Alaska Pys 2020-2023
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ALASKA PYS 2020-2023 CONTENTS Alaska PYs 2020-2023 ............................................................................................................................................................. 1 I. WIOA State Plan Type and Executive Summary ................................................................................................ 3 a. WIOA State Plan Type ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Combined Plan Partner Program(s) ........................................................................................................................ 3 b. Plan Introduction or Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... 3 II. Strategic Elements ........................................................................................................................................................... 4 a. Economic, Workforce, and Workforce Development Activities Analysis ........................................ 4 b. State Strategic Vision and Goals ......................................................................................................................... 32 c. State Strategy ............................................................................................................................................................... 35 III. Operational Planning Elements ............................................................................................................................ 43 a. State Strategy Implementation ........................................................................................................................... 43 b. State Operating Systems and Policies ............................................................................................................. 54 IV. Coordination with State Plan Programs ........................................................................................................... 77 V. Common Assurances (For All Core Programs) ............................................................................................... 78 VI. Program-Specific Requirements for Core Programs ................................................................................. 79 Program-specific Requirements for Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities under Title I-B ................................................................................................................................................................................ 80 Program-Specific Requirements for Wagner-Peyser Program (Employment Services) ....... 105 Program-specific Requirements for Adult Education and Family Literacy Act Programs .... 122 Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Combined or General) ....... 135 VII. Program-Specific Requirements for Combined State Plan Partner Programs ........................ 195 Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP).................................................................. 195 Performance Indicator Appendix ............................................................................................................................ 206 All WIOA Core Programs ......................................................................................................................................... 206 Additional Indicators of Performance .............................................................................................................. 207 Other Appendices ............................................................................................................................................................. 207 Page 2 I. WIOA STATE PLAN TYPE AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A. WIOA STATE PLAN TYPE This is a combined plan COMBINED PLAN PARTNER PROGRAM(S) Senior Community Service Employment program (programs authorized under title V of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3056 et seq.)) B. PLAN INTRODUCTION OR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is the federal program that funds state and local workforce initiatives and provides a variety of job training services for adults and youth. WIOA modernizes and streamlines the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and was created to allow states more flexibility in collaborating across systems to better address the employment and skills needs of employees, jobseekers, and employers. WIOA stresses the importance of education, training, credentials, and skills; helping people with barriers to employment; meeting the needs of employers; increasing the success and economic self- sufficiency of workers; and aligning workforce development with education and economic development. In Alaska, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) is the state agency designated to receive WIOA funds and implement its provisions. The hallmarks of the WIOA legislation are: • The needs of businesses and workers drive workforce solutions, and local boards are accountable to the communities in which they are located; • Job Centers provide excellent customer service to jobseekers and employers by focusing on continuous improvement; and • The workforce system supports strong regional economies and plays an active role in community and workforce development. Alaska’s Four-year Plan WIOA requires states to submit a four–year workforce plan to the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL). This document is the four-year workforce plan for 2020 – 2023 as required by WIOA. The writing of this new strategic workforce development plan is a major opportunity for the Alaska DOLWD to develop new strategies while emphasizing sector partnerships, career pathways, cross–program data and measurement, and job–driven investments. The Alaska WIOA Combined Plan describes the workforce development system that Alaskans want and explains how Alaska is using WIOA and other state and federal programs to achieve its vision of providing multiple pathways to high skill, high wage jobs and careers, and access to the education, training, and support services needed to prepare for and participate in high–demand occupations that pay family–sustaining wages. Public comment period The plan was presented for public comment from January 24, 2020 to February 24, 2020. Announcement of the public comment period was made through the state’s online public notices system (https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/View.aspx?id=196843), with links on the department’s main website (https://labor.alaska.gov/), its WIOA website (http://labor.alaska.gov/wioa/), and the Alaska Workforce Investment Board Website Page 3 (https://labor.alaska.gov/awib/). Public comments were collected via a dedicated email address. The plan was sent electronically to stakeholder groups that provided public comment, including Alaska Native organizations, chief elected officials, businesses, labor organizations, economic development entities, community-based organizations, adult and youth education and workforce development providers, institutions of higher education, disability service entities, youth-serving programs, veterans’ service organizations, juvenile justice specialists, senior employment programs, individuals with disabilities, and the public. The Alaska Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Combined Plan represents the culmination of this public input process. Combined Plan The plan’s Strategic Elements section provides the current and projected workforce picture, as well as the state’s workforce vision and goals. The Operational Planning Elements section clarifies implementation of the strategic elements in day-to-day operations, followed by sections specific to each core and partner program. The WIOA plan follows the question and answer format provided by the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education. At the end of the entire narrative portion of the plan, Appendix 1 shows the Performance Goals for the Core Programs and the Partner Program (Senior Community Service Employment Program). Appendix 2.1 contains a list of acronyms used in the plan; and Appendix 2.2 lists Alaska’s One-Stop partners. II. STRATEGIC ELEMENTS A. ECONOMIC, WORKFORCE, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES ANALYSIS 1. ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE ANALYSIS Alaska's Overall Economic Conditions and Trends With a 2018 population of 736,289, Alaska is the third least populated state — only Wyoming and Vermont have fewer — but it is easily the largest geographically. The state accounts for 16 percent of the total land mass of the United States with an area of 570,641 square miles. The U.S. has population density of 93 people per square mile; in Alaska, there are 1.3 people per square mile. Most Alaskans live in towns, villages, and clustered settlements scattered throughout the huge state. Most of the land is owned by the federal government, the state government, or Alaska Native corporations, all of which exclude or restrict settlement to some degree. Only one percent of the state’s land is in other private ownership. Overall, the state has population settlements of low to moderate density surrounded by large tracts of uninhabited land. In 2018, Alaska’s gross domestic product (GDP) in chained 2012 dollars (inflation adjusted to 2012) was $53.1 billion, up from $52.7 billion in 2017, but still well below the $57.7 billion high in 2012. The state is heavily dependent on the oil and gas industry, but less so than it used to be,