employment
and must be available at all the comprehensive OhioMeansJobs centers. These services
include the following:
a. Comprehensive
and specialized assessments of the skill levels and service needs of adults and
dislocated workers, which may include:
i. Diagnostic testing
and use of other assessment tools; and
ii. In-depth interviewing
and evaluation to identify employment barriers and appropriate employment goals;
b. Development of
an individual employment plan;
c. Group counseling;
d. Individual counseling;
e. Career planning;
f. Short-term pre-vocational
services including development of learning skills, communication skills, interviewing
skills, punctuality, personal maintenance skills, and professional conduct services
to prepare individuals for unsubsidized employment or training;
g. Internships and
work experiences linked to careers;
h. Workforce preparation
activities;
i. Financial literacy;
j. Out-of-area job
search assistance and relocation assistance; and
k. English language
acquisition and integrated education and training programs.
3. Follow-up services
must be provided, as appropriate, including counseling regarding the workplace,
for participants in adult or dislocated worker workforce investment activities who
are placed in unsubsidized employment, for up to 12 months after the first day of
employment.
TANF agencies must identify employment services and related support
being provided by the TANF program, within the local area, that qualify as career
services and ensure access to them via the local OhioMeansJobs center.
Business Services
Local areas must establish and develop relationships and networks
with large and small employers and their intermediaries. The provision of business
services supports the local workforce system to meet the needs of businesses in
the local area. To assist in this, applicable OhioMeansJobs center partners develop,
offer, and deliver quality business services that assist businesses in overcoming
the challenges of recruiting, retaining, and developing talent for the regional
economy. To support area employers most effectively, OhioMeansJobs center staff,
including designated partner staff, must:
1. Have a clear understanding
of industry skill needs;
2. Identify appropriate
strategies for assisting employers, and coordinate business service activities across
the OhioMeansJobs center partner programs, as appropriate; and
3. Incorporate an integrated and aligned business services strategy
among OhioMeansJobs center partners to present a unified voice for the OhioMeansJobs
center in its communications with employers.
Certain services must be made available to local employers, specifically
labor exchange activities and labor market information. These services include:
1. Appropriate recruitment
and other business services on behalf of employers, including information and referrals
to specialized business services other than those traditionally offered through
the workforce delivery system; and
2. Provision of workforce
and labor market employment statistical information, including the provision of
accurate information relating to local, regional, and national labor market areas,
including:
a. Job vacancy listings
in labor market areas;
b. Information on
job skills necessary to obtain the vacant jobs listed; and
c. Information relating
to local in demand occupations and the earnings, skill requirements, and opportunities
for advancement in those jobs.
Customized business services may be provided to employers, employer
associations, or other such organizations. These services are tailored for specific
employers and may include:
1. Customized screening
and referral of qualified participants in training services to employers;
2. Customized services
to employers, employer associations, or other such organizations, on employment-related
issues;
3. Customized recruitment
events and related services for employers including targeted job fairs;
4. Human resource
consultation services, including but not limited to assistance with:
a. Writing/reviewing
job descriptions and employee handbooks;
b. Developing performance
evaluation and personnel policies;
c. Creating orientation
sessions for new workers;
d. Honing job interview
techniques for efficiency and compliance;
e. Analyzing employee
turnover;
f. Creating job
accommodations and using assistive technologies; and/or
g. Explaining labor
and employment laws to help employers comply with discrimination, wage/hour, and
safety/health regulations;
5. Customized labor
market information for specific employers, sectors, industries, or clusters; and
6. Other similar
customized services.
Local areas may also provide other business services and strategies
that meet the workforce investment needs of area employers, in accordance with partner
programs' statutory requirements and consistent with Federal cost principles. These
business services may be provided through effective business intermediaries working
in conjunction with the local WDB, or through the use of economic development, philanthropic,
and other public or private resources in a manner determined appropriate by the
local WDB. All business services and strategies must be reflected in the regional
and/or local plan. Allowable activities, consistent with each partner's authorized
activities, include, but are not limited to:
1. Developing and
implementing industry sector strategies;
2. Customized assistance
or referral for assistance in the development of a registered apprenticeship program;
3. Developing and
delivering innovative workforce investment services and strategies for area employers,
which may include career pathways, skills upgrading, skill standard development
and certification for recognized postsecondary credential or other employer use,
and other effective initiatives for meeting the workforce investment needs of area
employers and workers;
4. Assistance to
area employers for managing reductions in force in coordination with rapid response
activities and with strategies for the aversion of layoffs;
5. The marketing
of business services to appropriate area employers, including small and mid-sized
employers; and
6. Assisting employers
with accessing local, State, and Federal tax credits.
Fee-for-services are not required to be charged to employers. Additionally,
fees may not be charged for the following services:
1. Appropriate recruitment
and other business services on behalf of employers, including information and referrals
to specialized business services other than those traditionally offered through
the workforce delivery system; and
2. Provision of workforce
and labor market information, including the provision of statistical information
relating to local, regional, and national labor market areas, including:
a. Job vacancy listings
in labor market areas;
b. Information on
job skills necessary to obtain the vacant jobs listed; and
c. Information relating
to local in demand occupations and the earnings, skill requirements, and opportunities
for advancement in those jobs.
A fee may be charged for customized business services. Additionally,
business services and strategies that meet the workforce investment needs of area
employers may be provided on a fee-for-services basis or through the leveraging
of economic development, philanthropic, and other public and private resources in
a manner determined appropriate by the local WDB.
The local WDB may examine the services provided compared with the
assets and resources available within the workforce delivery system and through
its partners to determine the appropriate cost structure for services, if any.
Any fees earned are recognized as program income and must be expended
by the partner in accordance with the partner program's authorizing statute, implementing
regulations, and Federal cost principles identified in Uniform Guidance.
Role of Unemployment Insurance Program in
the OhioMeansJobs Center
Many areas of opportunity exist for improved integration of the Unemployment
Insurance (UI) program into the workforce delivery system, including, but not limited
to:
1. Helping UI claimants
access the full range of services, including basic career and labor exchange services,
both on-line and in-person through the OhioMeansJobs centers.
2. Ensuring claimants
meet eligibility requirements, including searching and registering for work, participating
in reemployment services, and ensuring that a feedback loop exists to provide UI
program staff with information about any potential eligibility issue.
3. Working with Rapid
Response teams.
4. Connecting UI
claimants to reemployment services.
5. Providing effective
services to veterans who file for benefits under the Unemployment Compensation for
Ex-Service members (UCX) program.
6. Undertaking strategies
to promote entrepreneurship.
7. Ensuring claimants
are fully notified of deadlines and eligibility requirements associated with Trade
Adjustment Allowances (TRA), Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA), and
Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) programs.
WIOA requires, as a career service, the provision of both information
and assistance to individuals regarding the filing of an UI claim. In the context
of providing assistance with UI claims, “meaningful assistance” means, per 20 C.F.R.
678.430:
1. Providing assistance
on-site using staff who are well trained in unemployment compensation claims filing
and the rights and responsibilities of claimants; or
2. Providing assistance
by phone or via other technology, as long as the assistance is provided by trained
and available staff and within a reasonable time.
“Meaningful assistance” means having staff well-trained in UI claims
filing and claimant rights and responsibilities. This assistance requirement only
encompasses helping individuals navigate Ohio's claims filing process and providing
the individual with general information on their responsibilities as a claimant.
These functions are informational in nature and not directly related to determining
the claimant's eligibility for benefits. Staff providing this assistance may be
Wagner-Peyser or other OhioMeansJobs center partner staff who have been properly
trained to provide this type of assistance and service.
Only UI state merit staff may, in person at the OhioMeansJobs center
or remotely, answer questions, provide advice, or make decisions that could affect
a claimant’s UI eligibility.
In the OhioMeansJobs centers, meaningful assistance to individuals
seeking assistance in filing a UI claim includes the following activities:
1. Computers must
be made available for individuals to file a claim for unemployment insurance or
to file an appeal of their claim.
2. Telephones must
be made available with access to the toll-free phone numbers established by the
Office of Unemployment Insurance Operations for individuals to use when seeking
assistance from UI merit staff in filing claims or appeals. Individuals must not
simply be referred to a general information phone number.
3. Posters providing
claimants information on how to file unemployment insurance claims must be visible
in the resource room.
4. Additional documents
that provide assistance to claimants must be available in the resource room.
5. Resource room
staff must be trained and have the knowledge to navigate Ohio's claims filing processes
and to provide general information to the claimant on their responsibilities as
a claimant.
Meaningful assistance may be provided by other technology. It must
be a technology approved by the State that enables trained staff to provide the
assistance. Examples of technology that enables remote assistance include live web
chat applications or other similar technology.
D. OhioMeansJobs Center Operators
The OhioMeansJobs center operator is the entity or consortium of
entities that coordinates the service delivery of required OhioMeansJobs center
partners and service providers. The local WDB must select the OhioMeansJobs center
operator through a competitive process at least every 4 years. WIOAPL No. 16-08,
Procurement of the OhioMeansJobs Center Operator,
provides guidance to the local WDBs for the procurement of the OhioMeansJobs center
operator.
Role of the OhioMeansJobs Center Operator
At a minimum, the OhioMeansJobs center operator must coordinate the
service delivery of the required partners and service providers. These roles may
include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Conduct partner
meetings;
2. Implement local
WDB policies;
3. Coordinate partner
services;
4. Ensure shared
services within the OhioMeansJobs center are adequately distributed amongst all
partners;
5. Oversee employer
services;
6. Manage technological
resources (e.g., local system website);
7. Require effective
internal tracking requirements and referral processes;
8. Coordinate the
resource room and computer labs;
9. Report performance
and budget information to the local WDB on a regular basis; and
10. Ensure all partners
are able to operate ADA adaptive equipment and know how to access language interpretive
services, including sign language.
Local WDBs may establish additional roles of the OhioMeansJobs center
operator, including, but not limited to:
1. Coordinating service
providers across the workforce delivery system;
2. Being the primary
provider of services within the center;
3. Providing some
of the services within the center; or
4. Coordinating service
delivery in a multi-center, which may include affiliated sites.
The OhioMeansJobs center operator may not perform the following functions:
1. Convene system
stakeholders to assist in the development of the local plan;
2. Prepare and submit
local plans;
3. Be responsible
for oversight of itself;
4. Manage or significantly
participate in the competitive selection process for OhioMeansJobs center operators;
5. Select or terminate
OhioMeansJobs center operators, career services, and youth providers;
6. Negotiate local
performance accountability measures; or
7. Develop and submit
a budget for activities of the local WDB in the local area.
An entity serving as an OhioMeansJobs center operator, that also
serves a different role with the workforce delivery system (including provider of
career and youth program services or local area fiscal agent), may perform some
or all of these functions when it is acting in its other role, if it has established
sufficient firewalls and conflict of interest policies and procedures.
WIOAPL No. 15-18.1 outlines the roles and responsibilities of the
OhioMeansJobs center operator as well as the requirements for the development of
the multi-function agreement when the OhioMeansJobs center operator performs more
than one function.
IV. Definitions
Access: To each partner program and
its services means:
1. Having a program
staff member physically present at the OhioMeansJobs center;
2. Having a staff
member from a different partner program physically present at the OhioMeansJobs
center appropriately trained to provide information to customers about the programs,
services, and activities available through partner programs; or
3. Making available
a direct linkage through technology to program staff who can provide meaningful
information or services.
Affiliate OhioMeansJobs center: A site
that makes available to job seekers and employer customers one or more of the OhioMeansJobs
center's partners' programs, services, and activities.
Career services: Services identified
in section 134(c)(2) of WIOA and consist of three types:
1. Basic career services;
2. Individualized
career services; and
3. Follow-up services.
Comprehensive OhioMeansJobs center:
A physical location where job seekers and employer customers can access the programs,
services, and activities of all required OhioMeansJobs center partners.
Direct linkage: Providing direct connection
at the OhioMeansJobs center, within a reasonable time, by phone or through a real-time
Web-based communication to a program staff member who can provide program information
or services to the customer. Solely providing a phone number, web site, information,
pamphlets, or materials does not constitute a “direct linkage.”
Entity: The grant recipient, administrative
entity, or organization responsible for administering the funds of the specified
program in the local area.
Memorandum of understanding (MOU):
An agreement developed and executed between the OhioMeansJobs center partners and
the local WDB, with the agreement of the chief elected official, relating to the
operation of the OhioMeansJobs delivery system in the local area.
OhioMeansJobs center operator: One
or more entities designated or certified under section 121(d) of WIOA.
OhioMeansJobs center partner: An entity
described in section 121(b)(1) and (2) of WIOA who participates in the operation
of the workforce delivery system.
Public library: A library that is open
to the public and that is one of the following:
1. A library that
is maintained and regulated under section 715.13 of the Revised Code;
2. A library that
is created, maintained, and regulated under Chapter 3375. of the Revised Code;
3. A library that
is created and maintained by a public or private school, college, university, or
other educational institution; or
4. A library that
is created and maintained by a historical or charitable organization, institution,
association, or society.
Specialized centers: Centers that address
specific needs, including those for dislocated workers, youth, or key industry sectors,
or clusters.
Workforce delivery system: A system
under which entities responsible for administering separate workforce development,
education, and other human resource programs collaborate to create a seamless system
of service delivery that will enhance access to the programs' services and improve
long term employment outcomes for individuals and businesses.
V. State
Requirements
WIOA requires the State to create and maintain a workforce delivery
system that enhances the range and quality of education and workforce development
services that employers and individuals can access. Programs and providers must
collaborate, coordinate, and integrate activities and information so that the system
as a whole is cohesive and accessible for individuals and employers alike.
When designing the system, States must ensure that information on
the availability of career services is available at all OhioMeansJobs center physical
locations and access points, including electronic access points, regardless of where
the individuals initially enter the local workforce system. Therefore, the workforce
system must include at least one comprehensive physical OhioMeansJobs center in
each local area. The system may also have additional arrangements to supplement
the comprehensive center. These arrangements include an affiliate center or a network
of affiliate centers and specialized centers.
A state infrastructure funding methodology must be implemented to
ensure required partner funding is available to support infrastructure costs of
any OhioMeansJobs centers in the local areas where partners and the local WDB are
unable to reach agreement on memorandum of understanding terms and partner funding
to support the OhioMeansJobs centers. The details and restrictions of Ohio’s state
infrastructure funding methodology is in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
Policy Letter (WIOAPL) No. 16-06, State Mechanism for Funding
OhioMeansJobs Center Infrastructure Costs.
VI. Local
Workforce Development Area Requirements
A. Identification of the OhioMeansJobs Center(s)
The local WDB must establish at least one comprehensive OhioMeansJobs
center in the local area. The location of this center is at the discretion of the
local WDB and the chief elected official (CEO).
Additional comprehensive, affiliate, or specialized OhioMeansJobs
centers may also be established in the local area at the discretion of the local
WDB and chief elected official(s) based upon the need for additional centers in
the local area. Such considerations may include:
1. Customer use (the
number of customers who enter the center during hours of operation) of the comprehensive,
affiliate and/or specialized OhioMeansJobs centers;
2. Funding available
for the comprehensive, affiliate, and/or specialized centers, including program
funds and lease agreements;
3. Partner availability
in the centers; and
4. The potential
enhancement of customer access to services.
The local WDB must notify the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services,
Office of Workforce Development of the identification of the comprehensive center(s)
and any affiliate and/or specialized center(s) in the local area. This is done by
identifying such centers in the local and/or regional plans or e-mailing OWDPOLICY@jfs.ohio.gov.
B. Access to Required Partners
The local WDB must ensure that all required partners identified in
section 121(b)(1) of WIOA have a physical presence or provide access to their programs
in the comprehensive OhioMeansJobs center. Customers must have access to these programs,
services, and activities during regular business days at a comprehensive OhioMeansJobs
center. A comprehensive OhioMeansJobs center must have at least one WIOA Title I
staff person physically present.
An affiliate center does not need to provide access to every required
OhioMeansJobs center partner program. The frequency of program staff's physical
presence in the affiliate center will be determined at the local level. If Wagner-Peyser
employment services are provided at an affiliate center, there must be at least
one or more other partners in the center with a physical presence of combined staff
more than 50 percent of the time the center is open. Additionally, the other partner
must not be the local Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program Specialists (DVOPS), or
unemployment compensation programs. If Wagner-Peyser Act employment services and
any of these 3 programs are provided at an affiliate OhioMeansJobs center, an additional
partner or partners must have a presence of combined staff in the center more than
50 percent of the time the center is open.
C. Availability of Services
The local WDB must ensure that the OhioMeansJobs centers provide
services to individual customers based on the individual's needs, including the
seamless delivery of multiple services to individual customers. There is no required
sequence of services.
The local WDB must coordinate with all required OhioMeansJobs Center
partners to provide basic career services, individualized career services, and business
services to customers and employers at the comprehensive and affiliate centers.
Furthermore, access to training services must be provided for those customers who
have been deemed in need of these services.
OhioMeansJobs center staff are trained and equipped in an ongoing
learning environment with the skills and knowledge needed to provide effective services
to job seekers, including those with disabilities, and businesses in an integrated,
regionally focused framework of service delivery.
D. Selection of the OhioMeansJobs Center Operator
The local WDB must select the OhioMeansJobs center operator through
a competitive process at least every 4 years. WIOAPL No. 16-08, Procurement of the
OhioMeansJobs Center Operator, provides guidance to
the local WDBs for the procurement of the OhioMeansJobs center operator.
Some of the factors which should be considered and prioritized by
the local WDB include:
1. Understanding
the local WDB's responsibilities under WIOA as it pertains to the OhioMeansJobs
center operator and the local workforce system.
2. The local WDB's
vision and goals for the local system and how the local system will be structured
with respect to the number of OhioMeansJobs centers, the types of centers, the types
of services to be provided, and the focus of the local area.
3. The relationship
between the local WDB and the operator and the expectations of the local WDB for
the operator's role.
4. The procurement
process, management of the process, potential conflicts of interest, and management
of the contract.
The local WDB must procure the OhioMeansJobs center operator to be
effective July 1, 2017.
VII. Technical
Assistance
Ongoing support, guidance, training and technical assistance on the
development of the workforce system are available to all local areas.
Requests for technical assistance may be sent to ODJFS, Office of
Workforce Development: WIOAQNA@jfs.ohio.gov.
VIII. References
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, §§106 and 121, Public Law
113-128.
20 C.F.R. §§ 678.300-440, 678.600-635, 679.800, and 683.295.
2 C.F.R. Parts 200 and 2900.
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, §101(a)(2), Public Law 93-112, 29 U.S.C.
§ 701 et seq.
USDOL, Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 16-16, One-Stop
Operations Guidance for the American Job Center Network, (January 18, 2017).
USDOL, Unemployment Insurance Program Letter No. 20-15, Unemployment
Insurance and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, (August 13,
2015).
USDOL, Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 4-15, Vision for
the One-Stop Delivery System under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act,
(August 13, 2015).
USDOL, Training and Employment Notice 35-15, Encouraging Collaborations
between the Workforce Investment System and Public Libraries to Meet Career and
Employment Needs, (May 4, 2016).
ODJFS, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Policy Letter No.
16-06, State Mechanism for Funding OhioMeansJobs Center Infrastructure Costs, (November
10, 2016).
ODJFS, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Policy Letter No.
16-08, Procurement of the OhioMeansJobs Center Operator, (February 24, 2017).
ODJFS, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Policy Letter No.
15-18.1, Local Workforce Development Area Governance, (January 30, 2017).