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The Workforce Investment System and Welfare Reform

The Workforce Investment System and Welfare Reform. in NEVADA. Presented by: Libby Jones, Deputy Director Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation. What are we doing in Nevada?. Governor Kenny C. Guinn unveiled Nevada’s new workforce investment system branding early this year. .

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The Workforce Investment System and Welfare Reform

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  1. The Workforce Investment System and Welfare Reform in NEVADA Presented by: Libby Jones, Deputy Director Department of Employment,Training & Rehabilitation

  2. What are we doing in Nevada? • Governor Kenny C. Guinn unveiled Nevada’s new workforce investment system branding early this year.

  3. Nevada law encourages TANF recipients to get into the workforce ASAP and to preserve eligibility for economic downturns (24 months cash assistance, 12 months off, 24 on, 12 off, 12 on for a total of 60 months). • Governor Guinn created an exemption that kept Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits from being counted as income for those seeking welfare benefits from October 1, 2002 thru August 30, 2002. This exemption affected 670 persons receiving cash assistance under TANF. More importantly, this exemption entitled those families to medical coverage thru Medicaid.

  4. Implementation of the One-Stop Operating System (OSOS) which is allowing us to better track the services that the system provides to TANF customers. • Upon completion of confidentiality agreements, the plan is to make OSOS available in each welfare office so that “job ready” clients can be registered. • The Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) placed computers in many welfare offices throughout the state allowing clients access to Nevada’s Career Information System, resume writing and career exploration software, and Internet-based job search sites.

  5. Welfare-to-Work (WtW) & Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) programs are part of DETR. • VR does assessments of TANF clients referred for comprehensive vocational testing and assessment. • DETR’s state-funded employment and training program, the Career Enhancement Program, dually enrolls TANF clients for coordinated placement and training services.

  6. Welfare & DETR’s Employment Security Division (ESD) jointly produce a newsletter called “Partnerships for Employment.”This newsletter is sent to 45,000+ employers in their quarterly Unemployment Insurance contribution statements.

  7. Should TANF be a mandatory WIA partner? • States should seek out collaborative partnerships that work for them and that help them to better serve their state’s workforce investment system customers. Partnerships should be based on a shared vision, common objectives, & mutual trust. • Our current system of different reporting requirements for the various programs is a definite obstacle to good partnerships.

  8. The future of WIA and TANF. . . • WIA’s universality needs to be emphasized and strengthened based on labor force needs and be attractive to those entering the workforce along with incumbent workers. • Without alignment of WIA, TANF, and related programs, center staff will continue to compete for the “credit” of services provided. The reauthorization of WIA & TANF will hopefully bring continuity to Federal reporting requirements as illustrated in the following chart:

  9. Federal Performance Indicators Matrix

  10. Businesses will not actively participate on WIA boards & one-stop centers if our system is perceived to be a “welfare” program. • Business must be our primary customer. If business brings jobs--the job seekers will come. • The Department of Labor (DOL) views these programs as universal, business still views these programs as serving the low income populations. To better serve business, we must concentrate on enhancing job seeker skills to a more employable level.

  11. DETR’s Philosophy If we don’t start taking better care of BUSINESS, we need to start planning to go out of BUSINESS! The Nevada JobConnect system focuses on business as its primary customer.

  12. There are too many TANF restrictions on vocational training--employers are telling us that vocational training is what they really need job seekers to have more of. • Flexibility afforded to state’s under TANF should be modeled by DOL. Consolidation of DOL funded employment & training programs into a block grant would enable states to move funds in program areas depending on need, improving low performance areas or infrastructure issues.

  13. Education MUST be a major player in this partnership. • Congress may not have time to deal with TANF this year so they will probably just extend it for another year under current regulations. • “Job-Ready” TANF recipients may soon be required to register at a Nevada JobConnect office.

  14. www.nevadajobconnect.com

  15. The “Nevada JobConnect” web site has received over 1,400,000hits since being launched in January 2002. • The web site is currently averaging over 8,000 hits per day.

  16. Strengthening the Linkage between WIA and TANF • Incentives for comprehensive system-building and performance excellence; • National interagency taskforce to facilitate program coordination among the Departments of Labor, Education, Health and Human Service, and Agriculture. • Simplify and align rules and regulations; • Flexibility and elimination of funding “silos”; & • Adequate funding for infrastructure needs, particularly in states’ one-stop systems.

  17. For a complete copy of this presentation visit the DETR website at www.detrjoblink.organdclick on the “State of Nevada Workforce Investment Act” section.

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