TEGL_1-16_Acc.pdf

ETA Advisory File Text

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION ADVISORY SYSTEM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Washington D.C. 20210 CLASSIFICATION Workforce Information CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL DNPTTA Workforce Information DATE July 8 2016 ADVISORY TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO. 1-16 TO STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES STATE WORKFORCE ADMINISTRATORS STATE LABOR COMMISSIONERS STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD CHAIRS AND DIRECTORS STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS STATE LABOR MARKET INFORMATION WORKFORCE INFORMATION OR RESEARCH DIRECTORS FROM PORTIA WU s Assistant Secretary SUBJECT Program Year PY 2016 Workforce Labor Market Information Grants to States WIGS Policy and Program Guidance and Deliverables 1. Purpose. To provide policy and program guidance for the development management and delivery of workforce and labor market information WLMI funded through WIGS. 2. References. Paperwork Reduction Act PRA of 1995 Pub. L. 104-13 and 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520 2 CFR Part 200 and 2 CFR Part 2900 Uniform Administrative Requirements Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Section 508 as amended 29 U.S.C. 794d Wagner-Peyser Act Sections 3 10 c and 15 29 U.S.C. 49 b 49 i c and 49 l 2 as amended by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act WIOA Section 308 29 U.S.C. 491-2 Training and Employment Guidance Letter TEGL No. 17-15 April 5 2016 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act WIOA Adult Dislocated Worker and Youth Activities Program Allotments for Program Year PY 2016 Final PY 2016 Allotments for the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service ES Program Allotments and Workforce Information Grants to States Allotments for PY 2016 TEGL 14 -15 March 4 2016 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act WIOA Requirements for Unified and Combined State Plans TEGL No. 39 -14 Change 1 July 20 201 5 Program Year PY 201 5 Workforce and Labor Market Information Grants to States WIGS Policy and Program Guidance Deliverables and Formula Allocations RESCISSIONS EXPIRATION DATE None Continuing 2 TEGL No. 19 -14 February 9 2015 Vision for the Workforce System and Initial Implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act TEGL No. 15 -14 December 19 2014 Implementation of the New Unifor m Guidance Regulations TEGL No. 03 -14 July 30 2014 Implementing a Job -Driven Workforce System and Training and Employment Notice TEN No. 29-14 Change 1 April 16 2015 Announcing the publication of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act WIO A Notices of Proposed Rulemaking NPRMs in the Federal Register . 3. OMB Approval . The Office of Management and Budget OMB has reviewed and approved this information collection OMB Control Number 1205 -0417 whose authorization expires March 31 201 7. 4. Fund Allotments Goals and Objectives . ETA previously published PY 2016 a llotments for WIGS in TEGL No. 17 -15 on April 5 2016 . Please refer to this TEGL for the allotment formula as well as specific allotments by state note that hereafter we use t he term state to also include the District of Columbia and the territories . Each year ETA funds these WIGS and specifies grant requirements. State workforce agencies use WIGS to develop and disseminate essential state and local WLMI for job seekers employers educators economic developers and others . The main body of this TEGL describes required encouraged and other allowable activities and explains the rationales for ETA policies and requirements. Attachment 1 summarizes WIGS requirements a nd includes important administrative details that are not covered in the body of the guidance such as deadlines and submission requirements for grant deliverables . 5. Required Encouraged and Other Allowable Activities . State workforce agencies use WIGS to develop and disseminate essential state and local WLMI for a range of customer groups 1 job seekers 2 businesses employers 3 workforce and labor market intermediaries such as employment school and career counse lors and case managers at AJCs who help individuals find a job or make career decisions or engage businesses seeking skilled workers 4 program and service planners at educational institutions and community - based organizations 5 policy makers including state and local workforce de velopment boards WDBs 6 partners such as economic development entities and human resource professionals and 7 other customers including recipients of workforce development grants researchers commercial data providers and the media. Grantees hav e considerable flexibility to meet customer needs but must consult their customers and prepare several types of products . Required products . Grantees must produce a database a below plus two types of public products b and c below . If the grantee d oes not produce a required deliverable it must negotiate an extension and a revised schedule with the appropriate ETA regional office. 3 a. Workforce Information Database WIDb . Accurate and reliable data are a cornerstone of the nation s workforce investm ent system. The WIDb includes the most important workforce -related data elements and defines them consistently ensuring comparability across jurisdictions. Its variables include employment projections wages educational programs the locations of educa tion and training institutions contact infor mation for all U.S. employers and state occupational licenses. States must use WIGS funds to populate maintain and update the WIDb and to provide related staff training. Grantees must implement and maint ain the most current version now 2. 6 of WIDb and populate all Analyst Resource Center ARC -designated core tables. The ARC Web site www.workforceinfodb.org describes all required data elements and helps gr antees obtain maximum benefit from the WIDb . The National Crosswalk Service Center can help grantees recode their occupati onal data and provides a repository for other types of crosswalks telephone 515 -242 -5034 or NCS C iowa.gov . ETA uses the WIDb to offer career information and guidance via a Web platform CareerOneStop www.careeronestop.org ETA s suite of national electronic tools for job seekers and labor market inte rmediaries such as employment counselors employers and many other s. As a reminder per TEGL 39 -14 Change 1 June 30 2016 was established as the due date for the States to complete the conversion to WIDb version 2.6 as one of the deliverables for the PY 2015 WIGS. b. State and local industry and occupational employment pr ojections . These projections are the most frequently -requested type of employment statistic other than the unemployment rate. Projections are used to identify in -demand industries and occupations for career guidance to plan employment education and training and economic development programs as supporting documentation to apply for Federal grants and for many other purposes. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS funds natio nal employment projections but WIGS fund the state and local employment projections produced by the states with assistance from ETA and BLS . The employment projections requirements are described in the table following sub - section c below and deadlines f or these products are established by the Projections Managing Partnership PMP a state consortium. ETA s requirements do not differ between industry and occupational projections but vary for long -term vs. short -term projections and statewide vs. sub -state projections. ETA grantees who are unable to produce the required projections must report this to their ETA Regional Administrator. Grantees must use the methodology software and guidelines specified by the state -led Projections Managing Partnersh ip PMP to produce all projections. Additionally t he Local Employment and Wages Information System LEWIS formerly the Estimates Delivery System EDS is to be used to develop the staffing patte rns for sub -state projections. To meet these requiremen ts ETA encourages grantees to use WIGS fund s to 4 obtain training provided by the PMP see https support.projectionscentral.com ARC see www.workforcei nfodb.org and o ther WLMI -related sources . c. A statewide annual economic analysis report. State economic and labor market analyses are essential to plan WI OA and other workforce programs. Therefore ETA requires that WIGS grantees develop a comprehensi ve statewide economic analysis report of value to state policy makers including the governor state legislature and state and local WDBs and encourages annual publication. However ETA recognizes that conditions may not change sufficiently each year to necessitate an annual report and gives states the discretion to determine their frequency. For years in which a comprehensive economic report is not issued grantees must develop and pu blish other economic reports of value to state policymakers . Grante es have broad discretion over the content of reports but they should include analyses of trends and challenges at both the state and sub -state levels on such topics as employment growth or decline actual and projected unemployment and other labor mar ket hardship indicators such as low earnings identification of growing and or in - demand occupations and or industries other analyses of key sectors important industries and any emerging occupations and potential skill imbalances mismatches or defici encies within the limitations of the available data . The report also should provide information and analyses that can support workforce planning and the process of making policy decisions for workforce development education economic development and bus iness engagement around sector strategies and career pathways initiatives rather than being an academic exercise that is primarily accessible to or of interest to a research audience. Analyses included in the report should address the unemployed popula tion including the experiences needs and challenges of the various special populations identified in the state s unified or combined state plan per the instructions outlined in TEGL 14 -15 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act WIOA Requirements fo r Unified and Combined State Plans . ETA will not accept the following submissions for the economic analysis report or its substitute 1 data tables alone 2 job listings 3 maps alone 4 reports done by the grantee for BLS e.g. news releases empl oyment situation reports projections etc. 5 reports solely funded by Federal sources other than WIGS or 6 reports developed prepared or published entirely by another entity . 5 Deliverable Required encouraged and other allowable activities Due Date Statewide long -term 10 -year projections are require d in alternate years . N A required in next year s TEGL Reminder Under the PY 15 WIGS projections for the period 2014 -2024 are due o ne week following June 30 2016 . Statewide short -term Submission of 2-year p rojections is required each year . ETA also encourages states to disseminate their short -term projections . State may also produce longer projections e.g. 3 4 or 5 years . ETA also encourages stat es to disseminate these projections. ETA discourages development of 1- year projection . March 7 2017 Projected to 201 8 with a base year of 2016 . Sub -state long -term 10 -year projections 2014 -2024 are required in PY 2016 . June 30 2017 Sub -state sho rt-term These are an encouraged but not required activity . NA Work Force Information Database WIDb Reminder that this was required under the PY 15 WIGS. All States must update to WIDb 2.6 . June 30 2016 WIGS 2016 Statewide Economic Analysis Repor t. States submit this report to the appropriate ETA regional office. September 30 201 7 WIGS PY 201 6 Annual Reports and signed letters . States submit this report to the appropriate ETA regional office. This report should include W eb -links to any additi onal economic and labor market reports and products. September 30 2017 WLMI Training for the Workforce System ETA encourages but does not require states to provide such training for AJC and WDB staff . Ongoing 6 Encouraged economic and labor market rep orts and products . ETA encourages grantees to produce other reports and data in addition to those specified above . Grantees have wide discretion in both the topics and presentation format. These reports should include accurate data actionable informati on and resources that enable job seekers employers staff in American Job Centers state and local WDBs policy makers and the workforce system to make informed decisions about the work -based learning training reemployment and career path way s strateg ies that lead to worker advancement along a continuum of high demand and higher wage jobs . Examples of such other products include online self -ser vice tools and other occupational and career guidance resources for job seekers industry - or occupation - specific research data visualizations job vacancy surveys supply demand analysis reports based on analyses of r eal -time job ads data sources and studies of topics of continuing interest such as labor or skill gaps mismatches and deficiencies . ETA encourages grantees to review the economic reports issued by other states to obtain useful ideas http www.doleta.gov performance results AnnualReports annual report .cfm . Other allowable activities . ETA strongly encourages grantees to provide training and technical assistance about various types of WLMI and its uses to state and local WDBs OneStop AJC partners state Wagner -Peyser staff WI OA program planners a nd policy makers and other workforce system stakeholders. The purpose of this training is to assist stakeholders in using WLMI for data -driven program planning and informed decision - making. It also assists such staff to better identify and more rigorous ly report when participants receive WLMI services to ensure that performance reports better measure the value and impact of WLMI . ETA also encourages grantees to leverage WIGS funds by expanding partnerships among the workforce investment system and edu cation training and economic development communities . 6. Required Methods . Grantees have considerable flexibility in conducting their work but must meet certain methodological standards in collaborating with partners consulting with customers collecting data disseminating statistics maintaining data integrity confidentiality and security and posting their products on the Internet. a. Partnerships. In order to best serve their customers and optimize the Federal investment grantees are to establish and maintain partnerships that grantees consider relevant and mutually beneficial. Such partnerships help to increase resources improve program outcomes and help WLMI data influence planning and program decisions. b. Customer consultation. One of the key tenets of WIOA is meeting the needs of businesses and jobseekers and WIOA requires states to consult with customers including employers W DBs core partner programs such as education agencies participants students and others abou t the relevance of t he W LMI collected and disseminated . WIGS grantees must consult with customers to ensure the workforce system is providing relevant and integrated information to support decision -making by stat e and local WDBs and other stakeholders. ETA does not prescrib e how this outreach is done but suggest s that it also be done in collaboration with other workforce system entities that are doing similar outreach such as business engagement or industry outreach staff at the state and 7 local level. Grantees must docume nt these consultations in their grant file and annual performance report. c. Data collection and research methodology. All ETA data collection activities must conform to BLS technical standards and methodologies except when the grantee document s a defensib le rationale for an alternative and submit s the information to the appropriate ETA regional office . Information used in reports must 1 be based in part on needs identified through customer consultati ons and product assessments and 2 come from credibl e sources that meet professional standards. Multiple sources must be used except when the report is based upon a single survey. Sources mus t be clearly referenced and or footnoted . Any additional methodologies employed and any variants encountered in t he research must also be clearly described. d. Publication requirements . In order to maximize the availability of WLMI products grantees must post grant -funded products reports and workforce information on their Web sites in a readily accessible manner unless otherwise indicated and meet standard Federal accessibility requirements www.section508.gov . To meet this criterion grantees may use WIGS funding to develop maintain improve and or host WLMI Web sites and other electronic delivery systems. Grantees must also use the approved language in Attachment 2 on products or sites that are funded by WIGS. This language is repeated in Attachment 2 for convenience but is a standard requirement included in ETA gra nt award documents. e. Information technology IT specifications. To maximize its usefulness any IT system or application developed with WIGS funds is to adhere to industry -standard open architecture principl es with documentation and software made availa ble for use by other organizations for Federal governmental purposes. To enhance the reporting of the delivery of both virtual in -person and hard copy WLMI services to customers states are encouraged to work toward greater management information system MIS integration to capture WLMI services provided. 7. Application for Federal Assistance and Recordkeeping Requirements . a. Application forms. Please refer to TEGL 17 -15 for application submission requirements for PY 2016 WIGS grants . Note that this TEGL specified a due date of May 31 2016 for electronic submission of an SF 424 Application for Federal Assistance through Grants.gov . b. Other standard forms and files. ETA requires grantees to complete ETA Form 9130 quarterly financial reports within 4 5 days of the end of each quarter. In addition grantees must maintain their internal grant files in electronic form and make these available upon request to ETA. c. Expenditures. By accepting WIGS funding a state agrees to fulfill all work specified i n this guidance including submission of all deliverables by the established deadlines . ETA 8 expects grantees to expend WIGS funds during the July 1 201 6 to June 30 201 7 period although carry -over is permitted . Grantees must expend the funds within a three -year period by June 30 201 9. During the performance period the grantee and the ETA regional office may jointly adjust planned expenditures within the state s allotment . All WIGS expenditures must support the required and allowable activities an d conform to reasonable necessary and allocable costs specified in 2 CFR Part 200 and 2 CFR Part 2900 Uniform Administrative Requirements Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards see https cfo.gov cofar RUUG . WIGS cannot be used to supplant funding from other Federal or state sources. Please contact your regional Federal Project Officer FPO for technical assistance . 8. Additional Resources . ETA s Labor Market Information Cen tral https lmi.workforcegps.org is the agency s principal repository of technical assistance resources to enhance the use of WLMI . These resources include ETA s Guide to State and Local Workforce Data https lmi.workforcegps.org resources 2015 04 03 15 48 Guide to State and Local Workf orce Data a directory of links to state and local employmen t projections and research pertaining to skill shortages mismatches and deficiencies the identification of high growth and or in -demand industries and occupations and how to understand and use data for special populations such as dislocated workers ind ividuals with disabilities veterans and Native Americans. ETA encourages the states to establish an Internet link somewhere on the ir WLMI Web site to ETA s LMI Central resource. 9. Action Requested . As described in TEGL 17 -15 to initiate the PY 16 WIGS state workforce agenc ies SWA were required to submit the SF 4 24 to Grants.gov by May 31 2016 . Per the grant agreement during the course of the y ear grantees will provide the deliverables according to the requirements and timeframes outlined in Attac hment 1. 10. Inquiries . For questions on grant requirements contact the app licabl e ETA regional office. For submission questions contact Grants Management Specialist Janice Sheelor at sheelor.janice dol.gov or National Grant Officer Latifa Jeter at jeter.latifa.m dol.gov . 11. Attachments. 1. Consolidated Requirements for WIGS Grantees 2. Language for Grant Product Attribution and Intellectual Property Rights