The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an Operational Planning Elements section that supports the State’s strategy and the system-wide vision described in Section II(c) above. Unless otherwise noted, all Operational Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs. This section must include—
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a description of the State operating systems and policies that will support the implementation of the State strategy described in section II Strategic Elements. This includes—
As the coordination entity for all workforce activities in the state, including WIOA, the Office of Workforce Strategy facilitates and drives the development of all policies. With respect to WIOA, OWS is supported by the CTDOL which maintains day-to-day responsibility to ensure that an appropriate and comprehensive set of state workforce system policies is established and are in place to guide effective WIOA service delivery. CTDOL has demonstrable experience and expertise in this role, having been responsible for administrative oversight and direction of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) implementation in Connecticut. Building on a foundation of administrative policy developed during that time, the CTDOL‘s WIOA Administration Unit has systematically drafted and developed the necessary inventory of WIOA‐related workforce system policies. The CTDOL WIOA Policy Manual can be found at http://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/wia/wioa.htm . The policy manual is designed to be updated as necessary to account for changes and improvements in WIOA service delivery over time.
(1) THE STATE OPERATING SYSTEMS THAT WILL SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STATE’S STRATEGIES.
As administrative entity for WIOA implementation in Connecticut, CTDOL has lead responsibility to ensure that appropriate operating systems are in place and used effectively by all WIOA and workforce system partners, with appropriate oversight by the state board. A description of Data Collection and Reporting elements is included below.
Connecticut Department of Labor
Data collection and reporting for the six core WIOA programs (Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth, Wagner‐Peyser, Adult Education and Literacy Activities, and Title 1 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) will occur within separate case management systems located at each of three State agencies including the Connecticut Departments of Labor (CTDOL), Education (CSDE), and Aging and Disability Services (ADS).
CTDOL has contracted with Geographic Solutions to implement a web‐based case management system, CTHires, to provide virtual services to individual jobseekers and employers, and to collect data required by WIOA for reporting on self‐services and staff‐assisted services for the Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth, Wagner‐Peyser, and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Foreign Labor Certification, TANF/Jobs First Employment Services Program, Apprenticeship and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Program. CTDOL is also working with OWS and the Local WDB to include other workforce grant activities in CThires, this includes CareerConneCT, Good Jobs Challenge, Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative and Community Project Grants.
Connecticut State Department of Education
All adult education providers funded by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), Adult Education Unit, collect and report through the Connecticut Literacy, Adult and Community Education System (LACES). The data entered in LACES are used by CSDE to meet reporting requirements at the Federal and State levels. LACES data are the basis for completing the Federal reporting requirements of the National Reporting System (NRS).
LACES is a longitudinal database containing student information. The Student ID created for each new student in LACES is unique to that student across adult education providers and fiscal years. Students returning to adult education in a future fiscal year maintain the same LACES Student ID. Students who transfer from one adult education provider to another, or prepare in adult education and then register for the GED test will also be able to utilize the same LACES Student ID.
Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services
The ADS maintains an approved vocational rehabilitation case management system for both of the department’s vocational rehabilitation programs. This system runs locally on servers housed within ADS and contains case information relevant to individual consumers and reportable data. The vendor has maintained an active relationship with the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) who governs data collection for public vocational rehabilitation programs. RSA data elements have been adjusted to be compatible with the WIOA‐ Participant Individual Record Layout (PIRL) document.
SCSEP uses the SCSEP Performance and Results Quarterly Progress Reporting System (SPARQ) developed and maintained for the US Department of Labor. It is an online system and both grantees and sub-grantees have access to the system for data entry. Information about SCSEP locally, statewide and nationally can be accessed through this system.
WIOA Annual State and Local Area Reporting
Reporting processes for the WIOA Annual State Performance Report will involve CTDOL obtaining electronic files for each report period from the three Connecticut State agencies for each of the six WIOA core programs. The WIOA Annual Local Area Performance Report is a subset of the WIOA Annual State Performance Report, covering only the Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs. These electronic files will be matched to each of the electronic files for each of the six WIOA core programs to determine if an individual was co‐enrolled in one or more of those programs. If the participant was co‐enrolled in another core program, the specific code value identified in the WIOA. Participant Individual Record Layout (PIRL) that applies to those services will be appended to the participant record.
These same electronic files will be used to obtain employment information for each program participant who has a social security number and an exit date from one or more of the six WIOA core programs. CTDOL currently is responsible for reporting wages, entered employment rates, and employment retention rates for individuals who exit the Wagner‐Peyser, Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth, and Trade Adjustment Assistance programs.
Each program’s electronic file containing co‐enrollment data, wages, and employment information will be returned to each of the three State agencies for use in their Federal report submissions.
Eligible Training Provider (ETP) Performance Report
CTDOL will use the CTHires case management system to collect data and generate the Eligible Training Provider Performance Report on all students in programs, and on WIOA participants, as required under WIOA.
Effectiveness in Serving Employers Report
CTDOL will assume the role as lead agency in the Effectiveness in Serving Employers Report. Connecticut will be reporting on the Employer Penetration rate and Employee Retention.
Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) maintains and operates an automated Workforce Development Business System to support the operational and management needs of the State of Connecticut’s One‐Stop employment service delivery system under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). To address these operational, management, and reporting needs, CTDOL requires that state and contractor staff funded under the WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth, Wagner‐Peyser and National Dislocated Worker grant programs enter data into the CTHires system. Staff delivering services under the Trade Adjustment Assistance and Apprenticeship programs also record data for this federal program into the CTHires system.
CTDOL also requires authorized representatives of contractor agencies funded under WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs to sign a Data Access Agreement, to ensure the protection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in their possession. United States Department of Labor (USDOL), Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 39.11 is appended to the Data Access Agreement. In addition, staff members of these agencies that will access the CTHires system are required to sign a form entitled Acknowledgment of Receipt of Confidential Information to advise them of responsibilities with respect to confidential information.