Workforce Education and Training Policies: Current Federal Reauthorization Proposals Job Opportuniti

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Workforce Education and Training
PoliciesCurrent Federal Reauthorization
ProposalsJob Opportunities Task
ForceBaltimore, MarylandApril 23rd, 2003
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Mission

• 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.

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TWAs 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

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A 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)

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TWAs 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)

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Competing 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

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Competing 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

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TWAs 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

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TWAs 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

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Competing 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

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USDOL / 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

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USDOL / 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

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USDOL / 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)

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USDOL / 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)

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USDOL / 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)

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USDOL / 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

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WIA 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

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WIA 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???

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TWAs 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

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TWAs 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)

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Bush Administrations 2004 Budget Request

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Andy Van KleunenExecutive DirectorThe Workforce
Alliance (TWA)1054 31st Street NW, Suite
425Washington, DC 200007andyvk_at_workforceallia
nce.orgWashington Office 202-338-0737