Title: Workforce Education and Training Policies: Current Federal Reauthorization Proposals Job Opportuniti
1Workforce Education and Training
PoliciesCurrent Federal Reauthorization
ProposalsJob Opportunities Task
ForceBaltimore, MarylandApril 23rd, 2003
2Mission
- The Workforce Alliance (TWA) is a national
coalition of local leaders advocating for federal
policies that invest in the skills of Americas
workers including those who are low-income,
unemployed, or seeking advancement so they can
better support their families, and help American
businesses better compete in todays economy.
3TWAs Four-Point Platform
- Increase our Nations Investment in the Skills of
its Workforce - Expand Access to Education Training for All
Workers - Measure Policies by their Success in Developing
Self-Sufficient Workers - Promote and Reward Local Innovation
4A Very Busy Year
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Administration DONE
- House DONE (HR 4)
- Senate Finance Committee (May-June?) Summer
Fall - Current Law Extended Until June 30th
- Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
- Administration March Framework Senate Bill?
(May) - House Education Workforce Comm (HR 1261)
Floor vote delayed - Senate HELP Committee (May-June?) Fall
- Higher Education Act (HEA) Perkins Act
- Late 2003 / early 2004
- Ongoing Funding Battles
- Congress vs. Administration? (FY2004 Budget,
Approps)
5TWAs Goals for ImprovingTANF
- Allow a range of employment-connected education
and training activitiesincluding post-secondary
educationto count as work activities - Eliminate the 12-month limit vocational education
- Eliminate 30 cap on number of clients engaged in
E T - Reward states for improving clients success in
the labor market (employment, retention, earnings
gains) vs. for reducing state caseloads - TANF-WIA integration through performance measures
(vs. super waivers)
6Competing TANF Proposals
- Administration House HR 4
- Passed February 2003 same as last years bill
(HR 4737) - Further limits on allowable work activities
- Raised required hours of work to 40
- Highly prescriptive about what to for specific
hours each week - Raised work participation rate to 70
- Double of most states
- No More than 4 months education / training
7Competing TANF Proposals
- Senate
- Last sessions Tri-Partisan Finance Committee
Bill - 30 hours of work, with 24 in work-focused
activities -
- Raised work participation rate to 70
-
- Allowed 24 months of vocational education
- Post-secondary as work activity for 10 of
caseload ABE as work activity for up to 6 months - Employment credit vs. caseload reduction credit
- 200 million Business Link Partnership grants
8TWAs Goals for ImprovingWIA
- Invest in our Nations Workforce
- Protect and Expand WIA Funding
- Expand Access to Training (vs. current decreases)
- Relieve infrastructure vs. training
competition for limited dollars - Allow for a flexible array of services (core,
intensive, training) vs. a federally mandated
sequence - Easier for Effective Training Providers to
Participate - Reduce reporting burdens across federal programs,
types of clients common performance measures
(with diverse outcome expectations) - Robust, cross-agency public tracking systems that
relieve burdens on individual training providers
9TWAs Goals for ImprovingWIA
- State / Local Flexibility to Better Meet Local
Conditions - Fewer federal mandates on funding mechanisms
(vouchers vs. contracts), ETP requirements, etc. - Ability to adjust performance for changed local
economic conditions - Federal prescriptions on who, but not on how
- More Meaningful Opportunities for Engaging
Business - WIBs are important, but should not be the only
way - Industry-specific planning efforts /
intermediaries in which business collaborates
with training providers, labor unions, public
system
10Competing WIA Proposals
- Administration USDOL-ETA White Paper
- 10-pager, released March 7th, 2003
- Was to have followed last years forums, written
comments - House HR 1261-- Workforce Reinvestment and
Adult Education Act - Passed out of Committee this week floor vote in
April (?) - Senate May - June 2003
- Legislative version of Administrations proposal
- Democratic / Tri-partisan Alternative
11USDOL / House ProposalsEncouraging Elements
- Relaxed Sequence of Services (???)
- USDOL generally stated
- House unlikely or unable to obtain suitable
employment (Governor) - State Flexibility on ETP Lists
- Still need to address funding to encourage
participation - Tracking WIA clients or all clients (pro and con)
- Separate One-Stop Funding Stream all agencies
contribute - USDOL not specific separate line in FY2004
budget request - House at State level
12USDOL / House ProposalsEncouraging Elements
- New Business Role on Local WIBs (strategy vs.
administration) - Local agencies sit on separate Operating
Committees - Agency concerns about being saddled with One-Stop
costs, no authority - Still too limited focus on WIBs vs. industries?
- Common Performance Measures (4 for Adults, across
agencies) - USDOL employment, retention, earnings gains or
credential (unclear) - House employment, retention, earnings gains
- BOTH Efficiency Measure Another one size fits
all measure that will force creaming or low-cost
/ low-skill strategies
13USDOL / House ProposalsEncouraging Elements
- Recognized Need to Better Serve Certain Workers
- Incumbent Workers
- 10 of Local Adult Dollars (with Governor
approval) good, but no new money - At-Risk / Special Populations
- USDOL more dynamic performance negotiation
process - House Incentive Grants to States and Locals
expands special populations to people with
disabilites New amendments on displaced
homemakers ex-offenders demonstration program - BOTH Other proposal elements could work against
serving people with special needs (e.g.,
Efficiency Measure, Adult Block Grant)
14USDOL / House ProposalsBad Ideas
- Consolidation of Adult, Dislocated Worker and
Employment Service dollars into new 3.1 billion
Comprehensive Adult block grant - Ignores differences between different types of
job-seekers - Pits different types of workers against each
other over limited funds - Everyone served by stream for single set of
outcome measures - Transfers too much Authority from Locals to
Governors - USDOL 50/50 funding split Governor determines
allocation formula - House 50/50 split (but half of Governors to
locals for core services) - USDOL Governors do local area designation no
appeal to USDOL - State WIB authority over Local One-Stops
(allocation certification)
15USDOL / House Proposals Bad Ideas
- State Option to Block Grant WIA Entirely
- USDOL Governor can choose to scrap WIA system,
apply funds however s/he wants within certain
very broad guidelines (e.g. One-Stops) without
current statutory protections (e.g., FLSA) - House Does NOT include State Option Block Grant
Authority - Personal Reemployment Accounts (PRAs)
- USDOL Part of proposal
- House Been removed from WIA bill will be
introduced elsewhere? (already passed under Back
to Work Incentive Act)
16USDOL / House ProposalsOther Details
- Changes to State Local WIB Composition (adult)
- USDOL State WIBs not required business majority
partner agencies - House State WIBs retain business majority
- BOTH Agencies off Local WIB (Operating
Committees) - ITAs to Career Scholarships (USDOL only)
- Combine public and private dollars
- New Priority for Unemployed Workers
- Vs. old priority on public assistance recipients
17WIA Title IIAdult Education and Family Literacy
- HR 1261 Dept. of Education expressed priorities
(vs. budget request) - Fewer Big Changes than under Title I
- Additional Performance Indicators
- Core Indicators improved basic skills,
transition to post-secondary education,
post-secondary credential or equivalent - Employment Performance Indicators employment,
retention, earnings gains no efficiency measure - Additional Emphasis on Workplace Literacy
- Distinct activity area, along with ABE, ESL and
Family Literacy
18WIA Title IIAdult Education and Family Literacy
- Additional Eligible Providers
- Qualified faith-based organizations
- For-profit
- Push for Curricular Standards (?)
- Emphasis on scientific research-based practices
- Research on adult vs. K-12 learners???
- Implications for workplace literacy???
19TWAs Goals for ImprovingHEA / Pell Grants
- Individual Eligibility Make it easier for
working adults / part-time students to use Pell
Grants - Not regular students dont make satisfactory
progress - Cost of Attendance, Expected Contribution
- Program Eligibility New aid that could be used
for non-traditional, employment-focused courses - Expand use of Pell e.g., shorter-termed courses
effective in helping people advance distance
learning courses - OR
- Create a new title in HEA for programs serving
working adults not seeking enrollment in a
long-term course of academic study
20TWAs Goals for ImprovingPerkins
- Maintain Funding for Adult Workforce Programs
- Administration calling for 24 cut to Perkins
Governors option to use funding for K-12
education - Differences in Adult vs. High School Programs
- Different measures of success (e.g., employment
vs. degree completion) - Reward meaningful labor market outcomes
- Comparable outcome measures with other federal
workforce programs (e.g., WIA)
21Bush Administrations 2004 Budget Request
22(No Transcript)
23Andy Van KleunenExecutive DirectorThe Workforce
Alliance (TWA)1054 31st Street NW, Suite
425Washington, DC 200007andyvk_at_workforceallia
nce.orgWashington Office 202-338-0737