Title
a. Approve the Monterey County Workforce Investment Board's (WIB) recommendation to accept $188,250 in Governor's 25 Percent Discretionary Dislocated Worker Additional Assistance grant funds to assist long-term unemployed individuals in returning to work;
b. Authorize the Director of the Economic Development Department to make modifications to and sign contracts, amendments and other related documents as necessary to receive these grant funds; and
c. Authorize the Auditor-Controller's Office to increase appropriations and estimated revenue in the Fiscal Year 2014-15 Adopted Budget for Economic Development Workforce Investment Board, Fund 021 Appropriation Unit DEO016, in the amount of $188,250.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve the Monterey County Workforce Investment Board's (WIB) recommendation to accept $188,250 in Governor's 25 Percent Discretionary Dislocated Worker Additional Assistance grant funds to assist long-term unemployed individuals in returning to work;
b. Authorize the Director of the Economic Development Department to make modifications to and sign contracts, amendments and other related documents as necessary to receive these grant funds; and
c. Authorize the Auditor-Controller's Office to increase appropriations and estimated revenue in the Fiscal Year 2014-15 Adopted Budget for Economic Development Workforce Investment Board, Fund 021 Appropriation Unit DEO016, in the amount of $188,250
SUMMARY:
As of October 2014, 3 million individuals in California are long-term unemployed, i.e., jobless for 27 weeks or more. According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, they constitute a major part-32 percent-of the unemployed workers in the state.
To assist long-term unemployed persons in returning to work, the Southeast Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board (SELACO) successfully applied for a partnership grant and received $970,000 in Governor's 25 Percent Discretionary Dislocated Worker Additional Assistance grant funds from the State of California Employment Development Department (EDD). These grant funds are part of a project entitled "Workforce Strategies to Serve the Long Term Unemployed in California". This partnership grant involves a collaborative of four California Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) - SELACO, Monterey County, North Valley Job Training Consortium (NOVA), and Kern/Inyo/Mono Consortium - as well as the California Workforce Association (CWA), the Aspen Institute, and the Milken Institute. The term of the project is from October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015.
The "Workforce Strategies to Serve the Long Term Unemployed in California" partnership grant is an applied research project that will identify the most effective job placement practices for the long-term unemployed. The four California WIBs will implement these practices in specific projects to provide long-term unemployed workers with a combination of individualized career advice, job search and placement assistance, training, mentoring, and supportive services to facilitate rapid reemployment.
DISCUSSION:
On June 27, 2014, SELACO submitted a partnership grant application to EDD for the amount of $970,000 to be used to serve 180 long-term unemployed participants. The application was submitted on behalf of the collaborative workforce partnership consisting of the four California WIBs, the CWA, the Aspen Institute, and the Milken Institute. The Monterey County WIB will receive $188,250 (19%) of the $970,000 total grant award to place 45 long-term unemployed residents of Monterey County into employment by July 31, 2015.
The grant project consists of the following two phases:
Phase I: A project team, including the CWA, the Aspen Institute, and the Milken Institute, will conduct a review of workforce programs that target the long-term unemployed, in and outside of California, to analyze best practices in workforce programs for the long-term unemployed and strategies for California WIBs. Based on the review and analysis of existing best practices, the project team will identify the most effective approaches for placing various populations of the long-term unemployed into employment and will develop a service model for implementation in Phase II of the project.
Phase II: The project team will work with the four partner WIBs, including SELACO, Monterey County, NOVA, and Kern/Inyo/Mono Consortium, to implement the best practices design model to service their existing population of long-term unemployed customers. The four WIBs involved in this project were selected based on WIB interest and their local and regional economies. These WIBs have substantial levels of long-term unemployed residents in their service areas and each will quickly develop and implement the program design for 45 long-term unemployed participants in their respective service areas. Additionally, the project will employ a "control group" in which each WIB agrees to target and serve 40 to 50 long-term unemployed individuals through their normal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) dislocated worker funded programs. The project team will compare the grant project outcomes with control group outcomes, and will report on WIB progress. The experience of the partner WIBs will be tracked, analyzed, and assessed for implementation across the state and potentially across the nation.
A key component of this effort is extensive partnership with the employer community. This program is intended to close the gap between the talent required by employers and the skill-sets of long-term unemployed job seekers.
There were no funds identified in the FY 2014-15 Adopted Budget for the Long-Term Unemployed Program. Therefore, the Department is requesting an amendment to the FY 2014-15 Adopted Budget to incorporate the grant award.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The County Administrative Office was consulted and County Counsel has reviewed grant agreements and associated documents for form.
FINANCING:
There is no impact to the County General Fund.
Prepared by: Approved by:
____________________________ ______________________________
Joyce Aldrich, Executive Director David Spaur, Director
Workforce Investment Board Economic Development Department
759.6644 755.5387
ATTACHMENTS:
Agreement No. 143000 - Monterey County WIB and Southeast Los Angeles County WIB
*Attachments and Exhibits referenced in Agreement are on file with the Clerk to the Board*