Best Practice Self-Assessments for Job Search & Reemployment Planning

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will not meet it Jan. 18, 2015, deadline for issuing proposed regulations for the new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). On Jan. 5, the DOL issued a notice (reprinted below) stating it expects to announce the regulations in Spring 2015 instead. In support of the law's implementation, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will be providing technical assistance in the spring, according to the notice. WIOA will still be implemented on July 1, 2015.

Below is the full text of the DOL's Jan. 5 notice:

When will the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Notice of Proposed Rulemaking be
published?

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), enacted July 22, 2014, provides many
opportunities to advance a customer-centered workforce investment system driven by the needs of job
seekers and employers, to support strong regional economies, and to provide individuals with pathways
to the middle class and beyond.

WIOA establishes an aggressive timeframe for the Departments of Labor and Education to publish a set
of regulations for implementation. The departments continue to work diligently together to develop these
regulations, informed in part by outreach to outside stakeholders, as appropriate. While we continue to
work toward completion of this important and complex proposal, the publication of the proposed
regulations is currently anticipated to occur in Spring 2015, rather than Jan. 18, 2015, as stipulated in
WIOA.

In Spring 2015, the Departments of Labor and Education plan to concurrently publish five Notices of
Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs) to implement WIOA. One of these will be a joint NPRM involving jointly
administered activities including unified and combined state plans, performance, and aspects of the one-stop system. Another NPRM will implement the remaining provisions of Title I and Title III that are
administered by the Department of Labor. Three additional NPRMs involve Department of Education
programs, including one implementing Title II Adult Education and Literacy, and two implementing the TitleIV Amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 of WIOA. These five NPRMs will be published in the
Federal Register and posted on www.regulations.gov, where public comments can be submitted following publication. The Departments of Labor and Education will analyze these public comments and anticipate issuing Final Rules implementing WIOA in early 2016.

Because many provisions of WIOA go into effect July 1, 2015, the Department of Labor’s Employment
and Training Administration (ETA) also will issue operating guidance in Spring 2015 to support
implementation. In addition, ETA intends to issue targeted guidance documents in the Spring,
accompanied by technical assistance activities. Once issued, the guidance can be accessed at
www.doleta.gov/WIOA/.

To achieve successful implementation and the full vision of WIOA, ETA will continue to consult with the
workforce system and strongly advises states and local areas to begin planning and taking action to
prepare to implement WIOA immediately. There are legislative and technical assistance tools currently
available at www.doleta.gov/wioa that can support initial WIOA transitional activities. 

NOTE: This post is provided for your information by Career Action Resources, LLC, creators of the Layoff-to-Employment Action Planner (LEAP) and Your Employment Search (YES).

Why do workforce development professionals exist? It’s easy to give a long answer. But in just six sentences, the new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) sums up the purpose of our nation’s workforce investment system.

First, read the purpose of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which was superseded by WIOA:

"To provide workforce investment activities, through statewide and local workforce investment systems, that increase the employment, retention, and earnings of participants, and increase occupational skill attainment by participants, and, as a result, improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the nation.”

Now, read the purpose of WIOA. It’s longer than WIA’s purpose, but WIOA’s purpose is just six sentences:

“(1) To increase, for individuals in the United States, particularly those individuals with barriers to employment, access to and opportunities for the employment, education, training, and support services they need to succeed in the labor market.
“(2) To support the alignment of workforce investment, education, and economic development systems in support of a comprehensive, accessible, and high-quality workforce development system in the United States.
“(3) To improve the quality and labor market relevance of workforce investment, education, and economic development efforts to provide America’s workers with the skills and credentials necessary to secure and advance in employment with family-sustaining wages and to provide America’s employers with the skilled workers the employers need to succeed in a global economy.
“(4) To promote improvement in the structure of and delivery of services through the United States workforce development system to better address the employment and skill needs of workers, jobseekers, and employers.
“(5) To increase the prosperity of workers and employers in the United States, the economic growth of communities, regions, and states, and the global competitiveness of the United States.
“(6) For purposes of subtitle A and B of title I, to provide workforce investment activities, through statewide and local workforce development systems, that increase the employment, retention, and earnings of participants, and increase attainment of recognized postsecondary credentials by participants, and as a result, improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, increase economic self-sufficiency, meet the skill requirements of employers, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the nation.”

Notice the new points in WIOA’s purpose that stress the importance of education, training, credentials, and skills; of helping people with barriers to employment; of meeting the needs of employers; of increasing the success and economic self-sufficiency of workers; and of aligning workforce development with education and economic development. That’s quite a challenge, but it’s also inspiring, explain the editors at Career Action Resources, LLC. Achieving WIOA’s purpose will take time, energy, focus, dedication, and of course, funding. As workforce development professionals, we are all part of making WIOA happen as it takes effect this year. So keep the purpose of WIOA handy and refer to it often. When you’re having a bad day, consider one small way you are working to make WIOA a reality. And if you ever wonder what your purpose is, the six sentences of WIOA’s purpose tell it all.
 

The new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) covers the operation and services of the One-Stop Career Center / American Job Center system.

Here's what Gay Gilbert, administrator for the Office of Unemployment Insurance at the Employment and Training Administration, says about serving unemployment insurance claimants under the new law:

"There's now a very clear targeting of unemployment insurance claimants as a key population to serve...So how are we going to improve the connectivity, particularly given that claimants traditionally file remotely? How do we get them into our One-Stop Centers and make those connections for reemployment services in the most effective way?"

Ms. Gilbert made her comments in a recent webcast presentation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.

What’s on your plate to better serve UI claimants under WIOA? How can you enhance your career services to this population?

Consider the Layoff-to-Employment Action Planner (LEAP), a self-guiding career assessment tool and best practice for reemployment programs, according to a study for the U.S. Department of Labor. LEAP is also used in Reemployment and Eligibility Assessments around the nation.

Learn how agencies are using LEAP. Get ready for WIOA! Request a LEAP sample now.

To learn more about Titles I and III of WIOA, see all the brief, narrated webcast presentations by the Employment and Training Administration that highlight key provisions in the new workforce development system law. Topics include the following:

Overview

• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: An Introduction to Key Provisions
• WIOA 101: Introduction to the New Law

Governing and Operating the System

• State and Local Governance
• Performance Accountability 

Delivering High-Quality, Effective Services

• Robust and Effective Services to Job Seekers and Workers
• Robust and Effective Services to Businesses
• One-Stop Center Service Design
• Wagner-Peyser Employment Service and Unemployment Insurance
• Target Populations and National Programs
• Registered Apprenticeship
• National Dislocated Worker Grants (formerly National Emergency Grants)
• Youth Program
• Job Corps