Georgia Department of Economic Development, Workforce Division State Workforce Development Board Georgia Piedmont Technical College Conference Center Clarkston, Georgia November 19, 2015 Group Members and Attendance Meeting Minutes Attendance Member Attendance Member Attendance Member Brian Anderson Doug Duncan Eric Newberg Ames Barnett (via phone) Ivan Figueroa Avery Niles Mike Beatty Theresa Fischer Linda Owens Jeena Beeland Frank Ginn Jack Perrett Mark Butler Buddy Harden Richard Ray Chris Carr (via phone) Brenda Haught Greg Schmeig Lenn Chandler Todd Henry Mel Stowers Tom Cook Chris Hobby Fred Taylor Gretchen Corbin Daniel Holtz Keith Thomas Ann Cramer Cade Joiner (via phone) Karen Viera Robyn Crittenden Dell Keith Joe Vogt Wendell Dallas Camila Knowles James Wilburn (via phone) Melvin Davis Chuck Little Mark Wilson Nathan Deal Joseph Marks Guest Speakers Dr. Jabari Simama, President of Georgia Piedmont Technical College. Welcome and Opening Remarks Chairman Wendell Dallas welcomed the State Workforce Development Board (SWDB) and guests to the November 19, 2015 meeting at Georgia Piedmont Technical College Center in Clarkston, Georgia. Adopt Agenda Chairman Dallas presented the proposed meeting agenda to the Board. Greg Schmieg motioned that the State Workforce Development Board approve the meeting agenda, and Ann Cramer seconded the motion. No questions were asked, and the Board unanimously approved the agenda as presented. Review and Approval of Minutes
Chairman Dallas asked the Board to review the August 27, 2015 SWDB meeting minutes. Ames Barnett proposed that the Board approve the meeting minutes, and Buddy Harden seconded the motion. No questions were asked, and the Board voted to unanimously approve the meeting minutes as presented. New Business Chairman Dallas began with announcing staffing changes. He announced that Kendrick Snipe joined WFD as a Data Specialist, Jason Mann joined WFD as an Operations Specialist, and Manoa Daniel joined WFD as a Programs Specialist. Chairman Dallas directed the board to the SWDB 2016 Meeting Dates handout located in the Board members folder. Ann Cramer proposed that the Board approve the SWDB 2016 Meeting Dates, and Ames Barnett seconded the motion. Melvin Davis had a question about the locations for the 2016 SWDB Meetings and Kristin Laarhoven was able to answer, informing the Board that there will be two meetings in Metro Atlanta, one meeting in Columbus, GA and one meeting in Athens, GA. Committee Reports Youth Committee: Ann Cramer presented the Youth Committee update. Ann Cramer thanked the members of the Youth Committee for their participation as well as the local areas for their presentations during the Youth Committee meetings. Ms. Cramer asked Kristin Laarhoven to provide an overview of the Youth Elements Policy. Mrs. Laarhoven introduced the new required Youth Elements as well as a few of the depositions that WIOA required. The policy was designed to ensure that all youth participants will have access to each of the 14 elements. The LWDAs may use partner resources to provide the program elements. A detailed description for each of the 14 youth elements was provided in the board packets. (Attachment 1: 3.4.2 Required Youth Elements) Ann Cramer motioned, on behalf of the Youth Committee, to approve the Required Youth Elements and Ames Barnett seconded the motion. A question was proposed asking what changed from WIA to WIOA. Ms. Cramer answered, explaining the primary focused shifted to Out-of-School Youth from In-School Youth. Mrs. Laarhoven elaborated on the additional 4 elements now added as well. The Board unanimously approved the policy as presented. Re-Employment Services Committee: Mel Stowers provide information about the Workforce Summit in Columbus, GA arranged by Margaret Miller. Mr. Stowers also spoke on Jamie Jordan s work with the HDCI events as well as the Georgia WorkSmart Launch at the Kings Hawaiian Bakery located in Flowery Branch coordinated by Shemeka Johnson. Mel Stowers introduced Kristin Laarhoven to speak on the updated policies brought to the attention of the Re-Employment Services Committee. The policies updated were the Apprenticeship Policy, Self-Sufficiency Policy and the Under-Employed Policy. The first policy discussed was the Apprenticeship Policy which encourages the LWDAs to enroll participants in Registered Apprenticeships (RA).
Mel Stowers motioned to approve the Registered Apprenticeships Policy, and Greg Shmeig seconded the motion. No questions were asked. Kristin Laarhoven provided a summary of the Self-Sufficiency Policy. The Self-Sufficiency Policy updates include a living wage calculator to assist the LWDAs. LWDAs are permitted to define self-sufficiency for their local areas, as long as supporting documentation is provided. Ann Cramer motioned to approve the Self-Sufficiency Policy, and Mel Stowers seconded the motion. No questions were asked. Mrs. Laarhoven gave an update to the Under-Employed Policy. The Under-Employed Policy was designed to provide a better understanding of what the determining factors are that contribute to the definition of an under-employed participant. The policy also allows for LWDAs to determine the self-sufficiency level. Mel Stowers motioned to approve the Under-Employed Policy, and Greg Schmeig seconded the motion. No questions were asked. Keith Thomas asked a question about receiving assistance with adding local providers to the eligible training provider list for the purpose of the apprenticeship program. Mrs. Laarhoven informed the board that at this time the State was waiting for a response from USDOL to this question. Mrs. Laarhoven also informed Mr. Thomas that we will work on assisting him. (Attachment 2: 3.4.1 Adult and Dislocated Worker Training Services) (Attachment 3: 3.2.3 Family Size, Income Determination and Self-Sufficiency Standards) (Attachment 4: 3.2.5 Adult and Dislocated Worker Participant Eligibility For WIOA And Priority Of Service) The Board unanimously approved these policy as presented. LWIA Guidance Committee: Ames Barnett delivered the Local WIA Guidance Committee update. Mr. Barnett introduced Audrey Coots to give a review on the ETPL Policy and the Services and Activities Policy. Audrey Coots provided a brief summary of the ETPL Policy explaining the updated provisions, determinations and detailed process of eligibility. Ms. Coots informed the board about the new ETPL application, which can be found on GDEcD s website. Mr. Barnett asked Audrey to explain the determining requirements training providers must satisfy in order to continue to receive funding. Ms. Coots informed the Board that all training providers must follow all requirements proposed in the updated ETPL Policy. Ames Barnett motioned to approve the ETPL Policy, and Mel Stowers seconded the motion. No questions were asked. Audrey Coots presented the updates to the Services and Activities Policy, explaining that the updates primarily consisted of updating the language previously utilized under WIA to the new terminology under WIOA. The WIOA terminology now includes Basic Career Services and Individualized Career Services.
Ames Barnett motioned to approve the Services and Activities Policy, and Ann Cramer seconded the motion. No questions were asked. (Attachment 5: ETPL Policy) (Attachment 6: Services and Activities Policy) The Board unanimously approved these policy as presented. Deputy Commissioner s Report Deputy Commissioner Hames thanked Chairman Dallas and the SWDB for their time. Deputy Commissioner Hames began his report informing the Board that over the past 18 months the Workforce Division applied and was awarded more than $24 MM in additional federal funding. An update was given on PY 2014 monitoring. The monitoring team completed 12 of the Georgia s 19 local workforce development areas and projected PY14 monitoring would end in January 2016. All 19 local areas completed board certification as well. The Workforce Division has put more emphasis on ensuring training opportunities are available to the local areas as well as to the state team. Programs Director Kristin Laarhoven and Contractor Mary Margaret Garrett was chosen to participate in the Aspen Institute s Sector Strategies Train the Trainer Summit in Northern Virginia, December 2-4. Deputy Commissioner Hames also provided updates on the State Initiatives team s work, Georgia WorkSmart, Operation: Workforce, Go Build Georgia and HDCI. On October 26 th Governor Deal launched Georgia WorkSmart initiative at the King s Hawaiian in Flowery Branch, GA. Georgia WorkSmart offers: opportunities for assistance with registered apprenticeships, establishment of work-based learning programs, trained/educated workforce and a partnership with TCSG and USDOL. The Workforce Division participated in a Veteran-Employment Summit in partnership with Ft. Benning and the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber on November 4-7. The Soldier for Life Employment Summit was attended by 520 attendees, 56 employers, Commissioner Carr and other leadership. There were 18 on-the-spot hires out of the 219 scheduled interviews. Go Build Georgia, in partnership with the Go Build Georgia Foundation, is in the process of implementing a comprehensive plan comprised of grants, scholarships and partnerships. The partnerships include the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and the Georgia Department of Labor s Career, Technical and Agricultural Education Division (CTAE). The Workforce Division successfully hosted 3 HDCI meetings throughout the state. Deputy Commissioner Hames extended an invitation to the next and final HDCI meeting held on December 14 th at Savannah Technical College. Employers are invited to participate in the HDCI Online Assessment, Georgia.org/WorkforceAssessment. Deputy Commissioner Hames introduced the Georgia Proposed Rules. The Georgia Proposed Rules provide a conflict of interest and code of conduct policy for the state and local board members. During the last SWDB meeting, the Board voted to approve sending the Georgia Proposed Rules to Legislative Counsel so that they could be provided to the appropriate legislative committees who had thirty days to object. The Legislative Counsel provided the Proposed Rules to Senator Bethel and Representative Shaw on September 29, 2015. The thirty-day period passed without objection. Deputy Commissioner Hames proposed that the SWDB vote to formally adopt the rules. Doug Duncan motioned to approve the Georgia Proposed Rules, and Ann Cramer seconded the motion. No questions were asked.
The Board unanimously approved the Georgia Proposed Rules as presented. Deputy Commissioner Hames introduced the Georgia State Plan. The Georgia Unified State Plan was coordinated through the Administration Board Structure Working Group. Each group was responsible for writing their own program-specific section. Partners included GVRA, TCSG, GDOL and DHS. The draft is available for public comment. The working group will reconvene in January 2016 to review received comments, and edits will be made as needed. The final State Plan will be brought to SWDB at the February 25, 2016 meeting. The State Plan is due March 4, 2016. Deputy Commissioner Hames proposed that the SWDB vote to approve the draft of the Georgia State Plan. Ann Cramer motioned to approve the draft, and Tom Cook seconded the motion. Ann Cramer congratulated the staff and partner agencies for the effort put into the State Plan ensuring that it was seamless and made sense to the reader. No questions were asked. The Board unanimously approved the State Plan as presented. Budget Update Kate Russell, Grants Administrator, provided SWDB with the workforce operating budget update. Ms. Russell reminded the SWDB that Workforce Division receives funding from USDOL through three funding streams: Adult Funds, Dislocated Worker Funds and Youth Funds. Of those funds the majority are disseminated to the local areas and the State retains 10% for budget purposes. Any funds not spent in the first year of the budget can be transferred to the second and third year as well. Ms. Russell informed SWDB about Project Splatter, a new state project. Project Splatter was created in response to a request from GDEcD, local representatives and local areas asking for funding to support new hires and companies that may be coming into Georgia. One of the companies interested in relocating to Georgia was Project Splatter. The Workforce Division will be providing up to $90,000 to do On-the-Job Training (OJT) for new hires after Project Splatter s completed relocation to Georgia. Another new state project is a new apprenticeship program in LWDA 16, it is not a registered apprenticeship. The allocated amount for LWDA 16 Apprenticeships is $360,000. Doug Duncan asked how the $360,000 will be spent for the LWDA 16 Apprenticeships. Ms. Russell informed the SWDB, that LWDA 16 will be able to use some of the funds as operating cost by hiring new case managers to travel and help with those participants, ensuring they are enrolled and eligible. Some of the funds will also be used for the cost of the instructor and the costs to rent the classroom for the training of the 24 participants. There will also be a wage match, paying 50% (per participant) of the wage for the time the participants are in the training that will get them into the desired job. Ms. Russell offered to email a detailed breakdown of the LWDA Apprenticeship project. Ann Cramer asked what work has Area 16 done to be able to receive so much funding. Kate Russell responded by informing the SWDB about all of the hard work that Keith Dixon and his team has put into ensuring the success of their programs in LWDA 16 Heart of Georgia. He has also been very creative in thinking outside of the box and asking for funds to create the programs that will work not only for his area but possibly for other areas. Deputy Commissioner Hames also informed SWDB about 4 different grant opportunities that will be announced to the local areas to develop the programs to serve more Georgians in the near future. More details may come at the next SWDB meeting. No additional questions were asked. (Attachment 7: WFD WIOA Administrative Budget PY15/FY16) DeKalb Workforce Development (LWDA 5) Spotlight Presentation
Chairman Dallas introduced Director Sheryl Stone of DeKalb Workforce Development (LWDA 5). Director Stone thanked the Board and the Workforce Division for all of their assistance and provided the Board with an informational introduction packet about LWDA 5. Director Stone played a video highlighting some of the accomplishments of the area which included interviews of participants, local partners and staff. Branding Presentation Odie Donald and Shemeeka Johnson presented on the need to adopt a unified brand for the State of Georgia Workforce Division and Local Areas. Mr. Donald informed the SWDB of the importance for the State to adopt a statewide brand, reiterating the importance of recognition when connecting with local businesses and individuals in need of services. In addition to cohesion, there is also a WIOA requirement which states the importance of connecting brands throughout the State s 19 Local Areas. Mr. Donald informed the board that a unified brand would create a national and local identifier that everyone can access and would encourage an alignment between all of the different service and national providers. Mr. Donald showed the board the different 19 Local Areas brands currently in place. Presenting Florida and Ohio s unified brands, Mr. Donald explained the benefit of establishing a unified appearance and how, with a possible adoption, it could look. Mr. Donald introduced Shemeeka Johnson. Ms. Johnson elaborated on the importance of a unified brand and informed the board of the additional resources available. One of the additional resources is the Blue Sky Agency, a full service advertising agency that has been in business for over 20 years. A few of Blue Sky Agency s recent successful marketing campaigns include: Georgia Tourism, Georgia Chamber, Gas South, Atlanta Braves, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl as well as Georgia WorkSmart. The Blue Sky Agency will be able to provide assistance with the rollout of the marketing campaign, provide research, develop official brand, design marketing material and provide brand standards. Mr. Donald announced a 26 week plan needed to completely transition to a unified brand with Blue Sky Agency s assistance. The proposed timeline was highlighted and presented to the board with a projected rollout for the statewide branding in July 2016. Mr. Donald opened the floor for questions. Doug Duncan asked if the local areas needed to approve the local brand change. Mr. Donald responded by saying no, the local areas do not have to approve the branding change. USDOL states that if the State approves one unified brand then each local area would have to adopt the approved brand and can have its own unique identifier. Mr. Duncan asked how much the State would pay Blue Sky for their services. Mr. Donald s response was less than $100, 000 possibly $66,000. Mr. Duncan then asked what the estimated cost was to change the signage. Mr. Donald s response was that with local involvement and with comparison to Florida which spent $1.5 million and Ohio who spent $750,000, Georgia should fall in between because of the unique set up of the local areas. Chairman Dallas asked if the Board needed to approve the process today because of the need to coordinate with the local areas. Mr. Donald response was yes, the State needs to coordinate with Blue Sky and finish rolling out the timeline. Deputy Commissioner Hames spoke on the importance of adopting a unified brand to ensure that business partners and participants know that all services are offered throughout the State. Nancy Meeden asked if the core partners were going to be a part of the transition. Mr. Donald responded by informing the Board that it depends on the level of the partnership with the core partner. There may be funding available to some of the partners depending on the relationship. The short answer is absolutely they will be involved but the how has not been worked out yet.
Chuck Little commented on the critical need to create a unified brand and made a motion to approve the Statewide Branding Initiative. Ames Barnett seconded the motion. No additional questions were asked. The Board unanimously approved the Statewide Branding Initiative as presented. State Performance Updates Chairman Dallas introduced Steven Wilson. Mr. Wilson gave an update on the performance for the last Program Year, July 2014-June 2015. There are 9 common measures used to calculate performance measures in the State. Adults (ALT) and Dislocated Workers (DW) each have the same three performance measures: ALT and DW entering employment rate, Retention rate and the Average Six Month Earnings. Youth has three performance measures: Placement in Employment or Education, Attainment of Degree or Certificate and Literacy/Numeracy Gains (only applies to Out-of-School Youth). Mr. Wilson explained that the goals were negotiated with the US Department of Labor (USDOL). After reviewing the past information, USDOL provides the State with performance goals as well as requests that the State provides them with attainable numbers, which opens the opportunity to negotiate and in turn the State negotiates with local areas for their categories for measure. Each local area has a set of goals that they have to meet as well. Mr. Wilson explained the data collected in the Statewide Performance, Local Area Performance, Employment, Retention, Earnings and Education. In regards to local area overall performance the following areas are exceeding: LWDA 2, LWDA 10, LWDA 11, LWDA 13, LWDA 17, LWDA 18 and LWDA 20. Mr. Wilson opened the floor to questions. Chairman Dallas asked how the rates were negotiated. Mr. Wilson explained that based on past performance and the current economic condition of the State, the Workforce Division submits a number using an aggregated calculation of different sectors to the USDOL and they try to reach an agreement. Chairman Dallas asked if there was a lot of disagreements on some of the numbers presented by USDOL. Mr. Wilson stated that it does not happen very often. Deputy Commissioner Hames informed the Board that the general rule is that the Federal Government is always pushing for improvement while encouraging the State to also manage the goals. No additional questions were asked. Closing Remarks Executive Director Mike Beatty spoke on the impact that the students have while working in the private sector. Discussion of Next Steps Chairman Dallas announced that the next State Workforce Development Board meeting would be held from February 24 February 26, 2015 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Columbus, Georgia. Adjourn Meeting Chairman Dallas thanked everyone for their hard work and commitment to the SWDB and he thanked all of the guests for attending the meeting. Chairman Dallas then adjourned the meeting. Attachment Key Attachment 1: Youth Elements Policy Attachment 2: Apprenticeship Policy Attachment 3: Self-Sufficiency Policy
Attachment 4: Under-Employed Policy Attachment 5: ETPL Policy Attachment 6: Services and Activities Policy Attachment 7: WFD WIOA Administrative Budget