Updated December 2016
This workforce development initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor seeks to better align the workforce system with education and economic development, creating a collective response to economic and labor market challenges on the national, state, and local levels.
Title I adult programs target populations identified as having barriers to employment including those with low income, limited skills, a lack of work experience, or other limitations to economic success.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA Public Law 113 128) is the authorizing legislation for six “core programs” in the public workforce development system.
Local workforce boards are required to engage employers through industry partnerships and sector strategies in order to target industries that are important to the regional economy.
Title I formally eliminates the requirement for career services to be delivered in a specific sequence, and clarifies that participants need not pass through multiple layers of services before starting workforce training.
As a WIOA core partner, Title I adult is included in the California state unified WIOA plan and overseen by the California Employment Development Department. Title I also operates locally through Local Workforce Development staff. Local providers are required to partner with career technical education providers under the federal Carl D. Perkins Act.
WIOA encourages the use of Integrated Education and Training approaches to provide adult education and literacy activities concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation activities. This supports educational and career advancement within a specific occupation or occupational cluster.
WIOA training services include on-the-job training, incumbent worker training, apprenticeship training, and more. Training providers should be registered with California’s Eligible Training Provider List.
Title I adult programs can reimburse employers for up to 75 percent of on-the-job training costs. Up to 10 percent of Title I adult funds can support transitional jobs programming, and up to 20 percent can support incumbent worker training.
Career services include supportive services (e.g., childcare, transportation) as well as employment services. Title I adult also requires that an individual employment plan be prepared for all adult participants, identifying pathways to meet career objectives.
State and local workforce boards are required to report the number of individuals with barriers to employment served by each core program, including specific breakdowns by subpopulation. Initiative design also establishes common performance measures for its core programs to support greater integration of services.
WIOA Title I adult shared performance metrics include:
WIOA Title I adult programs could target individual or cohort training services to support participants in secondary and postsecondary career pathways programs.
Title I adult programs have Priority of Service provisions focusing on individuals in CalWORKs or other public benefits programs. Partnership with these providers could help align services.
Title I adult career counselors could partner with career pathway education providers to offer intensive career services for program participants. This could help mitigate non-academic barriers to program completion and support participants toward employment placement and retention.
Title I adult administrators could partner with local workforce development boards to lead industry collaboration efforts, and engage their education partners in building career pathway programs that meet regional employment needs.
The Measureable Skills Gain performance measure could help programs track individuals’ progress while in an education and training program.
A Roadmap for Joint Regional Planning from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office can help initiatives identify resources, tools, key questions, and regional partners in order to facilitate collaboration around WIOA and the Strong Workforce Program.
Does this information need updating or adjustment? Send us your suggestions: CAcareerpathway@clasp.org