OET Reorganization Talking Points
1) The Office of Employment and Training is being reorganized into a system of hubs and satellite career center system.
Effective Feb. 16, 2017, the Kentucky Career Center will be made of 12 hubs in Bowling Green, Covington, Elizabethtown, Hazard, Hopkinsville, Lexington, Louisville, Morehead, Owensboro, Paducah, Prestonsburg and Somerset plus an additional eight offices that are attached to those hubs in Fort Knox, Mount Sterling, Whitesburg, McKee, Manchester, Jackson, Monticello and Albany. EWDC will work with local workforce development boards (LWDB) to determine future service delivery models and staffing levels at these locations.
2) The reorganization is in response to recent federal law, limited available federal funds and a new service delivery strategy that allows customers the convenience to do more online or by phone anytime they want.
3) The reorganization will create a more robust workforce system with less emphasis on face-to-face help accessing unemployment benefits and more emphasis on employment services to help people start a career, return to work or get a better job.
4) In the new hub and satellite career center system, local workforce development boards will have greater control to determine service delivery approaches and satellite office locations. We will work with them to add staff support to the satellite locations whenever we can.
5) While the reorganization will become effective Feb. 16, 2017, additional changes will occur over time as OET adjusts to the service delivery model to respond to customer traffic and needs.
6) There are 51 Kentucky Career Center offices across the state. Initially employees will be consolidated into 20 offices (12 hubs and eight that are attached to those hubs). As a result, 31 locations will no longer have OET staff in those locations on a full-time basis. Over time, OET will refine the new hub and satellite system.
7) Offices that will no longer have full-time OET staff: Ashland, Bardstown, Campbellsville, Carrollton, Central City, Columbia, Corbin, Danville, Florence, Frankfort, Georgetown, Glasgow, Harlan, Henderson, Lebanon, Leitchfield, Liberty, Louisville (Preston Highway), Madisonville (two locations), Mayfield, Maysville, Middlesboro, Murray, Pikeville, Richmond, Russell Springs, Shelbyville, Shepherdsville, Springfield and Winchester locations will no longer have full or part- time staff. Three of those offices (Columbia, Liberty and Springfield) only have part- time OET staff that comes to the office once a week.
Refer to spreadsheet for individual offices.
8) There are several reasons for the reorganization including:
1 requirements of the federal Workforce Innovations and Opportunities Act (WIOA) that directs how all states structure their workforce services,
the change in customer preferences over time toward a more technology-based approach and;
the cabinet’s Office of Training and Employment (OET) has been running a significant deficit in the federal grant called Wagner-Peyser that funds employment services in the state. FY2016 Wagner Peyser budget $8.6 million, spent more than $13 million.
This cabinet, like all of state government, must operate within the resources available to it and direct resources to provide the most flexible, accessible and technology-enabled services possible.
Over the last two years, OET has taken several major steps to curtail its expenses but it has still run a deficit including:
curtailed travel and other expenses, maintained a hiring freeze, maximized the use of other federal grants, and petitioned the federal government for additional funds.
The hiring freeze resulted in 18 percent few employees in our local offices and 25 percent fewer employees in the central office in Frankfort by attrition. This reorganization is necessary to bring expenditures in line with the federal grants that support our employment activity and to create a firm foundation for Kentucky’s workforce development services.
9) Kentucky, like all states has been impacted by the new WIOA requirements. This plan will allow OET to live within its means, better position it to meet the needs of customers and align Kentucky with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
10) The reorganization only affects the OET staff located in the 31 local offices. We are transferring OET employees and the services they offer from these locations and consolidating OET services at the 20 offices.
11) Career center offices are operated in partnership between the cabinet’s Department of Workforce Investment, Office of Employment and Training and services providers contracted by local workforce development boards. Because of this partnership, there are other state and local partners located in those 31 office buildings. It will be the decision of the local workforce development boards and other state and local partners and officials in each location to determine if the affected center offices will continue to operate and how best to deliver those services.
Refer to spreadsheet for specific offices
2 12) Kentuckians who are receiving unemployment insurance benefits will no longer have to go to an office in person for an eligibility reviews. Reviews will now be done online from your home or somewhere like a public library that has computers. In addition, customers will be able to reset their UI password and reopen claims online or by phone. It will be more convenient for our customers.
You can still talk with staff in person by going to the nearest Kentucky Career Center hub located at refer to spreadsheet.
13)The following services are available at the local center. Refer to spreadsheet for specific services at offices.
14)Customers and communities not located near area career center offices will be served in a variety of ways. Our new model will allow us to have flexibility in offering information and assistance from these hubs to groups and individual customers via multiple technology platforms and via mobile staff members who travel throughout the area to provide assistance in a variety of settings. We will use mobile technology to interact with individuals in rural areas and provide top-notch services.
15) File a claim (new or reopen existing) – 502-875-0442 General UI support – 502-564-2900
16) The focus of the reorganization is to arrange OET’s structure to provide the services required by WIOA and remain within its financial means. Locations were determined using the reorganization process and factors including customer traffic, accessibility, and management alignment with hub locations.
17) Approximately 95 employees are being were transferred from the affected locations to other positions within the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet or offered a transfer opportunity to another cabinet within the Executive Branch of state government.
18) We recognize the efforts all staff made the last two years with the hiring freeze and doing more with less. The improved technology and modernization of our career center offices will assist in alleviating the workload of remaining staff. This process will take time to achieve, and continued teamwork will assure the best possible experience for career center customers.
19) If a local office closes, you can access services online at kcc.ky.gov. If you’re looking for help with Focus Career, the help desk number is 502-564-0871. To access your UI claim or to file one, go to https://uiclaims.des.ky.gov/ebenefit/. You also can reach out to us via social media. The Kentucky Career Center (Central Office) is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KYCareerCenter/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/KYCareerCenter.
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